Enrolling Your Child in a School in Turkey: A Guide for Expat Families

How does school enrollment in Turkey work for foreign families? Required documents, the equivalency process, placement assessment and language support, step by step.

For a family moving to Turkey, school is usually the most urgent question: which documents are required, how are previous school years recognised, and how does a child who speaks no Turkish get started? The good news is that with the right school the process takes just a few steps, and the school's admissions team walks you through most of it. This guide covers each step in order.

1. Identity and residence documents

Enrollment starts with documents that identify the family and the student: passports and, once issued, residence permits. With the residence permit the student receives a foreigner ID number starting with 99, and the official school registration is made with this number. If your residence process is still under way, the admissions interview and pre-registration can begin regardless; the admissions team will tell you exactly which document is needed at which stage.

2. Previous school records and the equivalency process

For the years your child completed abroad to be recognised in Turkey, an equivalency procedure known as denklik is carried out by the equivalency office of the Provincial Directorate of National Education. The core documents are report cards or transcripts from the previous school. Having them apostilled and translated into Turkish speeds the process up considerably.

3. Meeting the school and placement assessment

In parallel with the official steps, the school side moves forward: a campus visit, a conversation about your expectations, and a short assessment to see the student's academic level. The purpose is not selection; it is to start in the right class with the right support plan. English and Turkish levels are evaluated together.

4. Language support: how does a child with no Turkish begin?

Students who start without Turkish follow an intensive Turkish support programme in their first terms, while the English-medium part of the curriculum lets them keep progressing academically. Our experience is consistent: children who stay inside the social life of the school pick up conversational Turkish within a few months. You can read more about our English-medium approach in English-medium education in Turkey.

5. Timing: can we enroll mid-year?

Yes. As long as places are available, enrollment is possible at any point in the school year; your relocation timeline does not have to match the academic calendar. Students who join mid-term get a structured adaptation plan and follow-up from the counselling team.

In short

  • Core documents: passports, residence permits and the foreigner ID number starting with 99.
  • Previous school years are recognised through the denklik equivalency process; apostilled, translated records speed it up.
  • The placement assessment is about the right starting point, not selection.
  • Intensive Turkish support is planned for students who start without the language.
  • Mid-year enrollment is possible when places are available.

Frequently Asked Questions

My child speaks no Turkish. How will they keep up?

An intensive Turkish programme runs through the first terms, and the English-medium lessons let your child keep progressing academically in the meantime. The social environment accelerates language learning; everyday conversation usually settles in within a few months.

How long does the equivalency (denklik) process take?

With complete paperwork it is usually finished quickly; the time varies with the country of origin and the certification of the documents. Apostilled report cards with Turkish translations are the single best time saver.

Our residence permits have not been issued yet. Can we start?

Yes. The interview, campus visit and pre-registration can all begin before the residence permit arrives. The ID number required for official registration comes with the permit, and our admissions team plans the timing with you.

For the wider picture, see choosing an international school in Turkey and our moving to Istanbul with children guide; our Istanbul campuses are introduced on the Istanbul international school page. To plan a visit, simply fill in the information request form; our team communicates in English.

Gökkuşağı Schools · IB World School · Cambridge International.