Step-by-step conveyancing and procedure stages

Confidential consultation

We review your situation, marriage and any foreign documents, explain your options in plain English, and confirm a fixed fee before any work begins.

Jurisdiction and strategy

We settle the threshold cross-border questions — where to file and which law applies — and choose the route: uncontested protocol, contested case, or recognition of a foreign decree.

Documents and filing

We draft the petition or settlement protocol, gather and translate evidence, arrange apostille, sworn translations and your power of attorney, and file with the competent Family Court.

Negotiation and hearings

We represent you at every hearing, negotiate a fair settlement where that serves you, and present your evidence and witnesses where the case is genuinely contested.

Judgment and finalisation

Once the court rules, we carry the judgment through to finality, update the population register, and handle enforcement of alimony or property orders where needed.

Cross-border recognition

Where the result must count in another country — or a foreign decree must count here — we coordinate recognition so you are not divorced in one country and married in another.

Appeals if needed

If the outcome is wrong in law or fact, we advise on and pursue appeal to the regional court of appeal and, where appropriate, the Court of Cassation.

Critical statutory deadlines and calendar windows

Time limits and typical durations mentioned on this page

6 months~~Adultery (zina) case: the right to sue is lost 6 months after you learn of the adultery — TMK Art. 161~~

1–4 months~~Indicative time for an uncontested (anlaşmalı) divorce from filing to a final, recorded judgment~~

9 months~~The Constitutional Court's 4 June 2026 annulment of the "süresiz" wording in TMK Art. 175 takes effect 9 months after the reasoned decision is published in the Resmî Gazete~~

1 year~~An uncontested divorce is only available where the marriage has lasted at least one year — TMK Art. 166/3~~

1.5–3 years~~Indicative time for a contested (çekişmeli) divorce to a final result; longer with a full appeal~~

5 years~~Adultery case: in any event the right to sue is lost 5 years after the act itself — TMK Art. 161~~

What to prepare before you take the next step

Whichever route fits your situation, the same groundwork saves months. Gather these before anything is filed — here or abroad.

Find your marriage certificate, and for a marriage performed abroad the apostille and a sworn Turkish translation — a religious-only marriage with no civil registration is generally not recognised here, which changes what you actually need.
If you already divorced abroad, obtain the judgment with a finality or legal-force annotation from the issuing court, plus an apostille (or consular legalisation) and a sworn Turkish translation.
Check the date you married: from 1 January 2002 the default regime is participation in acquired property, before that separation of property — and confirm whether any marriage contract was signed before a notary.
List the assets and where they sit — real estate, a company, pensions, accounts in more than one country — noting whose name each is in and roughly when it was acquired.
Note the basis of your residence permit: a family permit obtained through your spouse can lapse when the marriage ends, so plan the switch rather than letting it quietly expire.
For anything involving children, write down the current care arrangement and any plan to move abroad — never take or keep a child across a border without the other parent's consent or a court order.
Before filing anywhere, settle where the case should be heard and under which law, and prepare a power of attorney; remember that in an uncontested divorce you must attend the decisive hearing in person.

Governing statutory provisions under Turkish law

4721~~LAW NO.~~

Turkish Civil Code (Türk Medeni Kanunu, TMK) · Arts. 161–166, 174, 175, 202, 218 et seq.

The substantive family law: grounds for divorce, custody (velayet), the kinds of maintenance (nafaka), compensation and the matrimonial property regimes.

5718~~LAW NO.~~

Act on Private International Law and International Civil Procedure (MÖHUK) · Art. 14; Arts. 50–58

The cross-border framework: whether a Turkish court has jurisdiction, which country's law the judge applies, and whether a foreign judgment is recognised or enforced here.

6284~~LAW NO.~~

Law on the Protection of Family and Prevention of Violence Against Women

Allows a court — or in urgent cases the administrative authority — to issue protective and preventive measures such as a restraining or removal order, without an open divorce case.

Divorce & Family Law in Türkiye: Divorce Stages, Asset Division & Custody Timeline