Getting married in Turkey is relatively straightforward but at the same time, a bit of a bureaucratic process, so you need to get organised. You can, with a bit of nerve, and a lot of preparation, do it yourself!

Having a bit of knowledge as to how things work in Turkey does help.

So, with weddings in Kalkan becoming more popular, we are pleased to bring you the KTLN guide to getting married in Kalkan.

This article reflects the personal experience of two British people who were married in Kalkan in 2011. 

We hope it provides a useful insight for others who are thinking of tying the knot in Turkey.  Good luck!

The KTLN guide to getting married in Kalkan
By our Special KTLN Wedding Correspondents, Matt Romeny & Mary A Richman

Certificate of Non-Impediment
You first need to get a Certificate of Non-Impediment from your local Registrar in the UK. This is only valid for 6 months before the wedding date, so don’t get it too early.

We rang our local Registrar in England to make an appointment to see her. You need to take in the original documents of your full birth certificates and passports (plus if relevant, previous spouse’s death certificate, Decree of Absolute divorce court document, Deed Poll for a name change).

After each of us was interviewed individually by the Registrar, (to make sure we properly knew each other!), and after paying a fee of £67, she gave us a receipt form so we could go back in 3 weeks to collect the Certificate. It’s a bit like the banns being published.

With this Certificate, we went to Turkey a month before we were due to get married (May 2011). We took the view to do it in two trips, so as not to risk having to get everything done in one trip. However we do know of a British couple, who in 2009, got all the arrangements done within a week prior to their wedding. So it can be done !

Turkish Translation of UK Passports/Notary in Kaş
Before you start the process in Turkey you need to get a notarised Turkish translation of your UK passport (Costs of around 100TL each for the translation and a notary fee of around 70TL each).

There are certified translators in Kalkan (see KTLN Business Directory/Services for details) and also in Kaş.

We already had notarised Turkish translations of our UK passports but we were advised that, as they were 2 years old (even though they were the same passports), we should get them re-notarised (Cost 40TL each). The nearest Notary to Kalkan is in Kaş and there is only one office there.

Now armed with newly notarised Turkish translations of our UK passports, we went, as originally advised, with a translator, to see the Kaş Registrar. Even though she didn’t speak any English, she was very helpful.

However she advised us that for a wedding in Kalkan she could not do it and we had to go and see the Kalkan Registrar. We didn’t know there was a Registrar in Kalkan! She also told us we could get the medical (blood) certificates done at the medical centre in Kalkan.

British Consulate in Antalya
So with the Certificate of Non-Impediment, notarised Turkish translations of our UK passports, original birth certificates, and Decree of Absolute court document relating to a previous marriage, we rang the British Consulate (Tel: 0090 (0)242 244 5313) to arrange an appointment. It is open Monday to Friday, from 09.00 to 12.00 and from 14.15 to 16.15.

We both got the bus from Kalkan to Antalya (Cost 16TL each), a 4 hour journey, to go to the British Consulate. The address of the British Consulate is Gursu Mahallesi 324 Sokak No: 6, Konyaalti, Antalya which is in a suburb of Antalya, 3 or 4 kms outside the city centre. It is a 20 to 30 minute taxi ride from the otogar (bus station).

Very straightforward.  Filled out a few forms, and got a Turkish Certificate of Identity and Nationality (Cost of Consulate Fee 340TL). It took just half an hour, but we were told that if we had faxed the documents through to the Consulate in advance, it would have saved time at their office.

Immediately after lunch, we then had to go to the Governor’s Office in the centre of Antalya to get their office to ‘legalise’ and sign the Consulate’s Certificate document. (Taxis in Antalya costing 70TL).

We got the bus back to Kalkan later in the afternoon, so you really need to allow a full day to go to Antalya to do this.

The Turkish Registrar / Blood Tests
So we next went to see the Kalkan Registrar at the Kalkan Belediye. No appointment is needed. He doesn’t speak English so take someone with you to translate. We had the right documents with us and made preliminary arrangements. He gave us a form to take to get the blood tests done but he also advised us that we had to go to the Kaş hospital to do it, as the Kalkan medical centre could not do this type of blood test. Wish we had been told that earlier!

Off to Kaş again to the hospital there, only to be told by them that a month before, things had changed and that we now had to go to the hospital in either Fethiye or Antalya.  At this point we needed an Efes!

Instead we rang our translator friend in Kaş, for his advice as we didn’t want to have to go to either Fethiye or Antalya again. He rang a private doctor in Kaş and immediately arranged for us to go and see her. We did. She spoke good English and was very helpful.

