Apostille on a Notarized Copy Versus on the Original Document

An apostille on a notarized copy certifies a notary-issued copy of your document instead of the original paper, and both routes are valid depending on what the receiving authority abroad decides to accept. To place an apostille on a notarized copy, a Turkish notary first produces a certified copy of your source document, and the governorate or courthouse then apostilles that copy. Apostilling the original means the single original paper itself carries the stamp and travels abroad. This guide explains the difference between a notarized copy versus the original document, when each route is practical, and where sworn translation fits into the process.

Most readers reach this question holding one document and a checklist from an office in another country. Below is the procedure in order, with each term defined as it appears, so you can decide what to take to the notary before you go.

What an apostille on a notarized copy actually is

An apostille on a notarized copy of a document is a Hague Convention certificate attached to a copy that a notary has certified as a true likeness of the original. The apostille does not verify the content of your document. It verifies the signature and seal of the Turkish official who signed the copy, in this case the notary (noter). Because the stamp sits on the copy, the original stays in your hands.

A notarized copy, also called a certified copy or a certified true copy, is a photocopy that a notary has compared against the original in front of you and stamped as identical. An apostille on a certified copy is therefore a two-layer document: the notary vouches that the copy matches the original, and the apostille vouches that the notary is a genuine Turkish notary. The notary translation step is separate from the apostille and usually comes first.

Apostille on the original document versus on a notarized copy

The core difference is simple: an apostille on the original places the certificate on the source paper itself, while an apostille on a notarized copy places it on a notary-made duplicate. Both are genuine apostilles under the Hague Apostille Convention. What changes is which paper leaves the country and whether you keep the original.

Neither route is automatically better. The receiving authority abroad decides which it will accept, and that decision, not a general rule, is what should shape your file.

When a notarized copy is the practical choice

A notarized copy is the practical choice whenever you cannot part with the original, and this is why so many people ask for the stamp on a copy rather than on the source paper. A university diploma, a birth certificate, a marriage certificate or a company registration extract is often needed again at home, and sending the only original abroad is a real risk. The notarized copy lets the certified duplicate travel while the original stays safe with you.

There are documents where a copy is the only sensible option. Some authorities keep the original in their own file and will not release it, so a notarized copy is the only thing you can lawfully send onward. Other documents exist as a single issued original that cannot be reprinted, and there a certified copy protects you against loss in transit.

Does a notarized copy need an apostille of its own?

Yes, a notarized copy needs its own apostille when it will be used in another Hague Convention country, because the foreign authority recognises the apostille, not the Turkish notary stamp on its own. Clients often ask, does a notarized copy need an apostille, and the answer depends on where the copy is going. A notarized copy used inside Turkey needs no apostille at all; a notarized copy crossing a border to a Hague member state generally does.

The apostille is what makes the notary's certification legible to an official who has never seen a Turkish notary seal. Without it, the foreign office has no standard way to confirm that the stamp is real. This is why the copy, once notarized, goes on to the governorate or courthouse for the apostille rather than straight into the post.

Which Turkish authority apostilles the notarized copy

In Turkey, the apostille on a notary-certified copy is issued by the governorate (valilik) for administrative documents and by the courthouse (adliye) for judicial documents, never by the translation office and never by the notary. The notary certifies the copy. The governorate or courthouse then apostilles the notary's signature. We produce the sworn translation that supports the file; we do not issue apostilles and we do not notarize.

Getting the authority right matters. A notarized copy of a court judgment is apostilled at the courthouse, while a notarized copy of a civil registry (nufus mudurlugu) extract is apostilled at the governorate. If you present the copy to the wrong desk, it is sent back, which is one of the most common delays we see.

Where sworn translation fits into the file

A sworn translation is the part of the file that makes a Turkish document readable to the foreign authority, and it is prepared by a court-registered sworn translator, not by the notary. In our experience, the most common reason a file stalls is that the translation, the notarization and the apostille are done in the wrong order for the receiving country. Some authorities want the translation apostilled with the copy; others want the source document apostilled first and then translated. Ask the receiving office which order it uses before anything is stamped.

For most outbound files, the document is translated by a Turkish sworn translation service, the translation is notarized, and the notarized set is apostilled. An apostille on a certified copy behaves the same way whatever the document type, so the same logic covers a diploma, a power of attorney or a company extract. Where you need a broader overview of the paperwork, our certified translation page sets out what a complete official file looks like.

How the notarized copy apostille works step by step

The apostille on a notarized copy of a document follows a fixed order, and doing the steps out of sequence is the usual cause of a wasted trip. Here is the sequence for a document leaving Turkey for a Hague Convention country.

1. Confirm with the receiving authority abroad whether it accepts a notarized copy or requires the original. This decision governs everything that follows.
2. Take the original to a notary, who compares it and issues a certified copy stamped as a true likeness.
3. Have the document translated by a sworn translator where the receiving authority needs the translation, and have that translation notarized.
4. Present the notarized copy to the governorate for administrative documents or the courthouse for judicial documents, which issues the apostille.
5. Send the apostilled notarized copy abroad and keep your original.

The order of steps three and four can change with the country, which is exactly why the first step is a question to the receiving office rather than an assumption.

Documents that commonly take the copy route

Certain documents almost always travel abroad as a notarized copy rather than as the original, because you will need the source paper again at home. Knowing which category your document falls into helps you plan the notary visit before you go.

• Diplomas and transcripts. A degree certificate is issued once, and universities and employers abroad often accept a certified copy with its sworn translation. Our academic translation page explains what an education file usually contains.
• Civil status certificates. Birth, marriage and death certificates from the civil registry are needed repeatedly, so a copy that can be reissued protects the original you keep on file.
• Company documents. A trade registry extract, articles of association or a signature circular is used again in Turkey, and a certified copy lets the business keep operating while the copy is abroad.
• Powers of attorney. Where a notary holds the original in its own records, a notarized copy is the only version you can send onward.

None of these is a rule the receiving authority is bound by. It remains the office abroad that decides whether a copy is enough, so treat the list as a planning guide rather than a promise.

Why a file gets sent back

Most rejected files fail on a small procedural point rather than on the translation itself. The notary needed to see the original and was shown a photocopy. The copy was apostilled at the governorate when the document was judicial and belonged at the courthouse. The receiving authority wanted the original stamped and received a notarized copy instead.

Each of these is avoidable with one phone call to the office that asked for the document. Confirm whether it wants a notarized copy versus the original document, confirm whether the translation must be included, and confirm the order. When the receiving authority is clear on those three points, the notary, the sworn translator and the apostille desk each know their part.

Choosing a notarized copy versus the original document

Choosing between a notarized copy versus the original document comes down to two questions: does the receiving authority accept a copy, and can you afford to send the original abroad. If the authority accepts a copy and you need to keep the paper, an apostille on a notarized copy is the route that protects you. If the authority insists on the original, that is the route to follow, and the notarized copy will not substitute for it.

Either way, the sequence is the same underneath: certify or select the paper, translate it where required, and let the governorate or courthouse apostille it. Send us a clear scan through the contact page and tell us the destination country and what the receiving office asked for, and we will prepare the sworn translation your file needs. For the official list of Hague Convention member states, the Hague Conference status table is the authoritative source.