A German divorce does not automatically update the Turkish civil registry. This guide explains when recognition is enough, when enforcement is needed, and which documents speed up the process.
- Recognition or enforcement: which route fits your German order?
- Apostille, translation and power of attorney: which documents must be correct?
- Avoid service delays: when both sides appoint Turkish counsel, the case can move faster
Av. Hasan Doğru · German & Turkish · Mannheim & Ankara
Legal notice: This article addresses Turkish law exclusively and is for general information only; it does not replace advice in an individual case. Doğru Kanzlei advises under § 207 BRAO exclusively in Turkish law and public international law.
Key points from the interview
A German divorce is not automatically valid in Turkey
"It isn't difficult. There are certain rules," says Hasan Doğru. A German divorce judgment is entered in the Turkish civil register only once it has been recognised; until then you are still treated as married in Turkey. There are two routes: registration through an administrative procedure at the civil registry on a joint application by both spouses (Law No. 5490, Art. 27/A), or an action for recognition — and, where needed, enforcement — before the family court (Private International Law Act, MÖHUK Arts. 50 ff.). If neither is done, the problem can drag on for as long as ten years, as in the case he mentions in the interview. Our detailed guide: Divorced in Germany, still married in Turkey?
Divorcing in Turkey is also possible
Turkish citizens living abroad can also file for divorce in Turkey and run the whole case there (MÖHUK Art. 41). The Turkish judgment is entered directly in the Turkish register. What effect it has in Germany is a matter of German law, on which we do not advise.
"There is a warrant against you" — at the airport
The interview's second scenario: being stopped at the airport on arrival in Turkey. The cause is often an arrest warrant that the e-Devlet citizen portal does not show — and which can be checked before you travel. See Is there a case against me in Turkey? and Will I be arrested when I enter Turkey?
A Turkish-law lawyer without travelling: § 207 BRAO
A lawyer admitted in Turkey can register with a German bar under § 207 of the German Federal Lawyers' Act (BRAO) and is then subject to that bar's professional supervision — limited to Turkish law and public international law. Avukat Hasan Doğru is admitted to the Ankara Bar and registered with the Karlsruhe Bar — "with limited authority", in his own words: Turkish law and international law only. Clients outside Turkey can therefore handle their Turkish matters under a power of attorney, without travelling.
Full transcript (translated from Turkish)
Presenter: One of the most common legal problems for people living in Germany: divorced in Germany, but not in Turkey. And another question: you travel to Turkey on holiday or for business, and at the airport the police suddenly stop you and say, "There is a warrant against you." Of course it is a shock. So how do you sort out these legal problems so that it never comes to that? With us is one of the most qualified people on the subject: Avukat Hasan Doğru. Mr Doğru, many people are affected. Why is divorce so difficult?
Av. Hasan Doğru: It isn't difficult. There are certain rules. Assuming a judgment can be applied in Turkey without having it recognised is a mistake, a misconception. The solution is to have the decision recognised through a recognition and enforcement action or through the administrative route. If that isn't done — I have such a case right now — it can go on for as long as ten years. In other words, the German court judgment you obtained is not directly valid in Turkey. Or think of it the other way round: Turkish citizens can file for divorce in Turkey even if they live in Germany, and conduct the whole process there. In the same way, as long as a decision obtained in Turkey has not been recognised in Germany, Germany does not automatically know of it.
Presenter: Does a person have to go to Turkey to instruct a lawyer? Can this be done from here?
Av. Hasan Doğru: A lawyer registered with a bar in Turkey can register with a German bar under section 207 of the German Federal Lawyers' Act — BRAO for short — in order to work in Turkish law and international law. The lawyer is then subject to the German bar's professional discipline and works in Turkish law. Our people can reach lawyers who work this way, like us, and solve the problem without travelling to Turkey.
Presenter: So you are registered with a bar in Turkey and with Karlsruhe in Germany.
Av. Hasan Doğru: I am a member of the Ankara Bar, and likewise a member of the Karlsruhe Bar. But we work with limited authority: in Turkish law and international law.
*Translation, lightly edited for readability.*
How we help
Whether it is recognising your German divorce in Turkey, divorcing in Turkey, or checking whether there is a file against you there, you can reach Avukat Hasan Doğru in English, German or Turkish.
Describe your case on WhatsApp →
Related pages
This article is also available in Turkish and German: Video röportaj: Almanya'da boşandı, Türkiye'de hâlâ evli · Video-Interview: In Deutschland geschieden, in der Türkei noch verheiratet
Legal notice: This article is for general information and does not replace advice in an individual case. Avukat Hasan Doğru advises and represents exclusively in Turkish law and public international law (§ 207 BRAO).
Done-for-you recognition process
We prepare recognition of your German divorce in Turkey
Use the WhatsApp intake form to explain your case and available documents. Hasan Doğru reviews recognition, enforcement, court route, consular route, service, power of attorney and property-settlement timing.
What we handle
- Route check: recognition, enforcement or consular registration
- Document review for finality, apostille, translation and power of attorney
- Coordination of the Turkish court process without unnecessary travel
German, Turkish and English · Turkish law · Mannheim & Ankara
