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Updated: June 2026

Case study · Turkey · Citizenship

How We Legalized Guardianship of Children from Different Marriages for Turkish Residence Permit

Elena was purchasing an apartment in Istanbul for $260,000 under the residence permit program, but the Turkish authority Nufus refused to accept her children's documents—their birth certificates contained different paternal surnames, and the notarized parental consents were executed according to outdated Russian templates not recognized in Turkey. Below is how we reissued the consents with bilingual apostille certification and conducted kinship verification through family court.

Sergey EvdokimovSergey EvdokimovManaging Partner, BRIDGESReading time8 min readVerificationReviewed by an expert

This case is based on a real matter. The name and certain identifying details have been changed to protect confidentiality.

BRIDGES client story - How We Legalized Guardianship of Children from Different Marriages for Turkish Residence Permit
Contents

Case at a glance

Situation, solution and outcome in seven lines

Client
Elena, 38, owner of a beauty salon chain, from Moscow (new husband and two children from different marriages)
Objective
Residence Permit through apartment purchase in Istanbul.
Complexity
Different paternal surnames, existing consents not recognized.
Solution
Reissued consents with apostille certification, kinship verification through family court.
Result
Residence Permit for entire family.
Result
Residence Permit for entire family.
Result
Residence Permit for entire family.

Client story

Client's Background

Where they started

Elena is thirty-eight years old and owns a beauty salon chain. She was purchasing an apartment in Istanbul for $260,000 under the residence permit program. The Turkish authority (Nufus) refused to accept her children's documents because the birth certificates contained different paternal surnames, and the notarized parental travel consents were executed according to outdated Russian templates not recognized in Turkey.

Why the standard route did not work

There was a risk of obtaining the residence permit for parents only, leaving the children without legal status and school enrollment.

What BRIDGES had to solve

There was a risk of obtaining the residence permit for parents only, leaving the children without legal status and school enrollment.

Why a standard answer would not do

There was a risk of obtaining the residence permit for parents only, leaving the children without legal status and school enrollment.

The apartment was bought, but the children’s documents were rejected: different fathers and consents on the wrong template. Martin redid the consents with a bilingual apostille, and this time everything was accepted the first time.

Elena · beauty salon chain ownerThe name and certain identifying details have been changed to protect confidentiality.

Why This Was Challenging

Why This Was Challenging

Different paternal surnames. Of the children.

  1. 01Outdated consent documents. Not recognized in Turkey.
  2. 02Verification of kinship. Required through court proceedings.
  3. 03Hidden risk. Children without status and school enrollment.

The logic of the solution

How the matter progressed: from checks to result

The chart is built from the facts of this matter and shows the logic of the work without decorative or unverified data.

BasisStage 1

Reissued paternal consent documents. In special format with bilingual apostille.

  • 01
    Stage 2

    Detailed the right to Ikamet (residence permit). In the consent documents.

  • 02
    Stage 3

    Conducted kinship verification. Through family court in Istanbul.

  • 03
    Stage 4

    Obtained Turkish residence permit. For entire family; children enrolled in school.

  • 04
    Stage 5

    Obtained Turkish residence permit. For entire family; children enrolled in school.

Takeaway. Takeaway: when a family includes children from different marriages, the risk to the residence permit lies not in the property but in how kinship and parental consents are documented. A notarised paper from the country of departure does not replace the international standard of legalisation that the receiving authority requires.

How we legalized parental rights for children.

How we legalized parental rights for children.

The work was split into verifiable stages so that every conclusion rested on documents.

  1. 01

    Reissued paternal consent documents

    In special format with bilingual apostille.

  2. 02

    Detailed the right to Ikamet (residence permit)

    In the consent documents.

  3. 03

    Conducted kinship verification

    Through family court in Istanbul.

  4. 04

    Obtained Turkish residence permit

    For entire family; children enrolled in school.

  5. 05

    Obtained Turkish residence permit

    For entire family; children enrolled in school.

  6. 06

    Obtained Turkish residence permit

    For entire family; children enrolled in school.

