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Essential information to help you get connected seamlessly
This virtual SIM only includes data. It does not allow you to make cell phone calls or send SMS messages. You can still use WhatsApp or Skype to call your contacts.
Make sure your phone is both unlocked and compatible with eSIM technology.
Scan the QR code from your smartphone settings and add the data plan. You can either print it and scan it, or open it on another device to scan it. But don't activate it until you land at your destination.
e-Visa rules, the 120-day phone rule, and one card for Istanbul
Türkiye sits outside the Schengen area, so the EU's new border systems do not apply. It has entry rules of its own, though: a passport-validity requirement that catches people out, and a phone-registration rule that matters to anyone staying more than four months. Istanbul itself runs on a single transit card and a lot of ferry crossings.
Istanbul across two continents
The Bosphorus ferries are ordinary public transport, not a tour boat. The same Istanbulkart that opens the metro gates pays for the crossing between Europe and Asia.4
Beyond the big three cities
Cappadocia, the Lycian coast, Ephesus and Pamukkale are the routes the national tourism board builds its itineraries around, and each is a domestic flight or an overnight bus from Istanbul.5
Our take: give Istanbul three full days minimum. The Historic Peninsula alone is a day, and the ferry-plus-neighbourhood rhythm on the Asian side is what people remember afterwards.
e-Visa is online, for tourism or commerce only
Türkiye's Electronic Visa Application System issues visas at evisa.gov.tr, typically in minutes. It is valid only when the purpose of travel is tourism or commerce; work, study or other purposes require a consular visa.1,2
Your passport needs 60 days beyond your stay
Since 1 January 2015, travellers must hold a passport valid for at least 60 days beyond the expiry of the visa or visa exemption. A 90-day permission therefore needs 150 days of passport validity at entry.1
e-Visa fees are lower online than on arrival
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that fees obtained through the official e-Visa system are lower than visa fees charged at the airport.1
Our take: apply through evisa.gov.tr directly. Copycat sites rank well in search and add a service fee on top of the government charge for the identical document.
A foreign handset can be used for 120 days a year
A phone brought from abroad may be used in Türkiye for up to four months, 120 days from the device's entry into the country, before its IMEI must be registered.3
Registration is expensive
Türkiye set the 2026 IMEI registration fee at 54,258 Turkish lira (about US$1,263), up 18.95% on 2025. Unregistered devices are blocked from Turkish networks once the window closes.3
Our take: this is a long-stay problem, not a holiday problem. A two-week visitor will never hit 120 days. If you are spending a season in Türkiye, though, the clock is tied to the device, not to the SIM you happen to be using that week.
One card for everything in Istanbul
Istanbulkart is the city's contactless transit card, used on the metro, tram, bus, Metrobüs, Marmaray and Bosphorus ferries, and sold from machines across the city.4
Türkiye is not part of our Europe+ regional plan; it is sold as a country plan instead. So if your trip pairs Istanbul with Greece or Bulgaria, plan for two profiles rather than assume one covers both. On the ground, coverage in Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir and along the tourist coast is strong; the gaps are the Cappadocian valleys, mountain roads in the east, and stretches of the Lycian Way. Download offline maps for hiking and hot-air-balloon mornings, when you may be out of town before dawn.
It depends on your nationality. Many travellers can apply online through the official e-Visa system at evisa.gov.tr, which issues a visa in minutes for tourism or commerce only; work or study needs a consular visa. Whatever your route, your passport must be valid for at least 60 days beyond the end of your permitted stay.1,2
Not on a normal holiday. A device brought from abroad can be used for up to 120 days from when it enters the country before its IMEI must be registered, and the 2026 registration fee is 54,258 lira. Anyone staying a season or moving there needs to plan for that; a two-week visitor does not.3
Not on our Europe+ regional plan; Türkiye is sold as a country plan instead. If your trip crosses between Türkiye and the EU, buy the country plan for the Turkish leg rather than assuming regional coverage carries over.
Every price, date and rule above is taken from the operator, museum, city or ministry that sets it, and was checked against that source on August 31, 2026. Lines marked "Our take" are our own recommendation, not a sourced fact. Fares, fees and opening hours change — confirm anything your trip depends on before you book.