Registration of a marriage in Türkiye

Turkish citizens who marry in the United States are required to register their marriages in the Turkish civil registry. This page explains the 30-day rule, which diplomatic mission to apply to and how, the required documents, apostille and translation procedures, and family booklet and surname procedures. It also provides information for those who wish to marry at a consulate and those who need a certificate of capacity to marry before marrying before a foreign authority. For the addresses and jurisdictions of the diplomatic missions, see 11.1 Turkish diplomatic missions in the United States and their jurisdictions.

• Under the Population Services Law No. 5490, marriages performed abroad before foreign authorized authorities are also valid in Türkiye. The conditions are that the marriage complies with the Turkish Civil Code and that there is no ground making the marriage void.
• The marriage must be reported within 30 days at the latest by submitting or sending the document issued by the foreign authority that performed the marriage to the diplomatic mission in that location.
• According to the law, the husband makes the notification; if the husband is a foreign national, the Turkish citizen wife does so. The consular procedures page states that the application may be made by either spouse.
• The diplomatic mission receiving the notification prepares the marriage notification and sends it to the civil registry office.
• The U.S. Department of State's Türkiye document guide also reminds Turkish citizens who marry abroad to report their marriage within 30 days.
• If 30 days have passed, still apply to the diplomatic mission and state your situation during the application.

• As a general rule, you apply to the diplomatic mission responsible for the place where the marriage took place. In the United States, services are provided by the Embassy in Washington and the consulates general in Boston, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and Chicago.
• If the marriage document is local in nature, the application may be made only to the diplomatic mission responsible for the area where the marriage took place. Applications made with an international multilingual document (Formül B) are accepted by all diplomatic missions in the country. When applying with a marriage document issued in the United States, select the diplomatic mission responsible for the state where the marriage took place.
• Applications by mail are possible. In the petition, you request that the marriage be registered in the family registry. You attach the original marriage document and documents showing the identity information of the person making the notification.
• For an in-person application, make an appointment through konsolosluk.gov.tr. For the appointment steps, see 11.2 Consular appointments.
• Application to a civil registry office in Türkiye: if notification cannot be made to a diplomatic mission, the marriage document may also be submitted to a civil registry office in Türkiye. Under the law, the document must be translated into Turkish, duly certified, and authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• According to the U.S. Embassy, to use a U.S. document in Türkiye, obtain an apostille from the U.S. authority that issued the document and have it translated into Turkish by a sworn translator. Apostilles for state documents are issued by the state's Secretary of State office. Ask the civil registry office which authentication it requires before going there.

1. The original marriage document or a certified copy obtained from an authorized local authority or marriage office, and a photocopy.
2. The originals and photocopies of the spouses' Turkish Republic identity cards.
3. If one spouse is a foreign national, that spouse's birth certificate and a photocopy. Instead of a birth certificate, an identity document showing the mother's and father's names, place of birth, and date of birth is also acceptable.
4. If the woman is a Turkish citizen and wishes to use her previous surname together with her married surname, a petition containing this request.
5. The diplomatic mission's page includes two forms: Marriage Registration Application Petition and Request Form for Using the Maiden Name Together with the Spouse's Surname.
6. Your diplomatic mission may request additional documents. Before your appointment, select your diplomatic mission on konsolosluk.gov.tr and read the “Required Documents” and “Specific to the Mission” sections.

• For persons who are also citizens of another country but have not had this status recorded in their Turkish civil registry (dual citizenship registration has not been completed), marriages performed under the other citizenship can be registered only after dual citizenship registration. See 4.5 Dual citizenship: procedures to be completed in Türkiye.
• A Mavi Kart is not renewed because of a surname change. For your procedures in Türkiye, show your marriage booklet together with your Mavi Kart.
• If you have a child after the marriage, see 8.3 Registering a child in the Turkish civil registry for birth registration.

