Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

1. Overview and Structure of UYAP

According to a Danish Immigration Service (DIS) report, UYAP and e-Devlet [e-Government] are "Türkiye's digital public platforms" (Denmark 2025-06, 3, 8). According to a Norwegian-language report by Landinfo [1], cited in the same DIS report, UYAP is a separate portal accessible from within the e-Devlet platform (Denmark 2025-06, 8). Moroğlu Arseven, a "full-service" private law firm [based in Istanbul (Moroğlu Arseven 2021-01-07, 30)] focusing on business law (Moroğlu Arseven n.d.), indicates, in a 2021 report on virtual justice in Türkiye, that it is specifically UYAP's Citizen Portal (Vatandaş Portal) that is accessible through the e-Devlet system (2021-01-07, 20).

According to DIS, citing the Turkish-language government website on e-services, e-Devlet is a portal that provides online access to a "wide range of services," such as education, health, and social security (Denmark 2025-06, 7). Sources describe UYAP as Türkiye's judicial information system, administered by the Turkish Ministry of Justice (Denmark 2025-06, 8; France 2021-11-23, 8). Cedoca, the research unit of Belgium's Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS), reports that UYAP was initially meant for use by lawyers and judicial officials, but that by 2018, citizens had also been granted access to the system through the e-Devlet platform (Belgium 2025-01-08, 5).

Sources indicate that the UYAP platform connects various entities of the public justice system, such as the courts, public prosecutors' offices, and enforcement agencies (OSAR 2019-02-01, 5; Moroğlu Arseven 2021-01-07, 7). CMS, an international organization of private law firms with a member firm in Türkiye that offers legal services to domestic and international clients (CMS n.d.), notes that the UYAP platform allows

• the Ministry of Justice and its various units "to conduct their judicial activities electronically";
• lawyers to review and track court case files in which they have power of attorney, including copying and uploading required documentation; and
• citizens to file a lawsuit, follow up on a court case in which they are involved, or submit a complaint to the public prosecutor's office (CMS 2023-05-11).
  
  

According to legal sources, UYAP is made up of several portals tailored to serve the various parties to a court case, including a portal for lawyers and another for citizens, as well as one for courts and one for mediators (CMS 2023-05-11; Moroğlu Arseven 2021-01-07, 8). Moroğlu Arseven lists and describes some of these portals as follows:

• Citizen Portal (Vatandaş Portal): This Portal enable[s] citizens to access all judicial and administrative cases, enforcement proceedings filed by or against them, and to file civil lawsuits. Citizens can access the Citizen Portal through mobile signature, e-signature, E-Government password, or the E-Government platform.
• Lawyer Portal (Avukat Portal): This Portal eases lawyers' lives in Turkey, meaning lawyers are no longer required to physically visit the courthouse in order to:
  
  • review court and prosecution files;
  • submit petitions and make copies of documents submitted;
  • deposit expenses and litigation costs with the court; and
  • conduct asset research of debtors in insolvency cases.

In addition to the above, virtual hearings are gradually becoming accessible to lawyers.

The Lawyer Portal is accessible through e-signatures and mobile signatures which are assigned to lawyers.

• UYAP Legislation and Jurisprudence Database (Uyap Mevzuat ve İçtihat Programı): This database allows free access to the legislation and the court precedents via a program that can be downloaded online. A mobile application called "Uyap Mobil Mevzuat" is also available to provide mobile access to the database.
  …
• Institution Portal (Kurum Portal): This Portal is designed for public and private institutions. Through the Portal, institutions can follow up closed or pending cases filed by or against them before judicial and administrative courts, and enforcement proceedings filed by or against them before enforcement offices.
  …
• SMS Information System (SMS Bilgi Sistemi): Through a cooperation established between the Ministry of Justice and the major [Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)] operators in Turkey, subscribed lawyers and citizens receiv[e] SMS notifications about cases, executive proceedings, and hearing dates.
  …
• E-Justice Portal (E-Adalet Vatandaş): E-Justice is an additional mobile application that was launched in 2019, in order to assist UYAP Citizen Portal. Through the E-Justice application, individuals may monitor all legal and commercial cases concerning themselves, open and closed, and follow the procedural timeline easily. (Moroğlu Arseven 2021-01-07, 7, 8, bold in original)
  
  

According to sources, court hearings can also be attended online through the UYAP platform (CMS 2023-05-11; Denmark 2025-06, 8) in "some" cases (Denmark 2025-06, 8). However, according to a 2021 report from France's Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (Office français de protection des réfugiés et apatrides, OFPRA), the military courts are not integrated into the UYAP platform (France 2021-11-23, 8).