How the work went

From first contact to the result

  1. 01Reissued paternal consent documents
  2. 02Detailed the right to Ikamet (residence permit)
  3. 03Conducted kinship verification
  4. 04Obtained Turkish residence permit
  5. 05Obtained Turkish residence permit
  6. 06Obtained Turkish residence permit

The sequence and timing reflect this specific case and depend on how complete the documents are and on the decisions of the competent authorities.

Expert comment

Turkish migration authority conducts strict verification of parental rights if parents have different marriage statuses. Any inaccuracy in the translation of paternal consent - complete case rejection. Strict international legalization standards are required.

Sergey Evdokimov, Managing Partner, BRIDGESSergey EvdokimovManaging Partner, BRIDGES

Outcome

What the client received

Client
Elena, 38 years old, beauty salon chain owner (new husband + 2 children).
Objective
Residence Permit through apartment purchase in Istanbul.
Complexity
Different paternal surnames, existing consents not recognized.
Solution
Reissued consents with apostille certification, kinship verification through family court.
Result
Residence Permit for entire family.
Result
Residence Permit for entire family.

Practical takeaway

What matters in a similar situation

  • Takeaway: when a family includes children from different marriages, the risk to the residence permit lies not in the property but in how kinship and parental consents are documented. A notarised paper from the country of departure does not replace the international standard of legalisation that the receiving authority requires.
  • Both risks, a refusal over the children’s documents and a gap in status between parents and children, were removed completely: the whole family, both children included, obtained residence in a single package.
  • Properly documenting parentage and custody lets each child obtain the status whichever marriage they are from. We will look at your family.

FAQ

Questions people ask in a similar situation

01What if the children have different fathers’ surnames when applying for residence?

Re-execute the fathers’ consents in a form recognised in Turkey with a bilingual apostille and, if required, confirm the family link through the family court. This removes the migration service’s grounds to doubt the link between parent and child.

02Are old notarial consents from another country recognised in Turkey?

Not always. İkamet requires an international standard of legalisation: a specific form and a bilingual apostille, not just a notarised copy made to the domestic template of the country of departure.

03What if residence is refused for the children?

This is fixed before filing, not after a refusal: we bring the children’s documents to the standard Nufus accepts in advance and align them with the parents’ set, so the status is issued for the whole family in one cycle.

04How long does residence take in a case like this?

In this case, about two months, including re-executing the consents with an apostille and confirming the family link through the court.

05Is a court confirmation of the family link needed if the child has the parent’s surname?

Not always. It depends on the specific documents and the migration service’s requirements for each child, so we review every case individually rather than by a standard template.

06Which documents were key in this case?

In special format with bilingual apostille. In the consent documents.

07Why did the standard route not suit the client?

There was a risk of obtaining the residence permit for parents only, leaving the children without legal status and school enrollment.

08What risk had to be closed before filing?

Different paternal surnames. Of the children.

About the author

Sergey Evdokimov

Author: Sergey Evdokimov

Managing Partner, BRIDGES

As Founder and Managing Partner of BRIDGES, I am responsible for the firm's strategy and personally lead its most complex client matters, including cases in which citizenship or residence decisions require a strategic view and consideration of capital.

I begin by defining the objective: the outcome the client needs, the facts that affect the choice, and the matters that require further review. I then establish the available directions, the sequence of work, and the key decision points.

Once the strategy has been agreed, I oversee the BRIDGES team's key decisions and remain involved at the stages that shape the course of the matter. The purpose is to give the client a clear rationale for the chosen direction and a precise understanding of the next steps.

Prepared on the basis of BRIDGES practice and reviewed by a subject-matter expert.

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Anna KovalevskayaHead of Legal, BRIDGES
Anna Kovalevskaya, Head of Legal, BRIDGES

Names and certain details have been changed to protect client confidentiality. The result described reflects one specific situation and is neither a public offer nor a guarantee of a similar outcome. Programme terms are stated as of 2026 and may change - please confirm current parameters with a BRIDGES consultant.