Last updated on 10 October 2026
A tourist SIM card in Turkey costs 1,800 TL (about €32.70) at Turkcell for 20 GB over 28 days, and you buy it in a shop with your passport. A phone you bring from abroad works on Turkish networks for 120 days from entry, after which registering it costs 54,258 TL (about €985). The POVNOMAD Turkey eSIM costs €16.90 for 20 GB over 30 days, starts at €2.90 and needs no shop visit or registration for a normal holiday. As of 10 October 2026.
A local SIM gives you one thing our eSIMs do not: a Turkish number with minutes for calls inside Turkey. The Turkey eSIM Premium from €3.50 adds Türk Telekom to Vodafone as a second network. Which network each eSIM provider uses is covered in Turkcell, Vodafone or Türk Telekom.
Local SIM, eSIM or roaming: what does each cost in Turkey?
Three ways to get online in Turkey, side by side. As of 10 October 2026:
| Option | Price | What you need | How you get it | Block risk | Calls | Hotspot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkcell Tourist Welcome Pack | 1,800 TL (€32.67) 20 GB, 28 days | foreign passport, new prepaid line | Turkcell store | phone works 120 days from entry, then IMEI registration for 54,258 TL | 200 minutes, 100 SMS, Turkish number | not stated |
| Vodafone Welcome to Turkey Pack | no price published, SIM card fee varies by shop 20 GB, 28 days | passport, local address such as your hotel | Vodafone shop, also at airports | tourist line switched off after 60 days unless you change the tariff, plus the 120-day rule | 750 minutes, Turkish number | not stated |
| Türk Telekom Welcome 25 GB | 420 TL (€7.62) 25 GB, 28 days | passport (BTK rule for visitors) | Türk Telekom store or airport dealer | 120-day rule | 750 minutes, 750 SMS, Turkish number | not stated |
| POVNOMAD Turkey eSIM | €16.90 20 GB, 30 days (from €2.90) | unlocked phone with eSIM, no passport | install at home, online after landing | no registration on a normal holiday | data only, your home SIM stays on for calls | yes |
| Airalo and Holafly eSIMs | Airalo €20.50 for 20 GB, 30 days Holafly €25.50 for 7 days unlimited | unlocked phone with eSIM | buy before you travel, Airalo says it cannot sell inside Turkey | no registration on a normal holiday | data only | depends on provider |
| Roaming on a German contract | Vodafone EasyTravel Week €21.99 | nothing | already on your phone | none | your own number at roaming rates | depends on contract |
Turkcell: campaign page “Tourist Welcome Pack”, recommended retail price, offer valid until 31 December 2026. Vodafone: tourist SIM page on vodafone.com.tr. Türk Telekom: its tourist page as saved by the Internet Archive on 19 September 2026, prices unchanged since March 2026; the site did not respond to our requests on 10 October 2026. Airalo and Holafly read on airalo.com and esim.holafly.com on 10 October 2026. Roaming: Vodafone Germany, from our roaming overview as of 30 September 2026. Lira converted at the ECB reference rate of 9 October 2026 (€1 = 55.1033 TL).
How much does a tourist SIM card cost in Turkey?
Turkcell gives 1,800 TL as the recommended retail price of its Tourist Welcome Pack. You get 20 GB, 200 minutes to Turkish numbers, 100 SMS and unlimited WhatsApp messages for 28 days, valid only inside Turkey. Vodafone lists 20 GB and 750 minutes for 28 days in its Welcome to Turkey Pack and adds the pack at no charge to new tourist lines. It names no price for the SIM card itself and says that fee differs from shop to shop. Türk Telekom showed four Welcome packs on its tourist page: 10 GB for 320 TL over 7 days, 25 GB for 420 TL and 50 GB for 550 TL over 28 days, and 75 GB for 550 TL over 15 days.
On top comes a tax. In 2026, every new mobile line in Turkey carries a one-off special communication tax of 700 TL, about €12.70 (Official Gazette, 31 December 2025). Vodafone states that its listed fees include VAT and special communication tax, but it lists no price. Turkcell and Türk Telekom do not mention the tax.
Turkcell’s figure is a recommended price, and Vodafone’s card fee varies by shop. An airport counter and a shop in town can therefore charge you different totals. We found no official airport surcharge from any of the three operators, so ask for the full amount before you hand over your passport.
What do you need to buy a SIM card in Turkey?
Your passport and a visit to a shop. According to the regulator BTK, when a visitor signs up with a Turkish operator, the operator links the IMEI of your phone to the new number in the central device register. From then on, that phone works with that number only (MCKS, BTK’s device register). Turkcell sells its tourist pack only on lines opened with a foreign passport. Vodafone also asks for a local address, such as your hotel, and switches its tourist line off after 60 days unless you change the tariff by calling 542 or sending CHANGE to 7000.
Your phone has to be free of a network lock. If it only takes one physical SIM, the Turkish card replaces your home SIM, and texts from your bank no longer reach you during the trip.
What happens to your phone after 120 days in Turkey?
It loses service unless you register it. The BTK says a phone brought from abroad can be used for 120 days from your date of entry without registration, after which operators cut it off (BTK consumer site). Registration costs a phone use permit fee of 54,258 TL in 2026, about €985 (Fee Law Communiqué No. 98, in force since 1 January 2026). People with a Turkish ID number register through e-Devlet. Foreigners without one go to an operator’s subscriber registration centre. BTK’s FAQ adds, citing the Trade Ministry, that one person can bring in one phone from abroad every three years.