Sources report that UYAP has an SMS service that allows users to receive notifications related to their court case (CMS 2023-05-11; France 2021-11-23, 9), including hearing dates, new documents added to their case file, and decisions rendered (France 2021-11-23, 9). OFPRA indicates that to sign up, users must enter their national identity number and the information they are requesting (France 2021-11-23, 9).

Moroğlu Arseven indicates that the use of digital platforms like UYAP is codified in Türkiye's civil and criminal law (2021-01-07, 7).

2. Security and Access to UYAP

Sources indicate that in addition to Turkish citizens, foreign national residents of Türkiye have access to e-Devlet (Belgium 2025-01-08, 3; Denmark 2025-06, 14). Citing legal, academic, and NGO sources, DIS reports that foreign residents of Türkiye can also access UYAP, as long as they have a valid identity number that begins with 99 (Denmark 2025-06, 14). However, DIS notes that "this access is revoked if their legal status lapses" (Denmark 2025-06, 1).

Cedoca indicates, citing a criminal lawyer in Ankara, that citizens must have an e-Devlet access code to sign into UYAP, as UYAP is accessed through e-Devlet (Belgium 2025-01-08, 5). DIS, citing an NGO, reports that "all individuals" can use UYAP as long as they have a corresponding electronic signature (Denmark 2025-06, 15).

According to a human rights lawyer and academic interviewed by DIS, an electronic signature is mandatory to upload a document in UYAP (Denmark 2025-06, 47). Another lawyer interviewed by DIS stated that documents can be signed using either an e-signature or a "mobile signature" (Denmark 2025-06, 37, 38). The same lawyer explained that lawyers can obtain an e-signature from the Istanbul Bar Association while the mobile signature is accessed through the GSM operator (Denmark 2025-06, 38). DIS adds, citing a legal source, that if a document is altered, the original e-signature is removed, and another must be applied (Denmark 2025-06, 17). According to CMS, e-signatures are also required for other functions in UYAP, including confirming the identity of attorneys before e-hearings and logging into other related electronic systems that facilitate legal proceedings (2023-05-11). In addition, article 445 of the Code of Civil Procedure provides the following instances where the electronic signature is required in UYAP:

[translation]

1. The National Judiciary Informatics System (UYAP) is an information system designed to facilitate the electronic delivery of justice services. In cases where lawsuits and other judicial proceedings are conducted electronically, data is recorded and stored through UYAP.
2. In the electronic environment, a lawsuit can be filed, fees and advance payments can be made, and case files may be examined using a secure electronic signature. Minutes and documents that are required to be physically prepared under this Law can also be prepared and submitted electronically with a secure electronic signature. Minutes and documents created with an electronic signature shall not be sent physically and no hard copies shall be required.
3. In cases where a physical copy must be produced using the electronic environment, a statement certifying that the minutes or document is a true copy of the original shall be included, and the copy shall be signed and stamped by the judge or by a court clerk designated by the judge.

… (Türkiye 2011)

According to DIS, citing an NGO, individuals may upload documents to UYAP for court cases "in which they are directly involved" (Denmark 2025-06, 15). DIS further notes, citing NGO and legal sources, that lawyers may do so in cases for which they have a judge-approved power of attorney (Denmark 2025-06, 15). "Sometimes," in cases with several defendants, "large" case file documents are not uploaded to UYAP; instead, hard copies must be made at the courthouse (Denmark 2025-06, 9). Cedoca similarly states, citing a 2023 lecture on e-Devlet and UYAP given by the Inter-Governmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees (IGC) [2], that since case documents may not be uploaded for [translation] "a variety of reasons," there is no guarantee that all documents for a case will be available in UYAP (Belgium 2025-01-08, 5).

The information in the following paragraph was provided by Cedoca, citing the IGC and a criminal lawyer in Ankara:

Court case files, including cases concerning minors, are visible in both e-Devlet and in UYAP. Even closed court case files can be viewed in both platforms, as long as the case remains open in UYAP. However, once the case file is closed in UYAP, it will no longer be in the list of available files in e-Devlet. Additionally, documents subject to a confidentiality order (gizlilik kararı; kısıtlama kararı) [3] handed down by judicial authorities cannot be viewed in UYAP either and this applies to both the party concerned and their lawyer. Should no such confidentiality order exist, a lawyer may access documents and information related to their client's case in UYAP during the investigation phase. Once the case reaches the court, both client and lawyer may access documents in UYAP in addition to information on the court proceedings in e-Devlet (Belgium 2025-01-08, 3, 4, 6).

