Internet in Turkey

Buying a SIM card on arrival

Turkey has three major mobile operators: Turkcell, Vodafone Turkey and Türk Telekom. All major airports, including Istanbul Atatürk, Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen and Antalya, have official shops right after arrivals. A tourist SIM with a data package costs between 5 and 15 euros depending on the operator and the amount of data, and often includes some call credit.

What many travellers do not know: Turkey requires foreign mobile devices to be officially registered after 120 days of use on a Turkish network. For a holiday of one to four weeks this does not matter. If you stay longer, you have to register your device with the Turkish tax office for a fee of roughly 50 to 70 euros. Without registration, the device is blocked on Turkish networks once the deadline has passed.

The quickest way to get a SIM card is at the airport right after landing. Bring cash or a credit card and have your passport ready, as it is mandatory for the purchase.

eSIM: the better option for short trips

An eSIM is a digital SIM card that you activate before departure and set up directly on your phone, with no trip to an airport shop and no physical card. Most current smartphones support eSIM: all iPhones from the XS onwards, Samsung Galaxy from the S20, Google Pixel from the 3a and many other models.

For trips to Turkey, an eSIM is especially convenient because you do not need to register with a Turkish operator and the package is already active when you land. Providers such as Yesim offer data packages for Turkey from around 5 euros, with options up to 20 GB for longer stays. You can use the eSIM alongside your regular SIM, which means you stay reachable on your usual number while browsing on the cheaper data package.

Since July 2025, the Turkish regulator BTK has blocked access to the websites and apps of more than 30 international eSIM providers. An eSIM bought and activated before your trip continues to work normally. If you want to top up data while you are in Turkey, however, you may no longer be able to reach the provider's site. So: activate your eSIM at home before you fly, and book a bit more data than you think you need rather than too little.

View Yesim eSIM →

Comparing the costs

You have three options, and the price differences are considerable. Roaming with your home provider is the easiest to set up but often the most expensive. Because Turkey is not in the EU, many providers charge separate daily rates for it or bill by data volume. Check your plan carefully before you leave.

A local Turkish SIM offers the cheapest data prices in the country, around 2 to 4 euros per gigabyte depending on the operator and package. The downside: it takes time at the airport, you need your passport, and you have to swap SIM cards.

An eSIM sits between the two options in price but offers the greatest convenience: set up before the trip, no waiting at the airport, and your home number stays active. For most holidaymakers staying one to two weeks, it is the most balanced solution.

Blocked websites and VPN

Turkey regularly blocks websites and social media, often at short notice after political events or following court rulings. Twitter/X, Instagram and YouTube have all been temporarily unreachable several times in the past. Wikipedia was completely blocked from 2017 to 2020 and has been accessible again since then. Exactly what is blocked changes constantly.

A large part of the Turkish population and almost all travellers use VPN services to access blocked sites. Legally this is a grey area, but in practice tourists use VPNs without any consequences. Important: install and set up your VPN service at home before you fly. Some VPN providers' websites are themselves blocked in Turkey, so you may not be able to create a new account or download an app once you are there.

Choose a well-known VPN provider with servers in your home country or elsewhere in Europe, and briefly test the connection before you leave.