The Denklik Belgesi, start to finish, the order to do it in, what has to be stamped, what has to be translated, and where to turn up in person.
READ THIS FIRST - Register at İZÜ before you apply. You cannot apply for equivalency until you are a registered student. Register at İZÜ first, apply during your studies, then hand the certificate to Student Affairs within the period the university gives you.
01. THE SEVEN STEPS, IN ORDER
First - Register at İZÜ. (acceptance letter, passport, diploma and the other enrollment documents) You do not need the certificate to register - and you cannot apply for it until you are registered. Then get your residence permit (ikamet izni belgesi): it is the identity document the application depends on.
Step 2 - Check that it applies to you. (four exemptions - see chapter 02) Everyone who finished secondary school outside Türkiye needs equivalency, with four narrow exceptions under Articles 10 and 11.
Step 3 - Get the documents certified. (arrange it at home if you can) The diploma and transcript need an Apostille; if your country is not a signatory of the Apostille Convention, certification by the education ministry, foreign ministry, or embassy/consulate of the issuing country. Both need the school’s signature and stamp.
Step 4 - Translate, if needed. (not in Turkish or English? translate and notarise) A translation made abroad also needs Turkish consular approval (Notary Law No. 1512) which is why we suggest doing it here.
Step 5 - Apply on e-Denklik. (MEB Equivalency Application Form (EK-1), then book an appointment) Everything runs through edenklik.meb.gov.tr. Notices and results posted there count as formal notification, so check it regularly.
Step 6 - Turn up in person. (with the originals - for İZÜ students, an Istanbul centre) Copies are not enough and power of attorney is not accepted. Apply in the province where you live or where your university is.
Step 7 - Hand it to Student Affairs. (with your original diploma and any approved translation) Deliver it within the period the university gave you. If you disagree with the result, you may object within three months at the centre that issued it.
02. WHO DOES NOT NEED EQUIVALENCY
Four narrow exemptions. If none of them is you, you need the certificate.
- A school opened abroad by the Republic of Türkiye.
- A school abroad operating under the Türkiye Maarif Foundation, Law No. 6721.
- A state or private school under the TRNC Ministry of National Education.
- An International (Milletlerarası) school where you completed a whole education level on the Turkish curriculum and weekly course schedule.
03. STAMPS, APOSTILLES & TRANSLATION
Your diploma
Needs an Apostille. Where Apostille is not available, it must be certified by the education ministry, the foreign ministry, or the embassy/consulate of the country that issued it.
Transcripts & report cards
Must be signed and stamped by your school, and uploaded separately for each academic year.
OUR RECOMMENDATION - TRANSLATE IN TÜRKİYE. If your documents are not issued in Turkish or English they must be translated and notarised. Do it here and a Turkish notary is enough - a translation made abroad must also be approved by a Turkish consulate. Simpler, and usually quicker.
04. WHAT TO BRING
Upload each one to e-Denklik, then bring the originals to your appointment.
☐ MEB Equivalency Application Form (EK-1) - completed in the e-Denklik system.
☐ Original high school diploma - apostilled, or certified by the issuing country’s education ministry, foreign ministry, or embassy/consulate.
☐ Transcripts and report cards - signed and stamped by the school, uploaded separately for each academic year.
☐ Residence permit (ikamet izni belgesi) - the identity document for applications made in Türkiye; a passport is not accepted in its place.
☐ Passport with entry and exit pages - for your country of study, or a document proving you were there throughout your education.
☐ Notarised translation - if your documents are not in Turkish or English; plus consular approval if translated abroad.
☐ Parent or guardian ID - if you are under 18, your parent fills in the form and uploads their identity document.
☐ Anything else the centre asks for - for example a marriage certificate if your name differs from your diploma.
05. WHERE TO GO, AND WHAT IF THE ORIGINALS ARE GONE
In Türkiye
The equivalency units at Provincial Directorates of National Education, and at the district directorates designated by the Board of Education. For İZÜ students, an Istanbul centre.
If you go home
The Education Counsellorship or Attaché’s Office at the Turkish Embassy or Consulate in your country.
If your originals are lost
Certified copies may be used, with the full chain of approval:
1. From your school, or the institution that issued the original.
2. Certified a true copy by that body, then by the education ministry.
3. Apostilled - or, with no Apostille, certified by that country’s embassy.
06. WHEN EQUIVALENCY CANNOT BE GRANTED
✗ Distance learning - documents and diplomas earned by completing part or all of the education through distance learning are not granted equivalency (Art. 12/3).
✗ Outside Law 5580 - documents from private schools or institutions in Türkiye that fall outside Law No. 5580, the Private Education Institutions Law, are not granted equivalency (Art. 12/2).
✗ Forged documents - equivalency is refused, or cancelled if already granted, and the matter goes to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
07. GOOD TO KNOW
• An appointment is compulsory and you must come yourself - e-mail, post and power of attorney are not accepted.
• An Apostille on a photocopy counts only if the copy carries an authorised “Aslı Gibidir” (true copy) certification.
• Keep your residence permit valid throughout - your application depends on it.
• Equivalency looks at primary and secondary education as a whole, so keep your earlier school documents too.
Prepared for information only. In all cases the Ministry of National Education’s current regulation and guidance prevail - MEB Denklik Yönetmeliği, Official Gazette of 9 July 2024, No. 32597. · İZÜ International Office