If your ex-spouse is a foreign national, a unilateral application is possible. If your ex-spouse is a dual citizen (holds dual passports) or a Turkish citizen, a joint application is required. It is not necessary to go to the consulate at the same time. One person can go first, and the other has 90 days to go.

You need the original divorce decision and an apostille. These must also be translated into Turkish by a sworn translator. Your divorce decision must clearly state the 'date of finalization.' The apostille is issued by the country that issued the divorce decision. You can ask the court that issued the divorce decision where to get the apostille.

After logging into the consulate's website, an appointment should be made under the heading 'Registration of Divorce Decisions Given by Foreign Authorities' under the 'POPULATION PROCEDURES' section.

The duration varies depending on workload and decision-making time, but after both parties sign, it usually takes between 2 weeks and 1.5 months to complete. If you have a residence address in Turkey, the procedures can be done at the population directorate linked to that address; otherwise, they can be done at the Ankara Population Directorate.

If your ex-spouse refuses to sign, the only option is to file a lawsuit in Turkey. In this case, you do not need to come to Turkey. For questions about the costs and duration of the recognition lawsuit, you can contact us via WhatsApp.