Criminal Record in Turkey for Foreigners: Certificates, Retention and Deletion
Final convictions given by Turkish courts against foreigners are entered in the Turkish criminal record in the same way as those against citizens (Criminal Records Law No. 5352, Art. 4). When the sentence has been fully enforced, the entry is removed from the criminal record and transferred to the archive (Art. 9); for most convictions the archive entry is then deleted completely after a further five years (Art. 12). A person can obtain his or her own record, or a lawyer can obtain it under a power of attorney that expressly authorises this (Art. 7). What the criminal record certificate shows is, however, only part of what Turkish authorities can see when a foreigner applies for a visa, a residence permit or citizenship.
Foreigners ask about criminal records in Turkey (Türkiye) for three reasons: they need a Turkish certificate for an authority abroad; they have had a case in Turkey and want to know what remains on file and for how long; or an application has been refused "for security reasons" and they suspect an old matter. This guide deals with all three.
- What is recorded: final convictions by Turkish courts, of citizens and foreigners (Art. 4).
- Who can obtain it: the person, or a representative with an express power of attorney; public bodies (Art. 7).
- Where: chief public prosecutors' offices, district governorates, embassies and consulates abroad, the Ministry of Justice (Art. 8) — and online.
- Removal to archive: on completion of enforcement, limitation, amnesty, or withdrawal of complaint or effective remorse that removes the conviction (Art. 9).
- Deletion of the archive entry: five years for ordinary convictions; fifteen or thirty years for those entailing loss of rights (Art. 12).
- Decriminalisation or acquittal on retrial: complete deletion without request (Art. 12).
- Restoration of rights: possible three years after completion of the sentence (Art. 13/A).
- Not in the criminal record: investigations, acquittals, administrative fines, cases closed by prepayment.
Legal status of this guide. It reflects the Criminal Records Law (No. 5352) as in force. Police and immigration databases are governed by separate rules that are not public in detail; statements about them describe general practice. Last updated: October 2026.
In this guide
- Criminal record and archive record
- What is and is not recorded
- How to obtain a Turkish criminal record certificate
- Using it abroad: apostille and translation
- When entries are removed
- Restoration of prohibited rights
- Other records the authorities see
- Effect on visas, residence and citizenship
- Convictions abroad
- Correcting errors
- Frequently asked questions
Criminal record and archive record
Turkish law keeps two layers.
| Criminal record (adli sicil kaydı) | Archive record (adli sicil arşiv kaydı) | |
|---|---|---|
| Contains | Convictions whose enforcement is not yet complete | Convictions removed from the criminal record after enforcement, limitation or amnesty |
| Shown on a standard certificate | Yes | Only where the purpose requires the archive to be included |
| Who may request | The person or an expressly authorised representative; public bodies and professional bodies of a public nature, stating the purpose | The person or representative; prosecutors and courts in an investigation or prosecution; election boards; public bodies in the cases shown in special laws (Art. 10) |
| Ends | Moved to archive when the conditions in Art. 9 are met | Deleted completely after the periods in Art. 12 |
A person who has finished a sentence therefore has a "clean" criminal record in the narrow sense but an archive entry for some years. Which of the two an institution asks for depends on the purpose. Applications for public employment, certain licences and — importantly for foreigners — some immigration and citizenship procedures look at the archive as well.
What is and is not recorded
Final judgments of conviction given by Turkish courts against a citizen or a foreigner are entered in the criminal record (Art. 4). The entry includes prison sentences and their enforcement stages — conditional release, its revocation, completion; suspended sentences with the probation period and its outcome; judicial fines and their payment or conversion; security measures; and decisions on deprivation of rights.
Not recorded as a conviction
- Investigations that ended without prosecution.
- Acquittals and decisions that no penalty is to be imposed.
- Deferred announcement of the verdict. Where the court defers announcing the verdict, no conviction takes effect and none is entered in the criminal record. The decision is kept in a separate system reserved for that purpose and can be seen by prosecutors and courts, so that a second deferment is not granted during the supervision period.
