Information on the Nüfus Hüviyet Cüzdanı and other documents used in Turkey for identification purposes was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. This Response incorporates relevant sections of TUR28097.E of 6 November 1997.
According to the January 2002 Official General Report on Turkey that was prepared for the Council of the European Union by The Netherlands,
[t]he nüfus card is the only valid domestic identity document, with everyone required to carry it at all times. Births have to be reported to the population registry for the place of birth without delay, so that a nüfus card can be issued straight away (19).
Information dated 29 October 1999 and posted on the Website of the United States Social Security Administration (SSA), indicates that
The Nufus Cuzdan, Nüfus Hüviyet Cüzdanı or Turkiye Cumhuriyeti Nufus Cuzdani is an identification document carried by all Turkish citizens. No recordation date is shown. Older identification papers were issued in booklet form and showed more personal information; a laminated pocket-size form is now used. Either version shows the person's name, date and place of birth and parents' names.
The Nüfus Hüviyet Cüzdanı also indicates one's religious affiliation (Country Reports 2003 25 Feb. 2004, Sec. 2.c; HRWF 7 Feb. 2002).
During a 6 November 1997 telephone interview, the First Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, in Ottawa, indicated that the physical appearance of the Nüfus Hüviyet Cüzdanı changed sometime in 1980 when it was transformed from a booklet into a single card with information on both sides. Another change was introduced in 1986, when the card became slightly smaller (Embassy of Turkey 6 Nov. 1997). The 1986 card, which is blue for men and pink/orange for women, is covered with plastic laminate and is 9.5 cm high by 7 cm wide (ibid.). A copy of the card was provided to the Research Directorate in November 1997 and is attached to this Response.
The First Secretary added that Turkish citizens receive their Nüfus Hüviyet Cüzdanı when their birth is registered with local authorities in Turkey (ibid.). Before the age of 15 years a photo of the holder is not required on the card (ibid.). Holders of the Nüfus Hüviyet Cüzdanı who are over the age of 15 years must have a passport-size photograph on their card, without which the card is not valid and the holder cannot use it to obtain government services or any other services requiring an identity card (ibid.). More recent information on the Nüfus Hüviyet Cüzdanı could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
Although dated, information about other identification documents is posted on the SSA Website, and may be relevant. The Nufus Kayit Ornegi is a census registration form that can be used as "proof of age, relationship, marriage, divorce and death" (SSA 29 Oct. 1999). Specifically, the document
...can contain information about one person or a man and his immediate family. There are specific columns for each person's name, parents, date and place of birth, religion and the date he was entered in the record. The relationship of the family members to the head of the household is shown if requested.
If an individual's record is transferred to another locality (as when a woman marries), the information on the original census record is transferred. Thus, a married woman's record may show a recordation date before the marriage date, or the transfer date may also be shown as the registration date (ibid.).
An Evlenme Cuzdani, or marriage certificate, which is issued on or near the day of the marriage by the Marriage Director of the Marriage Office of the Municipality, can also be used as an identification document, (ibid.). According to the information posted on the SSA Website,
If the original booklet is lost, the Director issues a new one based on information in the official marriage register made at the time the first booklet was issued.
The booklet contains photographs of the couple and identifying information. It contains several pages for the parents to use to record information about children (ibid.).
Additional and more recent information on other documents that are used in Turkey for the purposes of identification could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
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 additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Council of the European Union. January 2002. The Netherlands Delegation. Official General Report on Turkey. <http://register.consilium.eu.int/pdf/en/02/st07/07838en2.pdf> [Accessed 28 Sept. 2004]
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2003. 25 February 2004. United States Department of State. Washington, DC. <http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2003/27869.htm> [Accessed 28 Sept. 2004]
Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, Ottawa. 6 November 1997. Telephone interview with the First Secretary.
Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF). 7 February 2002. Barbara G. Baker. "Alleged Slander Case Stalled in Eastern Turkey. International Observers Attend Turkish Christian's Trial." <http://www.hrwf.net/> [Accessed 7 Feb. 2002]
United States. 29 October 1999. Social Security Administration. "GN 00307.882 Turkish Civil Records." <http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/Inx/0200307882> [Accessed 27 Sept. 2004]
Additional Sources Consulted
The Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, in Ottawa, did not respond to a letter requesting information.
Internet sites, including: BBC, Dialog/WNC, Embassy of the Republic of Turkey - Ottawa, Embassy of the Republic of Turkey - Washington, European Country of Origin Information Network (ECOI), Freedom in the World 2004, Human Rights Watch (HRW), IND, Country Report: Turkey (April 2004), International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF), Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Turkish Daily News, Turkish Ministry of Interior (in Turkish).
Attachment
Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, Ottawa. 6 November 1997. Official photocopy of the Nüfus Hüviyet Cüzdanı.