Marriage Services

Marriage certificate and wedding application information and documents required from couples.

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Marriage Services Unit

Documents Required from Couples Applying to Marry

Marriage procedures in our country are regulated by the Turkish Civil Code and the Marriage Regulation.

8 Key Items

1Couples to be married must apply in person together to the marriage registrar's office. Single applications are not accepted. At the time of application, both parties must show their photo ID cards. The Marriage Registrar checks identity by asking for ID cards. If no ID card is shown, the application is not accepted. (Marriage Regulation Art. 16)
2Photocopies of ID cards
3Residence certificates (it is sufficient for one of the couple to reside within any province or district)
4The couple must bring the originals of their most recent photo ID cards with their latest marital status recorded. Driver's licences and institutional ID cards are not accepted. ID cards older than 10 years or badly worn will not be accepted. (Art. 18, Art. 21)
55 passport photos each of the man and the woman (they must be in colour, taken from the front, taken within the last 6 months and not photocopied.) (Art. 20)
6A health report for marriage procedures from Family Medicine (valid for 6 months from the date of issue.) (Art. 20)
7Marriage eligibility certificate (issued by our institution when the couple applies together)
8If one of the couple cannot be present at the application, the absent candidate must give a power of attorney via a notary so that the marriage procedures can be followed.

Minors

Couples under 18 may marry with the permission of their parents (calculated by months and days). If one of the parents has died, the death will be documented with a civil registry record. Those under 17 may marry by court decision.

Divorced and Widowed Persons

Divorced or widowed women cannot remarry until 10 months (300 days) have passed from the registration of the divorce or death. For those who do not want to wait for this period to end, a decision from the Family Court lifting the waiting period (300 days) must be obtained and the document must carry a finalisation note.
It is mandatory that the latest marital status be recorded on the ID cards of the persons concerned.

Documents Required for Marriage to a Foreigner

If one of the spouses is Turkish, they can apply to the population directorate where their residence is registered, to consulates, and to the provincial or district marriage registrar's office.
Those of foreign nationality apply with a certificate of single status (marriage eligibility certificate).
Other countries must have the marriage certificates they obtain from their consulates in Istanbul certified by the Istanbul Governorship (Legal Affairs Directorate).
Citizens of countries without a consulate in Istanbul must have the marriage eligibility certificate they obtain from their embassies in Ankara certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Foreign national men and women must have their passports translated by sworn translation offices and notarised. (Those with expired visas are not accepted.)
Procedures based on documents issued by honorary consulates are not accepted.
During the wedding ceremony, an interpreter must be present for a foreign national who does not speak Turkish.

If the Woman Wishes to Keep Her Own Surname After Marriage

Women who wish to use their maiden name will fill in the necessary printed forms and sign them in front of the marriage registrar. Those who do not request to use their surname from the marriage registrar can also request it from the Population Directorate after the marriage.