- Prepayment and mediation outcomes that close the case without a conviction. See, for the commonest example, our guide to insult offences in Turkey.
- Administrative fines — traffic fines, overstay fines, fines for working without a permit. These are not criminal penalties.
- Deportation decisions, entry bans and restriction codes. These live in the immigration system, not the criminal record.
- Records of children. Criminal and archive records of persons under eighteen may be requested only by prosecutors and courts for the purposes of an investigation or prosecution (Art. 10(3)).
The Law also protects relatives: unless expressly provided by law, the criminal and archive records of a relative cannot be requested in connection with a decision or procedure concerning a person, and cannot be used as a basis for depriving that person of a right (Art. 10(2)).
How to obtain a Turkish criminal record certificate
Criminal record information is given, on stating the purpose, to the person concerned or to a representative, provided the power of attorney expressly says so, and to public institutions (Art. 7). It is issued by chief public prosecutors' offices, district governorates, embassies and consulates abroad, and centrally by the Ministry of Justice's Directorate General of Criminal Records and Statistics (Art. 8).
| Route | How |
|---|---|
| Online (e-Devlet) | Persons with a Turkish identity number or foreigner identity number and an e-Devlet account can generate a barcoded certificate, choosing the purpose and the institution to which it will be given. Institutions verify it by the barcode. |
| Courthouse | The criminal records desk at any courthouse issues the certificate on presentation of a passport or residence permit. Foreigners without an identity number use this route. |
| District governorate | Also issues certificates; this is where an apostille is obtained. |
| Turkish consulate | Issues certificates to applicants abroad. |
| Through a lawyer | With a power of attorney that expressly authorises obtaining criminal record and archive information. A general litigation power is not enough. See our guide to powers of attorney for Turkey. |
The certificate states whether it covers the criminal record only or the archive as well. If you need it for a foreign immigration authority, check which that authority requires; many ask for a certificate "including spent convictions", which corresponds to the archive.
A foreigner who has never had an identity number in Turkey — a former tourist, for example — is searched by name, date of birth and parents' names. Bring the passport used at the time, since records are matched to the identity details on file.
Using it abroad: apostille and translation
Authorities in other countries commonly require a certificate from every country in which the applicant has lived for more than a set period. For Turkey:
- obtain the certificate with the purpose stated as submission to a foreign authority;
- have it apostilled at the governorate or district governorate (for courthouse-issued documents, the justice commission may be the competent authority). For countries outside the Apostille Convention, legalisation goes through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the destination country's consulate;
- have it translated by a sworn translator, with notarisation if the receiving authority requires it.
Certificates are accepted for a limited time after issue — often three or six months, set by the receiving authority — so obtain it late in your preparation, not early. All of this can be done by a representative in Turkey after you have left.
When entries are removed
From the criminal record to the archive (Art. 9)
The entry is deleted from the criminal record and placed in the archive on:
- completion of enforcement of the penalty or security measure;
- withdrawal of the complaint or effective remorse, where this removes the conviction with all its consequences;
- expiry of the limitation period for the penalty;
- a general amnesty.
On the death of the person the criminal record is deleted completely.
"Completion of enforcement" means more than leaving prison. For a prison sentence it is the end of the whole sentence including the period of conditional release; for a suspended sentence, the end of the probation period passed in good conduct; for a judicial fine, payment in full. An unpaid fine keeps the entry in the active record.
From the archive to nothing (Art. 12)
| Type of conviction | Archive entry deleted |
|---|---|
| Ordinary convictions | Five years after the conditions for archiving arose |
| Convictions that cause a deprivation of rights under Article 76 of the Constitution or under laws other than the Penal Code | Fifteen years, if a decision restoring prohibited rights has been obtained; thirty years without one |
| Any conviction | On the death of the person |
| Conduct that is decriminalised by law | Criminal and archive records deleted completely, without a request |
| Acquittal or no-penalty decision after retrial or reversal in the interest of the law | Deleted completely once the decision is final |
The second category covers the serious offences listed in Article 76 of the Constitution — among them embezzlement, corruption, bribery, theft, fraud, forgery, breach of trust, fraudulent bankruptcy, smuggling and offences against the State — and convictions that other laws treat as a bar to a profession or public office. For these, the archive entry is long-lived by design.