For a holiday of two or three weeks, none of this applies to you. A different limit covers data-only eSIMs: using a foreign SIM for more than 90 days within 120 days without calls counts as permanent roaming. Our guide to Turkish networks explains that rule. If you plan to spend several months in Turkey, plan for the registration fee whichever SIM you use.
Is a local SIM cheaper than an eSIM in Turkey?
It depends on the operator and on whether you need calls. For data alone, Turkcell’s 1,800 TL for 20 GB (€32.67) costs almost twice as much as our 20 GB plan for 30 days at €16.90. With the Premium eSIM on two networks, 20 GB cost €19.90. Unlimited Smart, with 1 GB at full speed a day and then up to 1 Mbit/s, costs €9.90 for 7 days and €26.90 for 30 days.
Türk Telekom is the exception. At the listed 420 TL, its 25 GB pack costs €7.62 and beats our price. Its page names no price for the SIM card itself, though. If the shop adds the 700 TL line tax, you pay at least 1,120 TL, about €20.33, which is more than our €16.90. For large volumes the order flips: 50 GB for 550 TL plus the tax come to 1,250 TL, about €22.68, against €35.90 for our 50 GB plan over 30 days. A local SIM also wins if you make many calls inside Turkey: Turkcell includes 200 minutes, Vodafone and Türk Telekom 750. Our Turkey eSIMs carry data only, and your provider bills calls on your home SIM at its roaming rates.
The limit sits at 120 days. Up to then, a local SIM saves you money if you need a lot of data or many local minutes. After that, the registration fee of about €985 outweighs any saving on data.
How do you buy a local SIM the right way?
- Go to the operator’s own store or its counter at the airport: Turkcell, Vodafone or Türk Telekom.
- Bring your passport and your hotel address.
- Ask for the total price, including the SIM card and the 700 TL line tax.
- Wait until the pack shows up on the line before you leave. Turkcell confirms the benefits by SMS.
- Write down your date of entry. The 120 days count from that day.
- On a Vodafone tourist line, change the tariff before day 60 if you stay longer.
When is the eSIM the better choice, and when not?
The eSIM suits a holiday of a few days to a few weeks where you mainly need data. You install it at home on Wi-Fi (instructions for iPhone and Android), its validity starts on first contact with the Turkish network, and you are online after landing without a queue at a counter. Your home SIM stays active for calls and bank texts. For the coast or Cappadocia, Premium gives you Vodafone and Türk Telekom on one eSIM.
Buy any eSIM before you travel. In July 2025 the BTK blocked the websites and apps of eight eSIM providers inside Turkey, among them Airalo and Holafly. Details are in Turkey eSIM Blocked?
A local SIM is the better choice if you need a Turkish number and many local calls, or if you stay close to 120 days and use a lot of data. All durations of our Turkey plans are listed in the Turkey eSIM provider comparison.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a tourist SIM card in Turkey?
Turkcell’s Tourist Welcome Pack costs 1,800 TL (about €32.70) for 20 GB, 200 minutes and 100 SMS over 28 days. Türk Telekom listed 420 TL for 25 GB over 28 days, and Vodafone publishes no price. In 2026, every new line also carries a one-off tax of 700 TL. As of 10.10.2026.
Can I buy a Turkish SIM card with just my passport?
Yes, the passport is the key document, and you have to go to a shop in person. Turkcell sells its tourist pack only on lines opened with a foreign passport. Vodafone also asks for a local address, such as your hotel. The operator links your phone’s IMEI to the new number in BTK’s device register.
What happens after 120 days with a foreign phone in Turkey?
According to the BTK, a phone brought from abroad works for 120 days from your date of entry without registration. After that, operators cut it off from Turkish networks. To keep using it, you register the phone and pay the fee of 54,258 TL in 2026. For a normal holiday this limit does not matter.
How much does IMEI registration cost in Turkey in 2026?
The phone use permit fee is 54,258 TL, about €985 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026. It was published in Fee Law Communiqué No. 98 in Turkey’s Official Gazette on 31 December 2025 and applies since 1 January 2026. Foreigners without a Turkish ID number register at an operator’s subscriber registration centre.
Is a Turkish SIM card cheaper at the airport or in a shop?
None of the three operators publishes an airport surcharge. Turkcell’s 1,800 TL is a recommended retail price, and Vodafone says the fee for the SIM card differs from shop to shop. Ask for the total including the 700 TL line tax before you hand over your passport.
Do I need to register my phone if I use a travel eSIM?
Not for a normal holiday. A travel eSIM is a foreign SIM that roams on a Turkish network, so the operator does not link your IMEI to a Turkish number. Using a data-only foreign SIM for more than 90 days within 120 days without calls counts as permanent roaming, and operators then cut the connection.
Can I keep my home number while I use the eSIM?
Yes. Your physical SIM stays active for calls and texts, such as codes from your bank, while data runs over the eSIM. Your provider bills those calls at its Turkey roaming rates. With a Turkish SIM in a single-SIM phone, your home number is offline for the trip.
As of 10 October 2026. Our prices were read in euros on that day on the povnomad.com product pages, competitor prices on airalo.com and esim.holafly.com, operator offers on turkcell.com.tr and vodafone.com.tr, and Türk Telekom’s offer in the Internet Archive copy of 19 September 2026. Offers and fees may change at any time.
