Moving to a different country means you have to setup everything from scratch. You will have to search for an apartment, look for schools for your children and do a lot more. Among the major things that you need to set up in your new home is open a bank account. Opening a bank account in Turkey is no hassle. The process is as easy as these steps:
Pick a Bank to Open your Account
Ideally, you would want your bank to be in your district. Choose a bank from the list below that you find the easiest to commute to.
| Name of Bank | Website |
| Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Ziraat Bankasi A.Ş. | https://www.ziraatbank.com.tr/en |
| Türkiye Halk Bankası A.Ş. | https://www.halkbank.com.tr/en |
| Akbank T.A.Ş. | https://www.akbank.com/en-us/Pages/default.aspx |
| Türk Ekonomi Bankası A.Ş. | https://www.teb.com.tr/en/ |
| Türkiye İş Bankası A.Ş. | https://www.isbank.com.tr/EN/home/Pages/home.aspx |
| Yapı ve Kredi Bankası A.Ş. | https://www.yapikredi.com.tr/en/ |
| Denizbank A.Ş. | https://www.denizbank.com/en/ |
| HSBC Bank A.Ş. | https://www.hsbc.com.tr/en/ |
| ING Bank A.Ş. | https://www.ing.com.tr/en |
| Odea Bank A.Ş. | https://www.odeabank.com.tr/en-us/sayfalar/default.aspx |
| QNB Finansbank A.Ş. | https://www.qnbfinansbank.com/en |
| Türkiye Garanti Bankası A.Ş. | https://www.garantibbva.com.tr/en |
| Türkiye Vakıflar Bankası T.A.O. | https://www.vakifbank.com.tr/English.aspx?pageID=977 |
Documents Required for Opening a Bank Account in Turkey
Here are the required documents:
- Tax ID
- Certificate / Proof of Residence
- Local Phone Number
Note: A Tax ID is issued after you’ve obtained your residence permit card. Thus, non-residents cannot open a bank account in Turkey.
Submit your Documents
Go to your chosen bank, fill in the account opening form, submit all the above documents, and you’re done! Following the same process, you can open a TL, USD or a Euro account.
Depending on the bank you choose, you might be given your ATM/Debit card there and then or you might have to wait ten days for the card to arrive. Within these ten days, you can use the bank’s mobile app to perform transactions.