Unfortunately she told us that she had run out of the cheaper ‘quick’ blood test packs but she could take blood samples and send them off to a lab for the full, and more expensive tests (Cost 460TL). She said we had to go back in a few days to get the medical certificates.

So we went back to Kaş (third trip) to collect the medical certificates. Fortunately they were both negative for both HIV and STDs! We then had to go to the local public doctor (like one of our NHS GPs) at the medical centre in Kaş to get these medical certificates certified and recorded by him. He did not charge a fee.

[Editor: Please note, we have checked with Kalkan GP, Dr Cem Tolunay, about blood tests.  He has confirmed that he is happy to assist any couples with this.  He can take blood and send it to Esnaf hospital in Fethiye.  A few days later he wll get the results, and can pass them on to you.  The cost is significantly less than the figure quoted above.]

With the medical certificates, duly certified, we then went back to see the Kalkan Registrar again. You also need to take 5 passport photographs each. Finally we had all the required documents and arranged for him to attend the wedding (Cost of 100TL to the Belediye, plus 150TL to the Registrar).

The Wedding
In Turkey the wedding ceremony is a civil one and conducted in Turkish by the Registrar. As we were Brits getting married in Kalkan, we had to have a certified translator at the ceremony so that we fully understood what we were saying. We booked one of the local Kalkan certified translators to attend (cost £100).

The wedding ceremony itself took seven and a half minutes (timed by one of our friends!) but in its way, was a beautiful and simple ceremony.  At the end, we both (plus 2 witnesses) had to sign the marriage certificate with the Registrar.

A lot of our family and friends had travelled to Kalkan for the weekend so it was a very special occasion.
Following the ceremony you are given a red marriage booklet by the Registrar that, in Turkish, records the marriage ceremony.

A few days later, the Kalkan Registrar sends a document to Kaş recording the marriage.

In order to get the marriage registered in the UK, you go through a two stage process. You firstly need to go to Kaş to get a Formul B form. This is a Turkish Certificate of Marriage. Take your marriage book plus passports with you. You go to the Tax Office (Nüfus Müdürlügü on the second floor) and they prepare the Formul B form. It takes about 15 minutes and they charge a fee of 105TL.

Finally you need to take the Formul B form to the Honorary British Consul in Fethiye. Their address is Ataturk Cad.Likya Is Merkezi (2nd Floor No 202) and phone number is 0252 614 6302. They are open between 09.00 and 12.30, and from 14.00 until 17.30. They will then deposit this Certificate of Marriage with the General Register Office in the UK.

All done !

To Summarise

Documents You Need:

• Certificate of Non-Impediment (see above for all documents required for this)
• Notarised Turkish translation of UK passports (need UK passports)
• Turkish Certificate of Identity and Nationality (issued by the British Consulate)
• Medical (blood) certificates
• 5 passport photographs each (recently taken)

You Need to Go To:

• Local UK Registrar (to get Certificate of Non-Impediment)
• British Consulate and Governor’s Office in Antalya (to get Turkish Certificate of Identity and Nationality)
• Kaş (to get medical (blood) certificates) [Editor: or Kalkan - see our note above]
• Kalkan (to see the Registrar and arrange the wedding)
• Fethiye (To lodge Formul B form, certificate of marriage)

Cost:
To do the ‘DIY’ process of getting married in Turkey, you need to allow a fee of £67 in the UK and around 1,800TL for various applicable fees and costs in Turkey.

We hope the above narrative of our experiences will prove useful to others thinking of organising their wedding in Kalkan. It was at times a little trying but had a great outcome!

A helping hand
The above example shows how you can 'do it yourself', if you are confident enough to give it a go.

However, some people may want a helping hand - for example, assistance with language translation, or to be pointed in the right direction, towards the key departments.

There are local businesses who can help with the above, and also things like photography, flowers, reception parties etc.  See the KTLN Business Directory, under Services.

Mention your wedding on KTLN
Kalkan Turkish Local News is happy to tell people about your special day.  If you want us to mention your forthcoming wedding, or report on the happy day, feel free to drop us a line.  We like happy stories.

More Information
The following web links provide additional useful information for people thinking of getting married in Turkey.

British Embassy in Turkey web site

Direct Gov UK - Overseas Marriages

Matt Romeny & Mary A Richman

Photos taken at a brilliant wedding in August 2011 in the UK, not Kalkan.  Features Top Cat's eldest kitten!

Kalkan Turkish Local News - your window on Kalkan Turkey