DIS similarly states, citing legal sources, that during an investigation individuals cannot access UYAP files for cases in which they are involved and lawyers' access to certain documents may be restricted through a confidentiality decision (Denmark 2025-06, 11, 38).

According to DIS, citing legal, academic, and NGO sources, UYAP keeps track of anyone who has "uploaded or interacted with" a document; however, the information in this digital log is only available to specific court officials, not to the public (Denmark 2025-06, 17).

According to legal sources consulted for the DIS report, lawyers and their clients cannot delete files in UYAP; this ability is limited to the courts (Denmark 2025-06, 15).

3. Documents and Their Issuing Authorities in UYAP

Citing Landinfo and 2 legal sources, DIS notes that all documents in a court case are made available in UYAP, including "civil actions, petitions, drafts of verdicts, evidence, subpoenas, indictments," among other court case documentation (Denmark 2025-06, 9, 16). Similarly, in correspondence with the Research Directorate, Turkish human rights NGO İnsan Hakları Derneği (IHD) indicated that "all correspondence" relevant to the investigative and prosecutorial stages of a case, including arrest warrants, indictments, convictions, arrest decisions, and court decisions, can be found in UYAP (IHD 2025-11-03). The same source further stated that UYAP is the system of correspondence within the judiciary; however, other authorities in a case, like police stations for instance, cannot use the system to correspond with the courts (IHD 2025-11-03).

According to civil society sources, the issuing authorities for documents found in UYAP depend on the document in question; for instance, court decisions are drafted by the court hearing the case (IHD 2025-11-03; JWF 2025-11-03).

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF) [4], an international NGO based in New York City that develops and promotes policy recommendations on human rights and sustainable development (JWF n.d.a), and whose honorary president was Fethullah Gülen [5] (JWF n.d.b), provided a table of the types of documents found in UYAP and their respective issuing authorities:

Document	Issuing Authority
Arrest/Custody Warrant (Gözalti Karari)	Public Prosecutor's Office
Pretrial Detention Order (Tutuklama Karari)	In the investigation phase: Peace Criminal Judgeship (Sulh Ceza Hakimligi) In the prosecution phase: trial court
Indictment (Iddianame)	Public Prosecutor's Office
Judgment/Decision (Karar/Hüküm)	Trial court
Apprehension Warrant (Yakalama Karari)	In the investigation phase: Peace Criminal Judgeship (Sulh Ceza Hakimligi) In the prosecution phase: trial court For the execution of a conviction: trial court or execution judgeship

(JWF 2025-11-03)

English and French translations of a sample of a non-prosecution decision (Attachment 1), a court decision (Attachment 2), and a preliminary proceedings report (Attachment 3), provided to the Research Directorate by IHD, are attached to this Response.

English and French translations of a sample of an indictment (Attachment 4), a statement interrogation record (Attachment 5), a conviction (Attachment 6), and a court decision (Attachment 7), provided to the Research Directorate by JWF, are attached to this Response.

3.1 Content, Appearance and Security Features

According to JWF, the form and content of "certain" judicial documents, such as judgments and indictments, are regulated by the Code of Civil Procedure, the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Administrative Judicial Procedure Code (2025-11-03). Therefore, these documents are "standardized" throughout the country (JWF 2025-11-03).

The DIS report indicates, based on information from legal sources, that documents in the UYAP platform have a QR code at the bottom to allow users to verify the authenticity of a given document; when scanned, it sends the user to the issuing institution's online verification mechanism (Denmark 2025-06, 16). According to IHD, the "most important" feature of all documents in UYAP is the QR code found at the bottom right corner along with the following sentence at the foot of the document: "'You can access this document in the UYAP Information System at http://vatandas.uyap.gov.tr using [the code provided]'" (2025-11-03, square brackets in original). The source added that the QR code enables the verification of the authenticity of a document (IHD 2025-11-03). JWF similarly indicated that all judicial documents signed electronically through UYAP contain a verification code with 28 digits, appearing as 4 blocks of 7 digits, which may be verified through a Turkish government website [6] (2025-11-03). In contrast, the DIS report notes that not every document uploaded to UYAP can be verified by QR code; for example, some documents uploaded by the courts or prosecutors do not have a QR code and some documents have restrictions placed on them that prevent online verification (Denmark 2025-06, 16).

