Cost of Buying a SIM Card in Turkey and Service Providers

One of the most important points and concerns of every person when traveling abroad is the easy and low-cost contact with family and friends; therefore, when you travel to Istanbul, for example, buying a SIM Card in Turkey and activating roaming is an important issue, and you should know its methods.

Buying a SIM Card in Turkey

In general, Turkey is an ideal destination for traveling and spending a great vacation, and as with traveling to any country, there are various ways to manage expenses; among the most important of these cases, you can use the Turkish telecommunication network to communicate with family members and friends in your country.

Meanwhile, if travelers use their SIM Cards without changing their settings in this country, their SIM Cards will be automatically deactivated after "120 Days (4 Months)" from the date of first use in Turkey; this issue becomes more troublesome when you supposed to go to the Turkish Tax Office to solve the problem and pay a significant fee to register your phone number.

·         Important Note 1: If your trip to Turkey is short-term and less than "4 Months (120 Days)", you don't need to worry about this issue anymore; but usually, it is recommended to ask the travel agency for the latest rules in this regard before booking your flight ticket to Turkey.

·         Important Note 2: If for any reason you have to stay in Turkey for more than the stated period, one of the available solutions to prevent problems is as follows: If your cellphone has two SIM Card slots, you can solve the problem by switching SIM Cards before 120 Days (4 Months); otherwise, you need to use another cellphone or a cellphone whose "WiFi (Hotspot)" is not locked in the next trip.

·         Important Note 3: If you plan to stay in Turkey for a long time, you must register your SIM Card in IMEI so that it can be used in Turkey for stays of more than 4 Months (120 Days).

Buy Turkey SIM Card Online

As you know, one of the common ways to facilitate phone calls, send messages through messenger applications, or connect to social networks while traveling to Turkey is to buy a SIM Card; this is despite the fact that usually, most travelers buy a Turkish SIM Card after arriving, for example, at Istanbul's new airport or stores located in the city.

Another way to make it easier is to buy a Turkish SIM Card online, which can be done in the following way: choose one of the operators, "Telekom," "Vodafone," or "Turkcell," refer to the website or application of these operators, and online registration, uploading the scan of the first page of the passport and entering the requested information (such as verifying the identity of the applicant through a video call).

Important Note: Every cellphone brought to Turkey must be registered in this country with an IMEI number so that it is not deactivated after 120 Days (4 Months).

Necessary Documents to Get a SIM Card in Turkey

To buy a Turkish SIM Card, you only need a passport, which you can provide to purchase a credit card from the operator you want; however, it is recommended to take it online, which is also the cheapest method.

How to Receive and Activate a Turkish SIM Card

After you have purchased your Turkish SIM Card online, please proceed as follows to receive and activate it: 1) Enter the address of your residence in Turkey, which can be related to private property or, for example, a suite rented in Istanbul, 2) Receiving the activation code from the relevant operator, 3) Receiving the SIM Card by mail or going to one of the relevant operator's stores in person.

SIM Card Price in Turkey

As mentioned earlier, in Turkey, there are 3 main operators for SIM Card services, which are: Telekom, Vodafone, and Turkcell; each Turkish SIM Card's prices are different according to their features and services. At the same time, it should be noted that Turkish SIM Cards can be divided into 2 categories in terms of usage: Normal (what Turkish people use), and Tourist (for travelers who travel to Turkey for less than 120 Days).

Note that Prepaid SIM Cards are expensive in Turkey, and although the "Price" is very important, at the same time, their access to the network is more than Postpaid SIM Cards; also, note that almost all popular tourist destinations in Turkey are equipped with 4G and 5G internet. Based on this, the approximate price for each SIM Card in Turkey is as follows:

·         The Price of a Vodafone SIM Card in Turkey

for the citizens of this country is 2100 liras on average, and its features include basic credit for phone calls and data; this is about 490 liras for tourists and includes services such as packages of data, SMS and international calls.

·         The Price of a Turkcell SIM Card in Turkey

 for the citizens of this country is 5000 liras on average, and its features include basic credit for phone calls and data; this is about 440 liras for tourists and includes services such as packages of data and call for short trips.

·         The Price of a Telekom SIM Card in Turkey

 for the citizens of this country is 2800 liras on average, and its features include basic credit for phone calls and data; this is about 410 liras for tourists and includes services such as packages of data, SMS, and calls during the stay.

Features of Cellphone Operators and Networks in Turkey

Considering the growth and development of Turkey in various fields, especially the technologies related to mobile phones and their related services, today it is a fully advanced country with wide and diverse services. This is despite the fact that due to the vastness of Turkey, there is a possibility that the internet coverage will be a little weaker when you leave the city limits and move along the marginal routes.

This issue, which is normal even in Western European countries, varies in different operators and depending on the covered areas.

According to the 4G and 5G internet coverage maps in Turkey, Turkcell still offers the best coverage in Turkey. Therefore, if you intend to travel to more distant regions of Turkey, this operator's SIM Cards are the best option. Also, according to the cellphone internet coverage maps in Turkey, although Turk Telekom does not provide adequate coverage outside the city limits, if you only intend to stay in cities such as Istanbul, Izmir, or Antalya, buying a SIM Card from this operator will be a good option.

Note: If you have rented a car in Antalya and want to go to other cities in Turkey, such as Istanbul, Trabzon, etc., you can also consider this issue in relation to the mobile phone operator.

Internet Speed in Turkey

With the development of infrastructure and the use of modern technologies, today, the internet speed for smartphones in Turkey is 20 Mbit/s on average, and it is expected that its speed will increase more in the coming years.

"E-Sim," Buying a Turkish SIM Card Online (the Cheapest Option)

The best way to use mobile phone facilities when traveling abroad is to use an "E-SIM Card"; in this way, you will no longer need to go to stores, change SIM Cards, and pay heavy roaming fees. Therefore, Electronic SIM Cards in Turkey are a suitable solution for use, which you can also buy online.

After this action, a code will be sent to you, and after entering it into your cellphone and making the necessary changes in the settings, you will now be connected to the Turkish mobile phone network. The cost of getting an E-SIM Card is different based on the service provider, their validity period, and capacity; on average, it ranges from 25 to 60 dollars.

Portable WiFi Device in Turkey

Buying a new SIM Card comes with disadvantages for travelers, which are: 1) Your mobile phone must not be under the monopoly of another company (Be Unlocked!), 2) Obtaining a new number (IMEI); therefore, it is better to use "Tep Wireless" as a portable WiFi, to connect: smartphones, laptops or tablets, to the Internet anywhere with a daily payment of only two dollars.

SIM Card for Tourists in Turkey

First of all, note that if you travel to Turkey on a tour, they will most likely help you buy a SIM Card or buy it for you. The important point in this regard is the suitable SIM Cards for tourists in Turkey, which are highly recommended for travelers to buy (the names of these operators and related costs have been mentioned before).

Phone Roaming in Turkey for Foreign Tourist

First of all, note that because Turkey is not a member of the EU or EEA yet, roaming limitations do not apply in this country, so using your phone in Turkey will cost a lot for this reason. In such cases, you can use one of the SIM Cards of Turkish operators for data, calling, and sending SMS (Türk Telekom, Turkcell, and Vodafone Turkey). You can use GSM in Turkey, which works with most phones (except the US or South America, which can use CDMA instead).

Note: if your phone supports GSM and is dual-SIM or multi-band, it may function in Turkey.