Official and aid routes first
Try your own means first: services open to authorised persons such as family-tree data on e-Devlet, old information within the family and photographs and documents can give important clues. For people whose ties were broken by war or disaster, humanitarian organisations such as the Red Crescent's restoring family links service also exist.
When is a detective needed?
Professional support can be useful when record and open-source research, field verification and a carefully made first contact are required. It saves time especially for heir tracing, international links or verifying where the person lives. See the lost-touch relative page.
First contact
The person found may not want to restore the relationship. This right is respected. First contact is usually made by a neutral letter or an intermediary; the address is not shared without the person's consent. If there is no mutual consent the process stops.
The inheritance question
If an heir must be found, the certificate of inheritance and estate procedures run through lawyers and the court. We help verify the current address of the missing heir but do not carry out legal procedures. See the heir tracing page.
