Marrying in Turkey - Part 1 - Certificate of Non-Impediment
Marrying in Turkey - Part 1 - Certificate of Non-Impediment
For a British national marrying in Turkey, the first step is a visit to the British Embassy in Ankara or a British Consulate in Antalya, Istanbul or Izmir. This is in order to obtain your Certificate of Non-Impediment if you don't already have one issued from the UK (i.e. are not resident in the UK). I am a British national, and since I am a Bodrum resident I went to the consulate in Izmir, taking with me my passport and my full birth certificate (a full certificate has your mother and fathers' names on it, and can easily be ordered from the UK from the General Register Office). I have not been married before so I did not require divorce papers or death certificate of a previous spouse. I contacted a lady called Deniz at the consulate via email and was informed that I did not need to make an appointment, so I set off on the 3 hour drive to Izmir.
I knew roughly where I needed to get to but everyone I know who has been to Izmir has got lost in the city at some point! Unfortunately I was unable to find a detailed map of Izmir either! The consulate is located next to the Anglican Church of St. John the Evangelistan in the Alsancak area and is very close to the train station, which is by the ferry boat pier. The consulate can be found on Wikimapia, HERE. I turned off the main road that goes around Izmir at the Bornova exit. It then took me about 20 minutes extra to find Alsancak station and a place to park. There are plenty of car parks in Izmir with reasonable rates, you just need to remember how to get back to the car later. It's also worth noting that once I'd found the consulate there was a car-park right behind it! Deniz had given me directions from the station to the consulate which were very easy to follow.
On arrival at the consulate I went through a brief security check and then I met Deniz who gave me some forms to complete with my details - name, address, date of birth, passport number etc and the details of my fiance. I then had to pay a fee of approximately 160TL. A notice of my intention to marry was posted on the board inside the consulate and I was told to return after 21 days had passed. I decided to make a day of it and had lunch near the consulate before heading in search of Ikea (which is near Bornova at 2.Sanayi HERE). On the return trip to Bodrum I stopped off at the outlet shops in Soke (HERE), which I would say are worth taking a look at only if you are passing, but I wouldn't make a special trip for them and they are nearly 2 hours away from Bodrum.
I returned to Izmir after the 21 days and received my Certificate of Non-Impediment (in Turkish) after another fee of approximately £65. Deniz then explained that I needed to take this document to the Governor's office in Izmir to be legalised. She gave me the address of the office printed onto an envelope and said I could get a communal dolmuş taxi (the white cars), to take me for a couple of lira, all I had to do was show him the address. As I had the car with me I chose to drive, and Deniz kindly provided me with a map (though only of the main part of Izmir) and showed me the route I needed to take. This office is located in the Konak area on Cumhuriyet Caddesi, behind a clock tower and amongst several other municipal/government buildings, including the police station (HERE).
About 10 minutes later after driving and then parking again, I arrived at the Governor's office, only to realise it was lunchtime and everyone had left the building! There are plenty of shops and restaurants in the surrounding streets to occupy yourself with so I easily found somewhere to have lunch again. An hour later I went back and was directed up the steps, then to the building in the far right corner and, after showing the security guard the envelope Deniz had given me, I was directed straight to the correct office. I entered the office and handed over the document, which was then stamped and signed and returned to me a few minutes later (no charge).
All in all it was a fairly quick and simple process, and Deniz at the consulate was very helpful throughout. It's worth noting that I only speak very basic Turkish. So far so good, next part two with the Turkish Marriage Office!