• After registration, obtaining an International Family Booklet is not mandatory.
• If you wish, you may apply at the diplomatic mission by appointment. Required items:
  • the originals and photocopies of the spouses' Turkish Republic identity cards
  • two identical, front-facing, color passport photos of each spouse, taken within the last six months
  • a photocopy of the old family booklet, if available
• The New York Consulate General's consular.gov.tr page lists the fee for an International Family Booklet as $28.10 and regular postage as $31. Check your own diplomatic mission's fee in the “Fees” section of the same page.
• A family booklet cannot be requested for a marriage performed before a foreign authority that has not yet been registered; registration must be completed first. Family booklets are not issued for marriages that have ended.
• International Marriage Certificate (Formül B): obtained from the diplomatic mission by appointment. If you wish, you can apply through online.konsolosluk.gov.tr and request that it be sent to your address.
• Surname: consular forms continue to accept requests from women to use their previous surname together with their married surname. The sentences of Article 187 of the Turkish Civil Code concerning a woman's surname were annulled by the Constitutional Court's decision dated 22 February 2023. Ask the diplomatic mission about your surname options when applying.

• Marriage at a consulate: may be performed only if both parties are solely Turkish citizens and the law of the country where they are located permits it.
  • Dual citizens and those marrying a foreign national cannot marry at a consulate; they must marry before a local authority.
  • Marriage authority is valid only inside the diplomatic mission building. Honorary consuls cannot perform marriages.
  • Marriage by proxy is not permitted. Application procedures may, however, be carried out with a special power of attorney.
  • The application must be made only to the diplomatic mission responsible for the area where you reside. After the documents are submitted, a separate day is assigned for the marriage; ask by telephone or email in advance about suitable dates.
• Main documents required for a consular marriage:
  • a petition to be signed jointly by the couple at the diplomatic mission and the Turkish Republic identity cards
  • two witnesses and their identity documents (witnesses may also be foreign nationals who know the couple and speak Turkish)
  • a medical report showing that there is no illness preventing marriage (a blood test is not required)
  • three color photos of each of you, taken within the last six months
  • a marital-status document obtained from local authorities
• Waiting period for a divorced woman: under the Turkish Civil Code, a woman cannot marry until 300 days have passed after the marriage ends. A court may remove this period in some cases. A divorce judgment issued in the United States must first be registered in the Turkish civil registry. See 7.5 Divorce.
• Certificate of capacity to marry: couples who will marry before a foreign authority obtain this certificate from the diplomatic mission if that authority requests it. The couple applies together and in person. The application must be made only to the diplomatic mission responsible for the area of residence.
• The license pages for New York, New Jersey, California, Texas (Travis County), and Florida (Miami-Dade), reviewed in Section 7.2, do not request this document. Nevertheless, ask the office from which you will obtain the license.

• Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Call Center — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
  • From the United States and Canada: +1 888 566 7656
  • From Türkiye: +90 312 292 29 29
• Diplomatic missions in the United States — addresses, telephone numbers, and jurisdictions
  • See 11.1 Turkish diplomatic missions in the United States and their jurisdictions
• For a general explanation of civil registry procedures, see 11.3 Passport, identity card, civil registry.

• Forgetting the 30-day notification period.
• Going with a marriage document issued in the United States to a diplomatic mission that is not responsible for the state where the marriage took place.
• Bringing a simple photocopy instead of the original or a certified copy of the document.
• Requesting marriage registration without having dual citizenship recorded in the Turkish registry.
• Trying to remarry with a foreign divorce judgment that has not been registered in the Turkish civil registry.
• Taking a document to a civil registry office in Türkiye without an apostille or Turkish translation.

• What happens if I do not register my marriage? Your marriage will not be entered in the Turkish civil registry; you will continue to appear as single in the records. The notification must be made within 30 days under the law; apply without delay.
• Can I apply by mail? Yes. Marriage registration can also be completed by mail. The petition, the original document, and documents showing your identity information are required.
• My spouse is a U.S. citizen. Do they also need to come? The Turkish citizen spouse makes the registration application. The foreign spouse's birth certificate or identity information is required.
• Do I have to obtain a family booklet? No. Obtaining a family booklet after registration is not mandatory.
• Can we marry at a consulate? Yes, if both of you are solely Turkish citizens and the law of the country where you are located permits it. Dual citizens and those marrying a foreign national cannot marry at a consulate.
• Where can I obtain Formül B? You can obtain it from the diplomatic mission, civil registry offices in Türkiye, or e-Devlet.

• Consular procedures – Marriage (forms, documents, fees)
• Consular appointment system
• Online consular application (Formül B delivery)
• Population Services Law No. 5490 (PDF)
• Turkish Civil Code No. 4721 (PDF)
• e-Devlet
• USA.gov – Apostille for a U.S. document
• U.S. Embassy – Apostille for U.S. documents