Deletion is carried out by the Directorate General of its own motion when the conditions are met. In practice entries are sometimes left in place because the enforcement office has not reported completion or payment. If your record still shows an entry that should have gone, apply in writing to the Directorate General — or through the chief public prosecutor's office — with the document proving enforcement was completed, asking for the entry to be archived or deleted. A refusal can be challenged before the court.
Restoration of prohibited rights
Some laws attach lasting disqualifications to a conviction for a particular offence or sentence — from public office, from certain professions, from licences. To remove them, an application can be made for restoration of prohibited rights (Art. 13/A). The conditions are:
- three years have passed since enforcement of the sentence was completed;
- the person has committed no new offence in that time, and the court is satisfied that he or she has led a life of good conduct.
The application is made to the court that gave the judgment or the equivalent court at the person's place of residence. A decision restoring rights is noted in the archive and shortens the retention period for the affected convictions from thirty years to fifteen. For a foreigner the practical value is mostly in professional licensing and, indirectly, in showing rehabilitation in later immigration applications.
Other records the authorities see
A clean criminal record certificate does not mean that nothing is known. Decisions about foreigners draw on several further sources.
- The national judiciary information system (UYAP) shows prosecutors and courts every investigation and case, including those that ended in non-prosecution or acquittal, and pending ones.
- Police records. Law enforcement keeps its own intelligence and identity-check database, showing apprehensions, wanted notices and outstanding warrants. This is what is consulted in a street or airport check.
- Immigration records. The migration authority's system holds entry and exit data, overstay history, previous permits, deportation decisions, entry bans and restriction codes. See our guide to Turkey's restriction codes.
- Security assessments by the police and intelligence services, which are requested in residence, work permit and citizenship procedures and are not disclosed in detail to the applicant.
- The separate register of deferred verdicts described above.
A person can ask to see data held about him or her under the personal data protection legislation, subject to wide exceptions for criminal justice, public security and intelligence. In practice the most effective way to find out what stands against a foreigner is indirect: a lawyer checks UYAP for cases and warrants, and an application to the migration directorate reveals whether an entry ban or code exists.
Effect on visas, residence and citizenship
- Deportation. The Law on Foreigners and International Protection provides for deportation of those considered deportable under the Penal Code after serving a sentence, and of those who constitute a threat to public order or public security. The assessment is made on release; see our guide to deportation after a criminal conviction.
- Residence permits. There is no rule that any conviction bars a permit. The authority weighs public order and security, looking at the nature of the offence, the sentence, how long ago it was and the applicant's ties. Refusals are reasoned in general terms; the remedy is described in our guide to residence permit refusals.
- Long-term residence requires that the applicant not constitute a threat to public order or security.
- Citizenship. Applicants must have good moral character and no condition that constitutes an obstacle in terms of national security and public order. The investigation looks at archive records, pending cases and deferred verdicts, in Turkey and in the home country. A minor old conviction is not automatically fatal; concealment of it is far more damaging. See our guide to rejected citizenship applications.
- Pending cases. An open investigation or trial often delays decisions until it is concluded.
- Entry. A foreigner with an outstanding warrant is detained at the border; one with an entry ban is refused. See our guide to checking and lifting an entry ban.
Where an application depends on showing that an old matter is closed, the documents that count are the judgment with its finality annotation, the enforcement prosecutor's letter confirming that the sentence was completed or the fine paid, and a current criminal and archive record.