JWF provided the following information on features by type of document in UYAP:

Document	Contents
Decisions	court name docket number decision number name(s) and registration number(s) of judge(s) clerk prosecutor (in cases where the prosecutor participates) names of parties and their counsel date of the decision date the decision was written
Indictments	issuing prosecutor's office investigation number docket number indictment number defendant (suspect) name(s) name(s) of defence counsel date of arrest or detention date of release prosecutor name and registry number date of indictment
Pretrial Detention	name of the peace criminal judgeship interrogation number name and registration number of judge and clerk identity information for suspect date

(JWF 2025-11-03)

4. Irregularities and Forged or Fraudulent Documents in UYAP

Moroğlu Arseven indicates that electronic signature access to UYAP "can be used by any other person who has somehow acquired the e-signature password," making it difficult to perform identity authentication "in most cases" (2021-01-07, 20).

According to academic and legal sources cited by DIS, confidentiality orders are used "arbitrarily" by the courts; one lawyer and scholar stated that the purpose is to keep clients from accessing documents and a professor of law indicated that the orders are used to "delay" lawyers' access to a case file (Denmark 2025-06, 12). DIS further notes that, despite Türkiye's "comprehensive legal framework," international and domestic actors indicate that corruption in the public and private spheres is "widespread" and has risen "in recent years" (Denmark 2025-06, 19).

DIS states that, in a video uploaded in October 2023, the journalist being interviewed reported that there are criminal enterprises operating on social media in the province of Ağrı that produce fraudulent documents, such as "fictitious arrest or house search warrants," related to terrorism or "insulting the president," for a significant fee (Denmark 2025-06, 21). According to Turkish media sources, citing reporting from [the Turkish media outlet (Denmark 2025-06, 18)] Serbestiyet, on social media platforms such as TikTok human smugglers openly offer to produce and upload forged documents to UYAP for Turkish asylum seekers in Europe to use as supporting evidence for their asylum claims (Turkish Minute 2024-09-19; Türkiye Today 2024-10-23). The forged documentation includes medical reports, political party membership cards, arrest warrants, and indictments (Turkish Minute 2024-09-19; Türkiye Today 2024-10-23). Additionally, citing legal professionals interviewed by Serbestiyet, the same media sources indicate that the forged documents appear authentic (Turkish Minute 2024-09-19; Türkiye Today 2024-10-23) and can be verified through UYAP (Türkiye Today 2024-10-23).

According to Moroğlu Arseven, citing a 2019 Turkish-language master's thesis, "data breach[es]" by judicial actors are a security vulnerability for UYAP, as agents of the judiciary can display "case and enforcement data," and no system exists to detect "unusual" accessing of this data; this has formed the basis of "several lawsuits in the past" (2021-01-07, 20). The same source notes that another vulnerability is caused by judicial actors "negligently" granting UYAP access to third parties who are not involved in a case; there is similarly no mechanism for preventing such breaches (Moroğlu Arseven 2021-01-07, 20). Sources interviewed by DIS noted "persistent" reports of corruption in the Turkish judiciary (Denmark 2025-06, 20).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] Landinfo is the Norwegian Country of Origin Information Centre responsible for "collecting, analysing and presenting" information to the Norwegian immigration authorities (Norway n.d.). ^[back]

[2] The IGC is an inter-state, non-binding consultation forum through which participating governments, including Canada, can exchange information and practices related to migration responses (UN n.d.). ^[back]

[3] Court-issued confidentiality orders render court documents inaccessible in UYAP to both the concerned party and their appointed legal representative (Denmark 2025-06, 12). According to Landinfo, while lawyers can submit requests for access to documents or information on the case, "it is rarely granted" (Denmark 2025-06, 12). ^[back]

[4] JWF is associated with the UN Department of Global Communications (UN DGC) (JWF n.d.a). ^[back]

[5] According to a Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs' country report on Türkiye, Fethullah Gülen was an Islamic preacher who live[d] in Pennsylvania and whose followers refer to their movement as the Hizmet Hareketi (Servitude Movement) (Netherlands 2023-08, 41). Sources report that the government blamed Gülenists (Aydıntaşbaş 2016-09) or Fethullah Gülen (The New York Times 2021-05-31) for an attempted 2016 coup (Aydıntaşbaş 2016-09; The New York Times 2021-05-31). ^[back]

[6] The Türkiye government website that verifies the authenticity of judicial documents, provided by JWF, is available online (Türkiye n.d.). ^[back]

References

Aydıntaşbaş, Aslı. 2016-09. The Good, the Bad, and the Gülenists: The Role of the Gülen Movement in Turkey's Coup Attempt. European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). [Accessed 2025-12-02]

