Step-by-step conveyancing and procedure stages

Send the judgment or award

Share the foreign court judgment or arbitral award, its finality details, and who the other side is. A first read tells us whether recognition (tanıma) or enforcement (tenfiz) is what you actually need.

We assess conditions & reciprocity

We test your judgment against the MÖHUK Art. 54 conditions — or, for awards, the New York Convention grounds — and, for court judgments, check where your country stands on reciprocity, so you know your position before spending on a filing.

File the tanıma/tenfiz action

Acting under your power of attorney, we prepare the finality, apostille and sworn translations, then file and argue the recognition or enforcement action in the correct Turkish court under the simplified procedure.

Execute against assets

Once enforcement is granted, we act through the Turkish enforcement offices under the İİK to attach and collect against bank accounts, real estate and receivables in Türkiye.

Critical statutory deadlines and calendar windows

How long the routes tend to take

weeks to a few months~~Administrative registration of a foreign divorce in the population register (Population Services Act, Law No. 5490, Art. 27/A) — no court case~~

~6-10 months~~Uncontested enforcement (tenfiz) action at first instance, heard under the simplified procedure (MÖHUK Art. 55)~~

~12-24 months~~Contested enforcement at first instance; an appeal adds time, and execution against assets runs after the tenfiz judgment~~

Before you file

A recognition or enforcement case is won or lost largely on preparation. These are the practical things to settle before anything is sent to a Turkish court.

Decide which you actually need: recognition (tanıma) if the judgment only has to be accepted as settled, enforcement (tenfiz) if you intend to seize money or property here.
Obtain the finality annotation (kesinleşme) from the issuing court or authority — a decision still open to appeal is not ready to be used.
Arrange legalisation: an apostille under the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention where the country of origin is a party, otherwise consular legalisation.
Have the judgment or award and its annotations translated into Turkish by a sworn translator.
Prepare a notarised and apostilled power of attorney (vekâletname) so a Türkiye-bar lawyer can act without you travelling.
For a court judgment, check where your country stands on reciprocity — by treaty, by statute or de facto — before committing to a filing; recognition and arbitral awards do not need it.
Check whether security for costs for foreign claimants (yabancılık teminatı) under HMK Art. 84 applies to you, or whether a treaty or reciprocity exemption covers it.

Governing statutory provisions under Turkish law

5718~~LAW NO.~~

Private International Law and Procedure Act (MÖHUK) · Arts. 50-63

Governs enforcement of foreign court judgments (Arts. 50-57, conditions in Art. 54, no review of the merits under Art. 55), recognition (Arts. 58-59) and foreign arbitral awards (Arts. 60-63).

5490~~LAW NO.~~

Population Services Act · Art. 27/A

Since 2017, allows a foreign divorce to be registered directly in the Turkish population register through the civil registry or a Turkish consulate, when the conditions are met, without a court case.

2004~~LAW NO.~~

Enforcement and Bankruptcy Act (İİK)

Once a tenfiz judgment is granted, this is the machinery used through the Turkish enforcement offices to attach bank accounts, real estate and receivables.

Enforcing Foreign Judgments (Tenfiz): Process Stages, Appeal Deadlines & Timeline