The least legal part of a cross-border transaction is often the one that delays it: getting a piece of paper from a notary's office abroad into a lawyer's hands in Türkiye. Institutions require originals, couriers lose weeks, and a registry appointment booked around an estimated delivery date is a booking made on hope. This article covers the logistics, which deserve more attention than they usually get.
Why the original matters
Turkish institutions verify documents at the counter. A land registry officer, a bank compliance officer or a court clerk examines the physical instrument: the seal, the photograph, the apostille, the notary's signature.
A scan is not a substitute. It is useful — translation can begin, the lawyer can confirm the wording is right, defects can be caught early — but the transaction happens when the original arrives.
The exception is a power of attorney issued at a Turkish consulate, which enters the Turkish notarial system electronically and can therefore be verified without the paper. Even then, institutions frequently want to see the document, and the original should follow.
What to send
- The original power of attorney with the apostille attached — not stapled loosely, and not separated.
- Any accompanying original documents the file needs: corporate resolutions, certificates, judgments with certificates of finality.
- A copy of the grantor's passport.
- Anything the receiving lawyer specified.
Do not send the only copy of a document you may need again. Where a certificate is difficult to replace, consider obtaining two originals or a certified duplicate at the outset.
Choosing a courier
Use an international courier with door-to-door tracking and a signature on delivery. Postal services are cheaper and slower and provide less visibility; for a document on which a transaction depends, the difference in cost is trivial against the risk.
Points that save trouble:
- Address it to the lawyer's office, with the office name, a full address, a postcode and a telephone number that will be answered.
- Declare it as documents with nominal value. Overstating value invites customs handling that documents do not need.
- Send the tracking number to the recipient as soon as it exists.
- Allow for the receiving end. Deliveries fail because nobody is present, and a redelivery costs a day or more.
- Avoid public holidays at both ends — Turkish religious holidays in particular can produce week-long gaps in delivery and in institutional availability.
Realistic timings
From Western Europe, express courier delivery to a Turkish city is commonly two to four working days. From the Gulf, similar. From further afield, longer. Customs clearance for documents is normally routine and occasionally is not.
The sensible planning rule is to treat the courier estimate as a best case and to book the registry or bank appointment only once the document is physically in Türkiye. An appointment booked against a tracking estimate is the most common way a well-prepared transaction still slips.
Send the scan first, always
The moment the document is executed, photograph or scan every page — including the apostille and the photograph page — and send it to the lawyer.
This does three things:
- Catches defects while they are cheap to fix. If the photograph is missing or an authority is absent, discovering it on the day of execution means the notary is still available. Discovering it on delivery means starting again.
- Starts the translation. Sworn translation and notarisation can proceed from the scan and be ready when the original lands.
- Allows preparation to continue. Appointments can be provisionally arranged and the rest of the file assembled.
This single habit removes more delay than any other logistical measure.
What to do while the document is in transit
Everything that does not depend on it:
- tax number obtained;
- title review completed, encumbrances and annotations checked;
- valuation instructed from an SPK-licensed firm, where a citizenship purchase is intended;
- source-of-funds file assembled;
- bank identified and its power of attorney requirements confirmed;
- family documents apostilled and translated;
- draft contracts reviewed.
A file where only the courier is outstanding completes within days of delivery. A file where the courier was the only thing anyone was doing does not.
If the document is lost
It happens, rarely. The response:
- Open a claim with the courier immediately — tracking evidence matters.
- Obtain a replacement. A consular document can generally be reissued more quickly than the original process, since the mission holds the record. A foreign notarial document usually means repeating execution and apostille.
- Consider revoking the lost document where its contents are sensitive. A power of attorney in unknown hands is a risk, and revocation is the answer.
- Notify institutions that may be presented with it.
The revocation point is worth emphasising: a broad power of attorney that goes missing should be revoked, not merely replaced.
Frequently asked questions
Can my lawyer act on a scan? Preparation, yes. Institutions require the original.
How long does courier delivery take? Two to four working days from Europe, longer from elsewhere. Treat estimates as best case.
Can I bring it myself? Yes, and that is the most reliable method if you are travelling anyway.
Does the apostille need to stay attached? Yes. Keep the document intact.
What if delivery fails? Ensure the office address and telephone number are correct and that someone is present.
Should I insure it? Insurance compensates for a document; it does not replace it. Tracking and a signature matter more.
When should I book the registry appointment? After the original is in Türkiye, not against a tracking estimate.
Logistics are part of the file
A transaction that fails because a courier was late is as delayed as one that fails on a legal defect, and the remedy is the same kind of attention: send the scan immediately, use a tracked courier, do everything else in parallel, and book appointments against documents that have arrived.
Dural Hukuk manages document logistics as part of every cross-border file, reviews scans on the day of execution so defects are caught while they are fixable, and schedules registry and bank appointments around confirmed delivery. Call +90 535 260 74 54 or use the contact form on this site.
This article is general information on Turkish practice as at August 2026 and is not legal advice. Obtain advice on your own transaction.