Belgium. 2025-01-08. Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS), Cedoca. Turquie. E-Devlet, UYAP. [Accessed 2025-10-15]

CMS. 2023-05-11. Döne Yalçın, Arcan Kemahlı & Iremgül Mansur. CMS Expert Guide to Digital Litigation in Turkiye. [Accessed 2025-10-23]

CMS. N.d. "Legal Information." [Accessed 2025-10-23]

Denmark. 2025-06. Danish Immigration Service (DIS). Türkiye: e-Devlet and UYAP. [Accessed 2025-10-15]

France. 2021-11-23. Office français de protection des réfugiés et apatrides (OFPRA). Turquie : le portail e-Devlet. [Accessed 2025-10-21]

İnsan Hakları Derneği (IHD). 2025-11-03. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF). 2025-11-03. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF). N.d.a. "About JWF." [Accessed 2025-11-04]

Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF). N.d.b. "Honorary President." [Accessed 2025-11-04]

Moroğlu Arseven. 2021-01-07. Burcu Tuzcu Ersin, Fulya Kurar & Ceylan Necipoğlu. Virtual Justice in Turkey: Where We Are and What to Expect from the Future? [Accessed 2025-10-16]

Moroğlu Arseven. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 2025-10-16]

Netherlands. 2023-08. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. General Country of Origin Information Report on Türkiye. [Accessed 2025-12-03]

The New York Times. 2021-05-31. Carlotta Gall & Abdi Latif Dahir. "Turkey Claims to Have 'Captured' Cleric's Relative in Kenya." [Accessed 2025-12-03]

Norway. N.d. "About Landinfo." [Accessed 2025-10-17]

Organisation suisse d’aide aux réfugiés (OSAR). 2019-02-01. Turquie : accès aux dossiers relatifs à la procédure pénale. [Accessed 2025-11-19]

Turkish Minute. 2024-09-19. "Smugglers Upload Forged Documents to Turkey's Judicial Database to Help Asylum Claims: Report." [Accessed 2025-10-20]

Türkiye. 2011. Hukuk Muhakemeleri Kanunu. Excerpts translated by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada. [Accessed 2025-11-18]

Türkiye. N.d. Document verification website. [Accessed 2025-11-18]

Türkiye Today. 2024-10-23. "TikTok Scandal: Fake Asylum Claims Flood Türkiye's Route to Europe." [Accessed 2025-10-20]

United Nations (UN). N.d. International Organization for Migration (IOM). "Inter-Governmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees (IGC)." [Accessed 2025-10-25]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Law firms in Türkiye (4); lawyer in the UK whose focus is Turkish law; lawyer in the US who works on asylum cases from Türkiye.

Internet sites, including: Al Jazeera; Associated Press; Australia – Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; euronews; Freedom House; Human Rights Watch; International Bar Association; The New Humanitarian; Türkiye – Ministry of Justice, UYAP; US – Department of State.

Attachments

1. Türkiye. 2024. Adana Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. English and French translations of a sample non-prosecution decision. Original document in Turkish sent to the Research Directorate by a representative of the İnsan Hakları Derneği (IHD), 2025-11-03. Translated into English and French by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada.
2. Türkiye. 2023. Ankara First Administrative Court. English and French translations of a sample court decision. Original document in Turkish sent to the Research Directorate by a representative of the İnsan Hakları Derneği (IHD), 2025-11-03. Translated into English and French by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada.
3. Türkiye. 2023. Hatay First Civil Court of Peace. English and French translations of a sample preliminary proceedings report. Original document in Turkish sent to the Research Directorate by a representative of the İnsan Hakları Derneği (IHD), 2025-11-03. Translated into English and French by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada.
4. Türkiye. 2018. Uşak Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. English and French translations of a sample indictment. Original document in Turkish sent to the Research Directorate by a representative of the Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF), 2025-11-03. Translated into English and French by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada.
5. Türkiye. N.d. Ankara Second Criminal Court of Peace. English and French translations of a sample statement interrogation record. Original document in Turkish sent to the Research Directorate by a representative of the Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF), 2025-11-03. Translated into English and French by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada.
6. Türkiye. 2022. Trabzon Second High Criminal Court. English and French translations of a sample conviction. Original document in Turkish sent to the Research Directorate by a representative of the Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF), 2025-11-03. Translated into English and French by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada.
7. Türkiye. N.d. Ankara Administrative Court. English and French translations of a sample court decision. Original document in Turkish sent to the Research Directorate by a representative of the Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF), 2025-11-03. Translated into English and French by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada.