The UYAP Lawyer Portal is at the centre of a law office’s daily work. That is why even a small glitch in the portal can bring the whole office to a halt: the e-signature is not recognised, the session drops, documents will not open or the payment screen will not move forward. In this article we have gathered the most common problems together with their likely causes and practical steps to fix them.
Because the portal and its components change over time, treat what follows as a general roadmap. For the current installation steps, always rely on the instructions on the portal’s sign-in page and your bar association’s announcements.
First things first: sign-in methods have changed
The new Lawyer Portal went live in 2024 and the old portal was shut down in the same year; the portal address is avukat.uyap.gov.tr. According to bar association announcements, since 1 June 2026 the portal can only be accessed through the Adalet E-İmza Uygulaması (Ministry of Justice e-signature application) and sign-in with e-Devlet; the old “Sign in with UYAP E-signature” method, which ran via the Arksigner software, has been removed.
The announcements also stressed that Arksigner can be uninstalled once the new application is installed, but lawyers who use an Arksigner-brand e-signature should keep the software on their computers for signing. If you have trouble signing in, the first thing to check is whether you are using the current sign-in method and the current application.
1. The e-signature is not recognised, certificate details do not appear
Likely causes: the card reader or USB token is not plugged in or not recognised, the e-signature driver is not installed, the signing application is not running in the background, or the certificate has expired.
Steps to fix:
- Unplug the e-signature device and plug it into a different USB port.
- Check that your e-signature provider’s current driver is installed.
- Make sure the signing application is running; start it if it is not.
- Close the browser completely, reopen it and try signing in again.
- Check the validity of your certificate. You cannot sign in with an expired certificate until it is renewed.
2. The e-signature PIN is locked
The PIN locks after several wrong entries in a row. As noted in Ministry statements reported in the press, a locked e-signature PIN cannot be fixed through the UYAP infrastructure. In this case you need to follow the instructions of the electronic certificate service provider that issued your e-signature. Until the lock is removed, sign-in with e-Devlet may be an alternative for accessing the portal; however, you still need a working e-signature for operations that require signing.
3. The session drops, I keep getting logged out
Likely causes: a VPN running in the background, a frequently changing connection, or an open session with the same e-signature elsewhere.
Steps to fix:
- As Ministry announcements have stressed, close any VPN applications running in the background.
- Check whether the same e-signature is being used on another computer in the office or at another location.
- It is normal for a session to close after a long period of inactivity; prepare long documents outside the portal so they are ready to send.
4. “Security lock” warning and temporary access block
According to Ministry announcements reported in the press, attempting simultaneous sign-ins with the same e-signature from different locations or IP addresses, or performing operations faster than human speed with robot software or programs, triggers a security lock. In that case, access to the portal is temporarily blocked for 3 hours and opens again automatically when the period ends.
If you receive this warning, make sure the same signature is not being used in more than one place in the office and that the software you use works at a pace consistent with the portal’s rules.
5. Documents will not open, UDF files cannot be viewed
Likely causes: the UYAP Document Editor (UYAP Doküman Editörü) is not installed or outdated, the browser’s pop-up blocker is active, or the browser cache is corrupted.
Steps to fix:
- Install the current version of the UYAP Document Editor.
- Turn off the pop-up blocker for the portal.
- Clear the browser history and cache and try again.
- Remember that the new portal lets you preview UDF and other document types without downloading them; if the preview works, the problem most likely lies in the editor installation.
6. Problems with Java and older components
In the days of the old portal, the e-signature and some desktop components required specific Java versions, and “incompatible Java version” errors were common. In the new portal, sign-in happens through the browser together with a separate signing application. Even so, Java versions, old signing components or browser extensions left over from earlier installations can conflict with the new applications.
If the problem persists, removing the old signing components and unused extensions and installing only the current applications recommended on the portal’s sign-in page usually solves it. Before uninstalling anything, check which software your e-signature brand requires for signing.
7. Payments cannot be made late at night
According to Ministry announcements, cashier checks and transaction audits take place every day between 23:30 and 00:15, so operations that require payment, such as filing a lawsuit, cannot be carried out in that window. Sending documents and reviewing files remain available during those hours. Do not leave payment-related tasks due on the last day for that window.
8. Planned maintenance and outages
During updates, access to UYAP may be interrupted at certain times, and such outages are usually announced in advance. Follow Ministry and bar association announcements when planning time-critical work.
9. A query returns no result or an error
Queries to institutions such as SGK, EGM and TAKBİS depend on those institutions’ services. Bar association reports have noted that these queries sometimes return errors, and that in some cases the operation appeared to be completed despite an error. Do not treat a query whose result you have not seen as done; check the result and try again later if needed.
If the problem is not solved
If the steps above do not help, you can turn to the help content in the portal, the Ministry of Justice’s UYAP support channels and your bar association’s IT unit. When you contact them, noting a screenshot of the error message, the time it occurred and the browser and operating system you use speeds up the solution.
Frequently asked questions
Can several lawyers in the office use the same computer?
Yes; however, each lawyer should sign in with their own e-signature and sign out when finished. An open session with the same signature on another computer can trigger the security lock.
Can I work with a mobile signature?
The portal allows documents to be added to a file with an electronic signature or a mobile signature. If you use a mobile signature, make sure your mobile line and your mobile signature certificate are valid.
How Asistan34 makes this easier
Some portal errors are unavoidable, but making the office’s work less dependent on individual screens and individual computers reduces their impact. With Asistan34’s UYAP integration, bulk filings and bulk requests as well as MERNİS, SGK and EGM queries are run in the office’s shared system; results are saved to the file, and who did what and when can be traced. Operations are carried out with the lawyer’s own UYAP e-signature.
Since 2010 we have been developing solutions specifically for law offices and providing technical support during installation and use. For details, get in touch with us.