Veraset İlamı — Turkish Inheritance Certificate for British Heirs

If a British national dies in Turkey owning property, bank accounts, or other assets, Turkish banks freeze individual accounts upon notification of death and property transfers cannot proceed until the inheritance process is completed. The Veraset İlamı — the Turkish Certificate of Inheritance — establishes the heirs, and a Tax Clearance Certificate is also required before frozen funds or title transfers can be released. For foreign nationals, getting the certificate is significantly harder than it is for Turkish citizens.

Why the Notary Route Is Blocked

Turkish nationals can obtain a Veraset İlamı quickly from any local notary public, because the notary verifies heirs through Turkey's national civil registry database (MERNIS). British heirs are not in MERNIS. That means the notary route is legally barred, and you must go through the Turkish courts instead.

The Court Process

British heirs file a formal petition at the Civil Court of Peace (Sulh Hukuk Mahkemesi) in the district where the deceased's assets are located or held.

The court initiates a judicial proceeding to identify all legal heirs and calculate their fractional shares under Turkish law. This process takes two to four months on average, but can run longer if documentation is incomplete or if there are contested claims.

The Document Portfolio

The court requires a comprehensive file, and every item must be authenticated through a specific chain:

Turkish death certificate: The original apostilled Formül C issued by the Nüfus Müdürlüğü.

UK civil status documents: Original birth certificates, marriage certificates, and family registry extracts proving the exact familial relationship between the deceased and each heir. Every UK-origin document must be apostilled by the FCDO in the UK.

UK Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration: If a will is being recognised, the UK court-certified grant must be submitted.

Certified Turkish translations and notarisation: Every apostilled foreign document must be translated into Turkish by a sworn translator (Yeminli Tercüman) and notarised at a Turkish notary (Noter).

Bilingual Power of Attorney (Vekâletname): Standard practice is to retain Turkish legal counsel to handle court appearances, so the heirs execute a specific, bilingual Power of Attorney. This can be done at a Turkish Consulate in the UK or prepared by a UK notary, apostilled by the FCDO, then translated and notarised in Turkey.

Turkish Forced Heirship — The Rule UK Families Do Not Expect

Under Article 20 of Law No. 5718 on Turkish Private International Law and Procedure (MÖHUK), Turkish real estate — regardless of the owner's nationality — is governed by Turkish succession law. This means Turkish forced heirship rules (Saklı Pay) override a UK will.

Even if a British national's will leaves 100% of a Turkish villa to one person, the surviving spouse and descendants have protected minimum shares that the will cannot override. The spouse inherits at least one quarter of the property when there are descendants. Children collectively inherit at least three eighths. If a will violates these shares, disadvantaged heirs can file a reduction action (Tenkis Davası) in a Turkish court.

Movable assets (bank accounts, vehicles, cash) are treated differently — they follow the deceased's national law, which means UK succession rules apply.

The Tax Deadline

For a death in Turkey, Turkish inheritance tax (Veraset ve İntikal Vergisi) must be declared within six months for heirs residing outside Turkey. Missing this deadline triggers penalty interest. Tax rates range from 1% to 10% for close family members.

No frozen bank account or property title deed will be released until the heirs present a Tax Clearance Certificate (Vergi Borcu Yoktur) from the local tax office.

Costs and Practical Reality

Court and notary fees for the Veraset İlamı process run £150 to £500. Turkish lawyer's fees are separate and depend on complexity. Add translation and notarisation costs for every document in the portfolio.

Most British families handle this entirely through their Turkish lawyer via the Vekâletname — they do not need to travel to Turkey for court hearings.

Our British Person Dies in Turkey guide covers the entire Veraset İlamı process with a document checklist, a tax filing timeline, and template letters for instructing Turkish counsel.