Can you bring and use your mobile in Turkey?
 

Residing in Turkey & Bringing Your Items To Turkey  > Can you bring and use your mobile in Turkey?

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Can you bring and use your mobile in Turkey?
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As you know, roaming is the ability for a mobile phone user to automatically make and receive voice calls, send and receive SMS or access other services when travelling abroad. Turkish mobile operators, Avea, Turkcell and Vodafone, provide roaming services to visitors coming from the UK, in partnership with British operators. Therefore, you can use your mobile phones with British sim card in Turkey. Most of mobile services such as picture messaging, text messaging, fax/data and GPRS are available with Turkish networks.

Please keep in mind that, if you pay monthly at least 24 hours before you leave, you should call your mobile operator in the UK, and they will set up your phone to be used abroad.

If you are temporarily staying in Turkey as a tourist, visitor, diplomat etc., you can buy a sim card from a Turkish mobile operator on the basis of contract, and then your British handset’s IMEI number is matched with MSISDN (mobile phone) number. In this case, your handset can only be used with matching Turkish sim card, but not any other Turkish sim card. For the matching purposes you should apply to a subscription centre (“abone kayit merkezi” in Turkish) of relevant Turkish mobile operator. (AVEA, TURKCELL, VODAFONE)

On the other hand, if you intend to reside or stay a long time in Turkey and would like to use a Turkish sim card or would like to take a British handset to your friends or relatives living in Turkey as a gift, you must get your mobile phone registered with the Turkish Telecommunications Authority. Because the recent changes in the Turkish Telecommunications regulation requires all mobile phones to be registered with the Turkish Telecommunications Authority’s database with their IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) numbers in order to use Turkish sim card. Mobile phones (IMEI numbers) not registered with the Turkish Telecommunications Authority are blocked for connection through a Turkish sim card.

According to the Turkish customs regulation, from 1st Januray 2007, travellers can bring only one mobile handset into Turkey in a calendar year as one of their personal belongings, free of customs duties and they do not need to declare it to the Turkish Customs.

In order to get your handset registered, the following documents should be submitted to the Telecommunications Authority through a subscription centre (“abone kayit merkezi” in Turkish) of relevant Turkish mobile operator.

• Passport and copies of relevant pages of passport (identity and entry stamp pages),
• A petition indicating IMEI number of handset. (could be provided by subscription centre)
After the registration is completed Turkish network sim card can be used with a British handset. Please ensure that the handset must be sim free or not locked.

You can check if your handset's IMEI number is registered with the Telecommunications Authority or not through Turkish Telecommunications Authority's website at: http://imei.tk.gov.tr

Your handset's IMEI number is found on a sticker underneath the battery, or on screen by simply keying *#06# into most phones.

You can find a subscription centre (abone kayit merkezi) of relevant Turkish mobile operator through

  • AVEA
  • TURKCELL
  • VODAFONE

And last but not least, please do not forget to take your charger and a european power adaptor you may need.