Power of attorney applications are accepted in person at the Turkish Consulate Los Angeles, CA from 9 am-12 pm. Once all documents are ready and complete and the application is approved; the power of attorney document will be ready in about 1 hour. Together with the application and waiting time, it may take up to 3 hours. You don’t have to bring your legal text, the Consulate provides the text. The standard power of attorney texts are on the website. The website is in Turkish. Feel free to give your lawyer this link if you want your lawyer to check the various POA texts.

The Consulate website offers its complete information ONLY in Turkish. You can follow those 2 steps to get to the download section:

First page
Sign into www.konsolosluk.gov.tr
Choose “Türkçe” which means Turkish.
‘Ülke seçiniz: ABD’
‘Şehir seçiniz:’ any city you want

Second page
On the left menu, move your cursor onto ‘İşlemler’ and then click on ‘Noterlik’, the third one from the bottom. This link offers various power of attorney texts that you can share with your attorney in Turkey and decide which one serves you the best.

Frequently Asked Questions about Power of Attorney Applications

Q1.   I am going to give my power of attorney to a lawyer in Turkey. What do you need to bring?

• 2 passport size photos
• Your valid U.S. passport
• Your lawyer’s information including his/her full name, address, Turkish ID no, the bar s/he belongs to and the lawyer’s bar number. If you choose to appoint more than one attorney or an attorney group, your need to bring every individuals’ information.
• $120 cash for the processing fee to be paid at the Consulate. Exact amount will be calculated on the day you apply. The fee is usually between $50-$80. Cash is the only accepted form of payment.
• An interpreter – A Turkish citizen, and registered with the Turkish Consulate. To check the availability of our expert interpreters, contact us.
• If the POA is to register a divorce decree or file for a divorce, you also need to bring your former spouse’s first and last name, birth date, and his or her residence address. Please read the misinterpreted situations below.

Q2.   I am going to give a power of attorney to a non-lawyer in Turkey. What do I need to bring?

• 2 passport size photos
• Your U.S. passport
• Your future attorney-in-fact’s information including his/her full name, birth date, address, Turkish ID no. If you choose to appoint more than one attorney or an attorney group, your need to bring every individuals’ information. Ideally bring his/her Turkish ID and residence address.
• $120 cash for the processing fee to be paid at the Consulate. Exact amount will be calculated on the day you apply. The fee is usually between $50-$80. Cash is the only accepted form of payment.
• An interpreter – A Turkish citizen, and registered with the Turkish Consulate. To check the availability of our expert interpreters, please contact us at +1(310)210-4443.

OFTEN MISINTERPRETED SITUATIONS

Content of your POA matters!

Please pay attention here!

FOR REAL PROPERTY RELATED TRANSACTIONS: If your transaction includes a buy/sale/transfer of a real property or land, you also have to bring the title information, ideally a copy of the title.

FOR DIVORCE DECREES: If your divorce is finalized in the U.S. at the U.S. courts, you can get the decree acknowledged at the Turkish court (Tanima Mahkemesi). For that you would need to get the divorce decree translated and approved by either Turkish Consulate or California Secretary of State. Without the court decree stating that the divorce is finalized, the lawyer cannot apply to the Tanitma Mahkemesi. How to get your divorce decree approved, you can read this. 
If the Consulate receives a Turkish court notice on your behalf, you have to bring a translator with you.

TO APPLY SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENTS ON YOUR BELATED TURKISH CITIZEN HUSBAND/WIFE, your marriage has to be registered in Turkish records. Only the Turkish citizen spouse can register the marriage with a non-Turkish spouse. If the deceased spouse never registered the marriage, you need to work closely with the registrar’s office(Nufus Mudurlugu) in Turkey. To learn about your unique procedure, call us or contact the Turkish Consulate.

Q3.   Do I have to make an appointment?

No. There is no appointment system at the Turkish Consulate, Los Angeles. It is first come, first serve during the business days from 9 am to 12 pm. Wednesdays and Thursdays are the best as Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays are the busiest. During the working days, it gets busier close to noon. For out of town visitors, the Consulate may accept afternoon visits. Contact the Consulate for your special needs. HOWEVER, you have to make an appointment for the interpreter preferably one week before your intended date of appearance at the Consulate.

Q4.   What are the specific types of power of attorney?

Most transactions that require a specific POA are related to the following cases:

• Buy/sell/transfer a real property
• Divorce
• Banking
• Opening a company
• Social Security payments
• Representation for Civil cases
• Rent collection
• Phone service
• Student
• Representation for the official processes
• Retirement application
• Transfer of company shares
• Registering a minor
• Taxes
• Customs
• Sale of a vehicle

If needed, the Consulate would customize the text.

Q5.   Do I have to appear at the consulate in person?

If your transaction in Turkey includes any kind of real property (such as sale/purchase/transfer/inheritance of real estate or land), you have to appear in person. Only if your transaction doesn’t involve real property, then there is a way to process your POA without you going to the Consulate. Please read here.

Q6.    Which days is the Consulate closed?

All American national holidays as well as all Turkish National Holidays. Call and confirm with the consulate if they are open on the 2nd and 3rd day of a particular holiday. Here are the Turkish National Holidays for 2013.
January 1: New Year’s Day
April 23: National Independence & Children’s Day
May 19: Atatürk Commemoration & Youth Day
August 30: Victory Day
October 28-29: Republic Day
7-10 Aug – Ramadan festival (dates move every year)
14-18 Oct- Kurban festival (dates move every year)

Q7.   For what kind of POA do I have to appear at the consulate in person?

For POAs involving real estate transactions, you have to appear in person. Other than the real estate transactions, our California Notary Public translators can come to you to start the POA process.

If your transaction involves one of the following processes, we can process your power of attorney without you coming to the Consulate. One of our California Notary Public translators comes to you. For further information, please contact us at +1(310)210-4443 or cs@translatorturkish.com

• Divorce
• Banking
• Opening a company
• Social Security payments
• Representation for Civil cases
• Rent collection
• Phone service
• Student
• Representation for the official processes
• Retirement application
• Transfer of company shares
• Registering a minor
• Taxes
• Customs
• Sale of a vehicle

Q8.   I am planning to open a bank account in a Turkish bank in Turkey. Can you help me?

Yes. Please this string of posts.

We, the TranslatorTurkish.com team, can help you with

• Document translation from Turkish to English and English to Turkish
• Approvals (also known as document legalization process) by a California Notary Public, Los Angeles County Clerk, California Secretary of State, and/or Turkish Consulate, Los Angeles
• Interpreter services for your power of attorney appointments at the Turkish Consulate
• Preparing your legal documents and coordinating your project with your Turkish lawyer
• Tourist visa, employment visa and resident permit application to Turkey

Contact us for further information:

+1(310)210-4443 or cs@TranslatorTurkish.com