The “muhacir certificate” is the common name for the papers issued to families who migrated from the Balkans to Turkey, kept today by the Turkish Presidency’s State Archives. The most requested are the Declaration of Turkish Citizenship (Tabiiyet Beyannamesi) and the Immigrant Paper (Muhacir Kâğıdı). To get them, you send the archive a request petition with the details of the head of the family, the people who came with him and the place where the family was settled in Turkey. You can prepare the petition in its official layout in a few minutes with our free online petition tool.
This guide explains what the muhacir certificate is, how it differs from the iskân (settlement) record, which details the petition asks for and what to do once the documents arrive.
What is the muhacir certificate?
“Muhacir” means immigrant. Families who migrated to Turkey from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Yugoslavia and other Balkan countries received several documents during the migration. Known together as the “muhacir certificate”, they are kept by the State Archives as Muhacir Records:
- Declaration of Turkish Citizenship (Tabiiyet Beyannamesi): the declaration the head of the family and those with him made when taking Turkish citizenship.
- Immigrant Paper (Muhacir Kâğıdı): the document given to the family as immigrants.
- Other documents in the immigrant file: correspondence and records about the family.
The records are kept under the name of the head of the migrating family, so his name, father’s name and Turkish ID number (T.C. kimlik no) are the most important details in the request.
What is the Declaration of Turkish Citizenship (Tabiiyet Beyannamesi)?
“Tabiiyet beyannamesi” is the Ottoman-era Turkish name of the declaration the head of an immigrant family and those with him made when taking Turkish citizenship. It is kept with the Immigrant Paper among the muhacir records and is not requested separately but with the Muhacir Records Request Form. So the answer to “how do I get the Tabiiyet Beyannamesi?” is the same as for the muhacir certificate.
Muhacir record vs. iskân record
The two are often confused but are requested separately:
| Muhacir records | Iskân records | |
|---|---|---|
| What they contain | Declaration of Turkish Citizenship, Immigrant Paper and the immigrant file | Documents on the house and land given to the immigrants for settlement |
| Which form | Muhacir Records Request Form | Iskân Record Request Form |
| What they prove | The migration, the naturalisation and the family | The property given to the family |
A muhacir request does not return iskân documents; they need their own request. Our petition tool prepares both petitions from the same details in one PDF.
Why is the muhacir certificate needed?
The muhacir certificate officially shows where and when the family migrated from. It is used most often in a Bulgarian citizenship application: to show that you descend from an ancestor who emigrated from Bulgaria, the muhacir certificate and, if needed, a name equivalence certificate are requested. Our Bulgarian citizenship guide explains which documents you need.
Where do you get the muhacir certificate?
Muhacir and iskân records are requested from the Muhacir and Iskân Records Branch of the Turkish Presidency’s State Archives (Devlet Arşivleri Başkanlığı). You sign the petition and send it by post or courier:
- Address: Gayret Mahallesi 95. Sokak No:3 06170 Yenimahalle/Ankara, Türkiye
- Phone: +90 (312) 307 90 00
The archive states that you may use its request form or write a letter that contains all the details of the form. Official form pages: Muhacir Records Request Form and Iskân Record Request Form.
How to get the muhacir certificate, step by step
- Collect the details. Find out the name, father’s name and Turkish ID number of the applicant, the head of family and those who came with him, where the family came from and where it was settled in Turkey. The ID numbers are on the full civil registry extract (vukuatlı nüfus kayıt örneği).
- Prepare the petition. Enter the details once in our muhacir certificate petition tool; the muhacir and iskân petitions are prepared in their official layout, in Turkish. The tool warns you about missing or wrong ID numbers, and your details are processed only in your browser.
- Print and sign. Sign and date each petition separately.
- Add attachments. If you have them, add copies of the Immigrant Paper or the Declaration of Turkish Citizenship and the immigrant or file number. For the iskân record, the first land registry entry and a title deed copy make the search easier.
- Post it. Send the petition to the archive’s address. Our tool also prepares an envelope label.
Which details does the petition ask for?
| Section | Details |
|---|---|
| Applicant | Full name, Turkish ID number, phone, email, postal address |
| Place of origin | Country, date of arrival, province, district, village or neighbourhood, locality |
| Head of the immigrant family | Full name, father’s name, date of birth, Turkish ID number |
| Those who came along | For each person: full name, father’s name, date of birth, Turkish ID number |
| Place of settlement | Province of entry into Turkey, province, district, village or neighbourhood where settled |
| Additional | If known, the date and number of the Council of Ministers naturalisation decision |
According to the archive, without the family members who came along and the place of settlement the record cannot be searched; requests with only a name, place of origin and place of settlement are not searched. Incomplete requests are not processed and you are asked to complete them.
If you know the old Turkish name of the village but not today’s name, find it with the Ancestral Village Finder. Writing both names in the petition makes the search easier.
Where do you find the Turkish ID numbers?
The head of family and those who came with him have Turkish ID numbers even if they are deceased. The numbers are on the full civil registry extract (vukuatlı nüfus kayıt örneği) from e-Devlet or a Turkish civil registry office. The applicant’s own Turkish ID number must also be written so the descent can be established.
Applying for someone else
If you apply on someone else’s behalf, attach the original or a certified copy of the power of attorney. For applications through a lawyer, the original authorisation is required.
If the record is not found
Not all muhacir and iskân records were transferred to the State Archives. The search covers only the archive’s holdings, so not every request succeeds. The more complete your details, the better the chance: write all family members who came along, the old and new names of the village and the village where the family was settled.
What to do when the documents arrive
If a muhacir record is found, the Declaration of Turkish Citizenship, the Immigrant Paper and any documents in the immigrant file are posted to you. With them:
- If names are written differently in Turkish and Bulgarian records, a name equivalence certificate is obtained from the Directorate General of Civil Registration and Nationality.
- Descent is documented for the Bulgarian citizenship application.
When your documents arrive, upload them on our free document review page; our consultants review them and map out your route.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Declaration of Turkish Citizenship the same as the muhacir certificate?
The Declaration of Turkish Citizenship (Tabiiyet Beyannamesi) is one of the documents called the muhacir certificate. It is kept with the Immigrant Paper and the immigrant file among the muhacir records and is requested with the same form.
Do I apply separately for the muhacir and the iskân record?
Yes, each has its own request form. Both petitions go to the same branch, so one envelope is enough. Our petition tool prepares both from the same details.
Can I apply with a letter instead of the form?
Yes. The archive accepts its form or a letter containing all the details of the form. What matters is that every required detail is there.
I do not know my grandfather’s Turkish ID number. What can I do?
Get the full civil registry extract from e-Devlet or a civil registry office; the Turkish ID numbers of your grandfather, great-grandfather and other family members are written there.
If no muhacir record is found, can I still apply for Bulgarian citizenship?
The muhacir certificate is one way to show descent. If no record is found, other documents may still allow you to proceed. Let us assess your case with a free document review.
