What do you need to open a bank account in Turkey?
To open a bank account in Turkey, obviously you need your passport or identity card, the address of your residence in Turkey, your telephone number and your tax number in Turkey. With your passport and this information, you visit the bank of your choice, take a number and wait your turn. After filling out the necessary administrative forms, your bank account in Turkey is opened. A few days later, you can pick up your bank card, create your PIN number; and then you can use your Turkish bank card just as you are used to do with any other bank card. The data for e-banking with your Turkish bank account, you will receive either at the opening of your Turkish bank account or when you pick up your bank card.
Our staff will be happy to assist you when opening your bank account in Turkey
Just like in Europe or other countries, Turkey has an abundance of banks, and it depends on everyone's personal taste and preference, which bank is best for him or her. If you don’t speak Turkish, it is recommended to be accompanied by someone who does to avoid misunderstandings. Obviously, the RealProinvest team is ever-ready to assist our customers free of charge for the opening of a bank account in Turkey.
Useful tips
- You can, once you have obtained your tax number, go to a bank right after that and open your bank account in Turkey. But we recommend to wait at least a day. Why? Because linking your tax number to all databases can take up to 24 hours.
- You can open a bank account in Turkey for both Turkish lira, Euro, dollar, ... The days when the exchange rate of the Turkish lira went up and down as a yoyo are over, thank goodness. Today, the Turkish lira has become a strong stable currency, and moreover, most banks in Turkey offer good interest rates on a bank account in Turkish lira.
- If you have the intention to use Internet banking for your Turkish bank account, you should check in advance whether this service, at the bank of your choice, is available in English. Not all Turkish banks offer the possibility of online banking in English or a language other than Turkish; and this could be tricky (unless you speak Turkish fluently of course).
- At most banks in Turkey, the login verification for Internet banking is made through an SMS, which is send to a Turkish mobile phone. In other words, this means that – to use this service – it is absolutely necessary to have access to a Turkish mobile phone number.
- When you open your bank account in Turkey – as is the case with many official issues in Turkey – you need to give the name of your father and mother. Check very carefully that this information is entered into the system 100% correctly. Later on, if you contact the bank by phone – or walk into a branch office with only your bank card in your pocket – an identity check is usually done based on this information (e.g. give the 2nd and 7th letter from your mother's maiden name). The slightest flaw (whether or not a space between two parts of the name) can cause problems ... If you do find out afterwards that some information in the system is not accurate, you can go to your bank office – don’t forget to take your passport with you – where they will make the necessary adjustments.
- In addition to a bank account in Turkish lira, we advise you to open as well a Euro or dollar account. It is much cheaper to transfer Euro or dollars to your Turkish Euro or dollar account and exchange them for Turkish lira afterwards, than to transfer Euro to a Turkish lira account.