FRENCH DOCUMENTS DESTINED FOR TÜRKIYE: NOTARIES AUTHORIZED TO ISSUE APOSTILLE AND LEGALISATION
As part of a reform aimed at simplifying and digitalising international certification procedures, France has transferred the authority to issue both apostilles and legalisations to notaries.
Since 1 May 2025, notaries have been authorized for issuing apostilles, previously handled by the Courts of Appeal.
As of 1 September 2025, their competence has also been extended to legalisations, which were formerly carried out by the “Bureau des légalisations” of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.
As of aforementioned dates, all French notaries are authorised to issue apostilles and legalisations. Applications can be made either electronically or physically, and all certificates are recorded and verifiable online through https://apostille-index.notaires.fr/home.
The “Conseil supérieur du notariat (CSN)” also provides a directory of regional and inter-departmental notarial councils, helping applicants to locate the competent notary for their request: https://www.csn.notaires.fr/fr/organisation-du-notariat-instances-departementales-et-interdepartementales
Apostille vs. Legalisation
• Legalisation is the traditional procedure for authenticating a public document by verifying the signature, the capacity of the signatory, and, where applicable, the seal or stamp. It involves a two-step process: (i) prior certification by the country where the document was issued, and (ii) subsequent certification by the consulate/embassy of the country of destination where the document will be used.
• Apostille is a simplified form of legalisation under the 1961 Hague Convention, applicable only between the States that are parties, replacing the two-step procedure with a single certificate between member States.
Both procedures attest to the authenticity of the signature, the capacity of the signatory, and, where applicable, the seal or stamp affixed to the document.
The reform applies to a wide range of French public documents used abroad, such as judicial or administrative decisions, civil status records, notarial deeds, diplomas, certificates and criminal record extracts.
Certain categories still remain under the responsibility of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, particularly documents relating to criminal judicial cooperation and documents concerning overseas territories (New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna, French Southern and Antarctic Territories).
This reform is based on:
• Ordinance n° 2020-192 of 4 March 2020, which entrusted the competence to the notarial profession,
• Decree n° 2021-1205 of 17 September 2021, defining the organisation of this new public service mission, and
• Ministerial Order of 23 December 2024, which finalised the implementation modalities.
This reform centralises and streamlines procedures for international document authentication. Apostilles and legalisations are now easier to obtain, digitally verifiable, and available through a single point of contact: French notaries.
In practice, documents bearing e-Apostilles issued by French notaries are now duly accepted in Türkiye, provided that they are translated into Turkish and submitted through the competent authority (such as notaries, courts, or public registries), with no practical difficulties observed in their implementation to date.
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