Aslı gibidir, “same as the original”, is the endorsement by which an authorised person declares under signature and seal that a copy matches the original. In everyday Turkish the phrase gets attached to any photocopy; under the Convention there is a sharp line between a plain photocopy and a certified copy, and the apostille works on one side of that line only.
The line between a photocopy and a certified copy
A plain photocopy carries no signature that could be verified: nobody has certified who made it or whether it matches the original. An apostille attests a signature, the capacity of the signatory and a seal, so on a photocopy it finds nothing to attest. This is why the Onikişubat District Governor’s Office writes that a plain photocopy is not considered for an apostille, while a copy certified by the competent authority or by a notary can be. On a certified copy the signature that the apostille attests is that of the person who certified the copy.
Who can certify a copy in Türkiye
Two sources exist. The institution that issued the document can certify a copy of its own document under the signature and seal of an authorised official; a certified extract from a civil registry office or from a university falls here, and as an administrative document it is apostilled at the valilik or kaymakamlık, the provincial or district governor’s office. The second source is the notary: the notary states that the original was seen and issues a certified copy, which is a notarial act, and its apostille comes from the governor or district governor under article 199 of the Turkish Notaries Law. The Onikişubat District Governor’s Office names only these two sources; for a “true copy” stamp from anyone else this site’s survey found no written rule.
What the apostille on a copy does not attest
The apostille on a certified copy attests the signature and capacity of the notary or official who certified the copy. It says nothing about the signature on the original; whether the original is genuine is outside the certificate. The distinction matters to a receiving office, which decides whether it takes an apostilled copy or wants the apostille on the original; this site’s survey found no source describing a general practice either way. Where only one original exists, a diploma for instance, a certified copy leaves the original with the holder, and whether the institution accepts the copy is asked in advance.
e-Devlet printouts and the aslı gibidir route
A printout from e-Devlet, the Turkish e-government portal, carries a barcode but no handwritten signature and is not considered for a paper apostille. The Onikişubat page gives two ways out: the issuing institution physically certifies the printout with the name, title, handwritten signature and seal of an official, or a notary issues a certified copy. In both cases the apostille attests the signature of the certifying official or notary, not the barcode. The German missions’ information sheet says that no original is needed where the barcode extract is submitted; that is one receiving institution’s own rule, not an apostille rule.
Translating the copy that was apostilled
The translation is made from the copy that carries the apostille, and the receiving authority says whether the certificate is rendered with the certified copy. The aslı gibidir endorsement itself is translated as well.