Data · updated 2026-10-24
Turkey SIM Card for Tourists vs eSIM: 2026 Prices and Rules
You can get mobile data in Turkey in two ways: a prepaid tourist SIM from a Turkish operator, bought on arrival with your passport, or a travel eSIM bought online before you leave. Two Turkish rules shape the choice. A foreign phone works on a Turkish SIM for 120 days without being registered, and registering it costs 54,258 TL in 2026. Some eSIM sellers' websites are also blocked inside Turkey.
At a glance
- Turkcell Tourist Welcome Pack: 1,800 TL (≈ €32) for 20 GB and 200 minutes, 28 days
- Vodafone Welcome to Turkey Pack: 20 GB and 750 minutes for 28 days; Vodafone does not publish the SIM card price
- Phone registration: not needed for stays up to 120 days; 54,258 TL after that
- Travel eSIM: buy and install it before you fly
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Tourist SIM cards from Turkish operators
| Pack | Data and calls | Valid for | Price | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkcell Tourist Welcome Packchecked 2026-10-24 | 20 GB, 200 minutesUnlimited WhatsApp messaging and 100 texts | 28 days | 1,800 TL≈ €32offer until 31 December 2026 | Turkcell stores, on a new prepaid line opened with a foreign passport |
| Vodafone Welcome to Turkey Packchecked 2026-10-24 | 20 GB, 750 minutesUnlimited WhatsApp data. The pack is free on a new line; the SIM card fee varies from shop to shop | 28 days | not published | Vodafone shops, including the airport shops, as a SIM card or an e-SIM |
Türk Telekom also sells tourist packs through dealers at the airport and in its stores. Its English page lists prices without a date, so we have not included them until we can confirm they are current.
The 120-day rule and the phone registration fee
Turkey keeps a register of phones by IMEI number. A phone bought abroad is not in it, but it still works with a Turkish SIM for 120 days. After that it stops working on Turkish networks unless you register it.
Registration is done on e-Devlet, the government's online portal, within 365 days of entering Turkey. The fee from 1 January 2026 is 54,258 TL (≈ €975), so for a holiday shorter than 120 days there is nothing to register.
Travel eSIMs in Turkey
On 10 July 2025 BTK, Turkey's telecoms regulator, blocked access from Turkey to the websites of eSIM sellers including Saily, Airalo, Holafly and Nomad, according to a written question in the Turkish parliament. When we checked on 2026-10-24, airalo.com and saily.com still did not load from a connection in Turkey. Buy and install your eSIM at home, before the flight.
The 120-day rule is written for phones on Turkish SIMs. For a phone on a foreign SIM or eSIM the regulation sets a different limit: using data for more than 90 days within 120 days without making calls counts as permanent roaming, and the line is cut off within 30 days. That only matters for long stays.
Travel eSIMs are usually data only and need an unlocked phone that supports eSIM. If you want a Turkish number for calls, the operator packs above include minutes.
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SIM or eSIM: which suits your trip
| Your trip | What fits |
|---|---|
| A week or two, data for maps and messaging | A travel eSIM installed before you fly, so it works when you land |
| You want a Turkish number for calls | A tourist SIM: Turkcell includes 200 minutes, Vodafone 750 |
| More than 120 days with your own phone | Register the phone on e-Devlet (54,258 TL in 2026) |
From the airport
With data working on arrival you can check the taxi fare before you get in. Our airport guides show the official meter fare and a fixed-price transfer for Istanbul Airport, Sabiha Gökçen, Antalya and other Turkish airports.
Sources
Prices come from each operator's own page and the rules from the Official Gazette (Resmî Gazete). We do not list eSIM prices because the sellers' sites do not open from Turkey, where we check our figures.
- Turkcell: Tourist Welcome Pack · checked 2026-10-24
- Vodafone Türkiye: tourist SIM card · checked 2026-10-24
- Türk Telekom: prepaid tourist SIM (sold by dealers at the airport and in stores) · checked 2026-10-24
- Resmî Gazete, 20 February 2021: BTK regulation on registering devices (120-day use, 365-day application window) · checked 2026-10-24
- Resmî Gazete, 2 July 2026: amendment making e-Devlet the place to apply · checked 2026-10-24
- Resmî Gazete, 31 December 2025: fees communiqué no. 98, phone registration fee for 2026 · checked 2026-10-24
- Written question to the Turkish parliament (TBMM), 14 August 2025 · checked 2026-10-24
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to register my phone in Turkey?
Not for a normal holiday. A phone that is not in the regulator's records works with a Turkish SIM for 120 days. To keep using it after that you register it on e-Devlet within 365 days of entering Turkey and pay a fee of 54,258 TL (≈ €975) in 2026.
How much is a tourist SIM card in Turkey?
Turkcell's Tourist Welcome Pack costs 1,800 TL (≈ €32) for 20 GB and 200 minutes over 28 days. Vodafone's Welcome to Turkey Pack gives 20 GB and 750 minutes for 28 days; the pack is free on a new line, but Vodafone does not publish the SIM card fee, which varies from shop to shop.
Can I buy an eSIM in Turkey?
Vodafone shops, including those at the airports, sell its tourist pack on an e-SIM. Travel eSIMs from foreign sellers are harder to get once you arrive: the websites of Saily, Airalo, Holafly and Nomad were blocked in Turkey in July 2025, so buy and install one before you fly.
Does a travel eSIM work in Turkey?
Yes, it roams on Turkish networks. For long stays there is a limit: a phone on a foreign SIM or eSIM that uses data for more than 90 days within 120 days without making calls counts as permanent roaming and is cut off within 30 days.
Where can I buy a SIM card at Istanbul Airport?
Vodafone says its airport shops sell the tourist SIM and e-SIM. Türk Telekom says its tourist packs are sold by dealers at the airport. Turkcell's tourist pack is sold in Turkcell stores; bring your passport for any of them.