The institution wants proof of address, a civil registry extract, a criminal record certificate and a social security statement — all in one file. The portal gives each as a separate PDF. Merging them is easy, but barcoded documents need one piece of care.
First, know this: the barcode is the document's identity
Documents downloaded from Turkey's e-Government portal carry a barcode or QR code together with a verification code. The receiving institution scans that code, or types it into the portal's verification page, to confirm the document really was issued in your name.
So one rule governs everything you do to the document: the barcode must stay readable. Cropping, heavy compression or rescanning at low resolution can render it unreadable, and then the document counts as invalid.
Never print an e-government document and scan it again. The PDF you have is already digital and sharp; printing and rescanning inflates the file and lowers the chance the barcode scans. Use the original PDF as it is.
Step by step: gathering everything into one file
- Download each document as a PDF: Do not take screenshots — use the «download as PDF» option. Barcodes usually do not survive a screenshot.
- Add them all to the merge tool: You can select the files in one go. Merging runs in your browser, so your documents are not uploaded.
- Put them in the order the institution asked for: Drag the files in the list to reorder. If an order was specified, follow it; if not, lead with the most important document.
- Merge and download: You get a single PDF. Open it and check quickly: is everything there, and in the right order?
If the file is too large
Official portal documents are usually small; together they rarely pass a few megabytes. If your file is unexpectedly large, the cause is almost always a scanned document that slipped in — a photocopied diploma, a scan of an ID card.
In that case shrink only that scanned document, then merge. That way you never touch the sharpness of the portal's own output.
Personal data: think before you share
Official documents carry identity numbers, addresses and dates of birth. If the document is going to a government body, those details are required and should not be hidden.
But if it is going to an estate agent, a prospective employer or a website, the situation differs. Covering the fields the recipient does not actually need is a reasonable precaution.
Do not redact by drawing a black box over the text. A box drawn on a PDF is only a picture; the text beneath it stays selectable and copyable. Use a tool that truly removes the data.
A final check before sending
- Is every document inside the file? Compare the page count against what you downloaded.
- Do the barcodes look sharp? Zoom in and check.
- Have any documents expired? Institutions usually want recent criminal record and address certificates.
- Is the file name clear? Something like «application-documents-name-surname.pdf» helps the reader.