First Things to Do After Moving to Turkey (2026)

Get a Turkish SIM card and your tax number on day one — both are quick, free or cheap, and unlock nearly everything that follows. Just as urgently, start your e-ikamet residence permit application within your first few days, since appointment slots in popular provinces fill up weeks in advance and your visa-free stay or tourist visa is already running out the clock.

Yes, in practice almost all Turkish banks require a tax number (vergi numarası) alongside your passport to open an account. It is free and can now be obtained entirely online through the GİB Digital Tax Office (Dijital Vergi Dairesi), or in person at any tax office in about 15–30 minutes.

You must apply before your legal stay expires — commonly a 90-day visa-free allowance or tourist visa, though this varies by nationality. Because the immigration directorate can take time to process applications and appointment slots book out in advance, it is strongly recommended to start the e-ikamet application within your first one to two weeks rather than waiting until close to the deadline.

No — they are two different processes at two different times. The address you enter on the e-ikamet application form is a temporary declaration used while your permit is being processed. Formal address registration is a separate step, completed once you already hold your foreigner ID number, booked online at randevu.goc.gov.tr with a notarized lease or title deed, a utility bill in your name, and proof of DASK insurance.

Largely yes, especially in expat-heavy coastal cities and central Istanbul, where banks, telecom stores, and estate agents are used to foreign customers. The e-ikamet portal has an English-language option. That said, much of the underlying paperwork and in-person bureaucracy is in Turkish, so if you are not confident, hiring an immigration consultant (commonly €100–300) or a bilingual relocation assistant can remove a lot of friction. A cheaper, more informal alternative some expats use is a local bilingual "fixer" found through expat Facebook groups, who accompanies you to appointments for a daily rate (commonly €50–100/day) rather than a fixed consultancy fee.

Most of the essential steps — tax number, bank account opening, and SIM registration itself — are free or cheap. The larger costs are health insurance (roughly €35–100+/month depending on age and provider), the ikamet application fee (which varies significantly by nationality and permit duration), and, only if you brought a phone from abroad, the IMEI registration fee. Budget a few hundred euros in total for the essential paperwork, separate from your rent deposit.

Overstaying your legal entry period without an active application in progress puts you at risk of administrative penalties and can complicate future residence permit or visa applications. If you realise you have missed a deadline, contact the Directorate General of Migration Management or a qualified immigration consultant promptly rather than letting the situation continue unaddressed — do not wait for it to resolve itself.

You can buy it after you arrive — most expats do. The requirement is simply that you have a valid policy in hand as a document for your ikamet appointment, so arrange it in your first week rather than waiting until the appointment date is close.

After your appointment, cards are typically mailed within roughly four to eight weeks, sometimes longer in busier provinces or during peak application periods. You are considered to have valid legal status from the point your application is registered and your appointment is completed, even before the physical card arrives — keep your application receipt as proof in the meantime.

Not for the first-month essentials. Foreign nationals can generally drive on a valid foreign licence (with a notarized Turkish translation kept alongside it) for up to six months from entry. If you hold a residence permit and plan to stay longer, or want to drive long-term, you will need to exchange your licence for a Turkish one — this is usually a lower priority than the steps in this guide, but don't let the six-month window lapse.

Only briefly. The 120-day registration clock starts the moment your phone first connects to a Turkish network, whether that is through roaming on your home carrier or a Turkish SIM — it makes no difference. Long-term, buying a local SIM is cheaper than sustained roaming, and either way the IMEI registration requirement applies equally.

Underestimating how quickly ikamet appointment slots disappear and treating it as something to "get to later." The second most common mistake is signing a private, non-notarized rental agreement that then has to be redone for the ikamet appointment or address registration.

Yes, in practice. The tax number functions as a general identification number for banking, IMEI registration, and lease signing regardless of whether you earn income in Turkey. Obtaining one does not, by itself, create an income tax filing obligation — that depends on separate tax residency rules.

Financial-means requirements are generally calculated at roughly 1.5 times the Turkish net minimum wage per month — about ₺42,000 in 2026 — shown through recent bank statements, a pension certificate, or an employer letter. A Wise, Revolut, or similar multi-currency account set up before or shortly after arrival can help bridge the gap and supply these statements while your Turkish bank account is still being opened.

Not entirely. Since 2022, districts where registered foreigners already make up 20% or more of the local population (or 10% of a wider district/city) have been closed to new residence-permit address registrations — over 1,100 neighbourhoods nationwide are currently affected, and the list changes periodically. Confirm with the local nüfus müdürlüğü, your estate agent, or the ikamet portal before signing a lease in an area with a large existing foreign population.

It's optional. If you speak Turkish, have time, and your situation is straightforward, you can handle every step in this guide yourself at little to no cost beyond the official fees. If you don't speak Turkish, have a complex family or income situation, or simply want to reduce the number of things that can go wrong, a relocation consultant or immigration lawyer (commonly a few hundred euros) can be worthwhile — see the directory below for local options.