How to get, set up and use an e-signature or mobile signature in Turkey

An electronic signature is the digital counterpart of the signature you put on paper: under Turkey's Electronic Signature Law No. 5070, a secure electronic signature has the same legal effect as a handwritten one. It comes in two forms: an e-signature carried on a smart card or USB token that you plug into a computer, and a mobile signature that works through your phone's SIM card.

You can obtain either one yourself. The e-signature comes from an electronic certificate service provider authorised by BTK, the mobile signature from the mobile operator your line belongs to. This guide covers the whole route: application, installation, logging in to e-Devlet, signing PDFs, and revoking the certificate if it is lost.

1. Decide which one you need: e-signature or mobile signature An e-signature keeps the certificate on a smart card or USB token, so you must plug it into a computer to sign. A mobile signature keeps the same qualified certificate inside the secure area of your SIM card, so your phone and a PIN are enough and no card reader is needed. If you sign many documents at a desk, the e-signature is practical; if you work on the move, the mobile signature is. Legal validity is identical, and you may use both.
2. Find a provider on BTK's current list A qualified electronic certificate may only be obtained from an electronic certificate service provider authorised by BTK. Open the "electronic certificate service providers" page on btk.gov.tr and read the list as published that day; the list changes over time, so do not act on a name you heard somewhere. Some listed providers serve only public institution staff and take no individual applications — confirm this on the provider's own pages. Fees, packages and durations differ by provider, so read the current terms on the provider's own site.
3. Fill in the application and get your documents ready Start an individual qualified certificate application on the provider's site. Enter your identity details exactly as they appear in the civil registry and do not abbreviate your name, because the name printed on the certificate is produced from this data and correcting it later means a new certificate. Enter your mobile number and e-mail address carefully, as verification codes and delivery notices go there. Keep your identity document, delivery address and billing details at hand.
4. Complete the identity verification step A qualified certificate is never issued before your identity is verified face to face or by an equally strong method. Depending on the provider this means visiting an authorised point with your ID, a representative coming to your address, an online video call, or reading the contactless chip of your Turkish ID card. Once you sign the subscriber undertaking, the certificate is produced: a smart card or token is shipped to your address, or an activation notice arrives on your line for a mobile signature. Ask the provider which verification methods it offers before you apply, so you do not travel for nothing.
5. Get the mobile signature from your operator as the line holder A mobile signature is opened through the application channels of the operator that provides your line (Türk Telekom, Turkcell, Vodafone) and the certificate is issued in the name of the person using the line. If the line is registered to someone else you cannot do it alone: either transfer the line into your own name or apply together with the line holder. If your SIM does not support mobile signature it must first be swapped for a compatible one, and that swap is also requested by the line holder; eSIM support varies by operator. Once approved, follow the activation steps and set your own 6-digit mobile signature PIN, which you tell to nobody.
6. Install the e-signature hardware in the right order Order matters: install the smart card (token) driver first, then the card reader driver, and the provider's signing application last. Download drivers only from the provider's own download page, never from third-party "driver pack" sites. Run the installers as administrator, restart the computer when they finish, then connect the reader and insert the card. Some providers' applications need an extra runtime such as Java; check the required version in the provider's installation guide rather than guessing.
7. Activate the certificate and create your PIN A card usually arrives with the certificate switched off; activate it through the step named something like "open my certificate for use" in the provider's online operations pages. You create your first PIN on the same page, and you store the PUK (unlock) code that came with the card somewhere safe and separate from the card. Sign a test document with the provider's test tool to confirm the card is recognised. Skip this step and the e-Devlet login will report that no certificate was found.
8. Log in to e-Devlet with an e-signature or mobile signature Besides the e-Devlet password, the login screen at turkiye.gov.tr offers <strong>electronic signature</strong>, <strong>mobile signature</strong>, Turkish ID card and internet banking. For the e-signature, open the e-signature tab, download and run the "e-Devlet Kapısı e-İmza Uygulaması" from the shortcut on your desktop, enter your ID number and the transaction code shown on screen, pick the card type and certificate, then enter your PIN to sign. For the mobile signature, open the mobile signature tab and enter your ID number, the number holding the mobile signature subscription and your operator; check that the signature summary sent to your phone matches the one on screen, then enter your PIN to confirm. If the two summaries differ, do not confirm — cancel the transaction.
9. Sign documents and PDFs, then verify the signature Signing means encrypting the document's digest (hash) with the private key on your certificate; the document itself is not sent anywhere, the signature is bound to it. In a PDF the signature is embedded in the file and appears in the reader's signature panel; for other formats a separate signature file (such as .p7s) is produced. Sign either from the provider's signing application or from the "sign" button of systems that support it, such as e-Devlet, e-invoicing or registered electronic mail. If a single byte of the document changes after signing, the signature becomes invalid, so do not re-save or recompress a signed file. Note one limit: legal transactions that the law requires to be in official form or subject to a special ceremony, and guarantee contracts other than bank letters of guarantee, cannot be executed with a secure electronic signature.
10. Protect your PIN, watch the expiry date, revoke at once if lost Never share your PIN; anyone who asks for it by phone or e-mail is a fraudster, as your provider will not ask for it. Three consecutive wrong PIN entries lock the card and you then need the PUK to unlock it; three wrong PUK entries make the card permanently unusable and you must buy a new certificate. A qualified certificate has a limited life (commonly 1-3 years depending on the provider), so put the expiry date in your calendar, apply for renewal before it runs out, and do not destroy the old card before its validity ends even if the new one has arrived. If the card, token or phone is lost or stolen, or your PIN is exposed, first call the provider's support line and then complete the revoke/suspend step in the online operations pages; for a mobile signature also call the operator to close the line and the signature. Signatures made before revocation remain valid, but no new signature can be made with that certificate afterwards.

⚠ This guide is general information. Yudum cannot be held responsible for the outcome of following it; for official procedures always rely on the institution's own statement. Steps and fees change over time.

🎯 Related content

How an early termination fee is calculated when you end a subscription commitment early How to work out the legal ceiling of the early termination fee charged when you close an internet or phone subscription before the commitment ends… How to get a student certificate or graduation document from e-Devlet in Turkiye If you are a university student in Turkiye you can get your student certificate online, and if you have graduated you can get your graduation… How to File an Operator or Internet Provider Complaint with Turkey's BTK You wrote to your operator and either got no answer or an answer that solved nothing. This is exactly where the consumer complaint channel of… How to check and pay vehicle tax and traffic fine debt in Turkey Step-by-step guide to checking and paying Turkish motor vehicle tax (MTV) and traffic fine debt through e-Devlet and the Digital Tax Office… How to book a notary appointment in Türkiye A step-by-step walkthrough: signing in with your e-Devlet credentials, picking a notary office and time slot, cancelling an appointment, and which… How to sell and transfer a used car in Turkey In Turkey a used vehicle sale is only valid when done at a notary office: debt and restriction checks, compulsory traffic insurance in the buyer's…