English-Speaking Lawyer in Istanbul

If you are looking for an English-speaking lawyer in Istanbul, Avrasya Law Office in Bakırköy provides consultations in English for foreign nationals who live in Turkey or who own property, have family or have an inheritance here. Lawyer Kasım Ergün, who founded the office in 2008, can explain your options in English, while all court filings and official applications are prepared in Turkish, as Turkish law requires.

Quick summary: You can consult us in English. Petitions, court hearings and official applications are in Turkish. Foreign documents generally need an apostille and a sworn Turkish translation. You can authorise a Turkish lawyer with a power of attorney (vekaletname) given at a Turkish notary, at a Turkish consulate, or at a foreign notary with an apostille.

Legal matters we can assist foreigners with

Most of the questions foreigners bring to a lawyer in Turkey fall into a handful of areas. Our office provides advice and representation in each of them:

• Buying property and the title deed (tapu): checking the property and the seller before you pay, the contract, and the transfer at the land registry office. See our guide to buying property in Turkey as a foreigner.
• Divorce and child custody: uncontested and contested divorce, custody, alimony and the division of assets, including cases where one spouse lives abroad. See divorce in Turkey for foreigners.
• Inheritance: obtaining a certificate of inheritance, transferring inherited property in Turkey to the heirs, and renouncing an inheritance. See inheritance in Turkey for foreign heirs.
• Residence permits, work permits and citizenship: applications, refusals and appeals before the migration and labour authorities, and Turkish citizenship applications. See immigration and foreigners law.
• Business and contracts: setting up a company, shareholder matters, and drafting or reviewing commercial contracts. See commercial law.
• Employment: unpaid wages, severance pay and dismissal disputes for foreign employees and for employers. See employment law.
• Debt collection: enforcement proceedings to recover money owed to you in Turkey, or defending against a claim. See enforcement and bankruptcy law.
• Criminal matters: legal assistance for foreigners who are suspects, defendants or victims, from the investigation stage onward. See criminal law.

How working with a Turkish lawyer works if you don't speak Turkish

Consultation in English, proceedings in Turkish

Consultations can be held in English, so you can understand each step and decision. Turkish, however, is the official language of the state, and petitions, hearings and decisions in Turkish courts and official offices are in Turkish. Your lawyer prepares and files documents in Turkish and explains their content to you in English. In criminal proceedings, a suspect, defendant or victim who does not speak enough Turkish is entitled to an interpreter appointed by the court; in civil cases, a witness who does not speak Turkish is heard through an interpreter.

Foreign documents: apostille and sworn translation

Turkey is a party to the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. In practice this means a public document issued in another member country (a birth or marriage certificate, a death certificate, a foreign court decision or a notarised power of attorney) generally needs an apostille from the issuing country instead of consular legalisation. For countries that are not party to the convention, legalisation through the Turkish embassy or consulate is usually required. The document must then be translated into Turkish by a sworn translator (yeminli tercüman), and the translation is normally certified by a Turkish notary. We can tell you in advance exactly which documents your matter needs, so you can obtain them before travelling.

Giving a power of attorney (vekaletname) to a Turkish lawyer

To represent you in court or before an authority, your lawyer needs a power of attorney. You can give it in one of three ways:

1. At a Turkish notary in Turkey: you sign in person with your passport. If you do not speak Turkish, a sworn interpreter attends and translates the document for you.
2. At a Turkish consulate abroad: consulates carry out notarial acts. You book an appointment and attend in person; consulates state that foreign nationals who do not speak Turkish must attend with a sworn interpreter registered with that consulate. Some consulates only prepare powers of attorney for non-Turkish citizens for title deed matters and refer other matters to local notaries, so check with the consulate first.
3. At a notary in your own country: the power of attorney is signed before a local notary, then given an apostille, and translated into Turkish by a sworn translator.

For title deed and divorce matters, the power of attorney usually has to carry your photograph. Because the wording of a power of attorney decides what your lawyer can do, make sure you understand the Turkish draft before you sign it; its content can be explained to you in English.

What to prepare for the first meeting

• Your passport (and, if you have one, your residence permit card).
• Your foreign identification number (starting with 99) or your tax number (vergi numarası), if you have one.
• The documents relating to your matter: title deed, contracts, court papers, notices you have received, marriage or death certificates, correspondence.
• A short timeline of events in English, with names and dates. This saves time and keeps the first meeting focused.

The first meeting can be held at our office in Bakırköy. If you are abroad, some of the preparation can often begin before you travel, and in many matters a properly prepared power of attorney means you do not need to attend every hearing in person.

Common matters and the Turkish authority that handles them

Who can represent you before Turkish courts

Under the Turkish Attorneys Act (Avukatlık Kanunu No. 1136, Article 35), giving legal opinions, bringing and defending cases before courts and arbitrators, and preparing the related documents are reserved to lawyers registered with a Turkish bar association. Admission to the profession requires, among other conditions, Turkish citizenship (Article 3). Foreign law firms operating in Turkey under Article 44/B may only advise on foreign law and international law. This means that a lawyer from your home country cannot act for you in a Turkish court; you need a lawyer registered with a Turkish bar. Your lawyer at home and your Turkish lawyer can, of course, work together, which is often useful in divorce and inheritance matters that involve two countries.

Speaking with our office

Avrasya Law Office is based in Bakırköy, Istanbul, and Lawyer Kasım Ergün has more than 20 years of practice in Turkish law. If you would like to discuss your situation in English, you can reach us through our contact page, by phone or by WhatsApp at +90 532 566 52 91.

This page is general information and does not constitute legal advice. Procedures and requirements can change; please seek advice on your specific situation.