Foreign diploma

The document evidencing a qualification awarded abroad. It is the centre of recognition files, of work permit applications in qualified roles, and of academic appointments.

⭐ Apostille at source, before you leave

A diploma is apostilled by the country whose institution awarded it. Türkiye cannot do this, and arranging it after you have left means posting an irreplaceable document abroad and waiting.

If there is any chance you will need it, apostille it while you are still there. See why Türkiye cannot apostille a foreign document.

⚠ The reverse side

Grading scales, credit systems, faculty stamps and sometimes an entire subject list are printed on the back. Recognition is a comparison exercise, so that material is not supplementary — it is what the assessment reads.

Send every page and every reverse side, including ones that appear blank apart from a stamp in a corner.

Certification level

Recognition files expect notarised sworn translation. Work permit legislation is lighter and accepts sworn translator or official authority certification. Ask for your own procedure rather than assuming one rule covers both.

Institution names

Universities merge, rename and change status. A diploma issued under a former name may need supporting evidence that the institution is the one now listed, and that evidence comes from the institution or the country’s education authority — not from a translator.

Names and dates

The name on the diploma must be reconcilable with the passport. Where they differ, evidence linking them is needed; send the passport page with the document so the translation follows the right spelling.

What goes with it

A diploma is rarely enough on its own. The transcript and, where it exists, the diploma supplement carry the detail an assessment relies on — see foreign transcript.

Lost or damaged diplomas

Where the original no longer exists, the awarding institution can usually issue a replacement or a certified statement of the award. That document is what gets apostilled and translated; a photocopy of a lost diploma is not a substitute and will not be certified.

Provisional and interim certificates

A certificate confirming that a degree has been awarded, issued before the diploma itself, is a real document and is often accepted. Ask the receiving institution whether it will take one, because obtaining it is usually far quicker than waiting for a graduation ceremony.