Need a Turkish criminal record certificate from abroad, or want to know what an old case has left on file? We can obtain the record under a power of attorney, check for open cases and warrants, and apply for archiving or deletion. Message Yayla Law on WhatsApp or use the contact form.
Convictions abroad
- Foreigners' convictions abroad are not entered in the Turkish criminal record. They reach the Turkish authorities through the applicant's own documents — residence, work permit and citizenship procedures require a criminal record certificate from the home country and sometimes from countries of previous residence — and through police cooperation channels.
- Turkish citizens' convictions abroad can be entered in the Turkish record when notified; custodial sentences so recorded are moved to the archive after the period stated in the conviction has passed from the date of finality (Art. 9(3)). A naturalised citizen should be aware of this for the future.
- Requests by foreign states for Turkish criminal record information are answered on the basis of reciprocity (Art. 7(2)).
- Honesty in applications. Application forms ask about convictions anywhere. A false answer is "false information" in immigration terms, with consequences more serious than the conviction itself; see our guide to false documents and statements in Turkey.
Correcting errors
Mistakes occur, particularly with foreign names transliterated in different ways.
- Wrong person. A conviction belonging to someone with a similar name appears on your record. Apply to the chief public prosecutor's office with identity documents; the entry is corrected once the court file confirms the identity of the convicted person.
- Identity used by another. If someone gave your identity when arrested, the record must be corrected through the court that gave the judgment, usually with fingerprint or photograph comparison.
- Enforcement not reported. Supply the receipt for the fine or the release document and ask for the entry to be moved to the archive.
- Old entries past their deletion date. Apply for deletion as described above.
- Outdated immigration entries — an entry ban that has expired or been lifted but still appears — are corrected through the migration directorate, not the criminal records office.
Frequently asked questions
Do foreigners have a criminal record in Turkey?
Yes. Final convictions by Turkish courts are recorded for foreigners exactly as for citizens.
How can a foreigner get a criminal record certificate from Turkey?
Online through e-Devlet with a foreigner identity number, at the criminal records desk of any courthouse with a passport, at a Turkish consulate abroad, or through a lawyer holding a power of attorney that expressly authorises it.
How long does a conviction stay on the record?
It moves to the archive when the sentence is fully enforced. The archive entry is deleted five years later for ordinary convictions, and after fifteen or thirty years for the serious offences that entail loss of rights.
Does a deferred verdict appear on my criminal record?
No. It is kept in a separate register visible to prosecutors and courts, and can be seen in security investigations, but it is not a conviction on the criminal record certificate.
Are traffic fines or overstay fines on my criminal record?
No. They are administrative fines. Overstays and deportations are recorded in the immigration system instead.
Can a criminal record be deleted early?
Not by request alone; deletion follows the statutory periods. You can apply where an entry has remained after its conditions were met, and you can seek restoration of prohibited rights three years after completing the sentence.
Will a conviction prevent a residence permit or citizenship?
Not automatically. The authorities assess public order and security in light of the offence, its date and your circumstances. Serious or recent offences, and concealment, weigh heavily.
Do I need an apostille on the certificate?
For use in another Apostille Convention country, yes — obtained at the governorate or district governorate — followed by sworn translation.
My record shows a conviction that is not mine. What should I do?
Apply to the chief public prosecutor's office with your identity documents for correction; where another person used your identity, the court that gave the judgment must correct it.
Legal basis and sources
- Criminal Records Law No. 5352, Articles 4, 7–10, 12 and 13/A — official consolidated text at mevzuat.gov.tr.
- Criminal Procedure Code No. 5271, Article 231 (deferred announcement of the verdict).
- Constitution of the Republic of Türkiye, Article 76.
- Law on Foreigners and International Protection No. 6458, Article 54; Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901, Article 11.
- Ministry of Justice, Directorate General of Criminal Records and Statistics — adlisicil.adalet.gov.tr.
This article provides general legal information on Turkish law as of October 2026. It is not legal advice. Retention periods depend on the offence and on when enforcement was completed.
