When purchasing property in Turkey, opening an account with a local bank makes your stay in the country much more comfortable. With this account, you can receive money transfers, pay utility and telephone bills online, shop online on Turkish sites, top up your travel card, and etc. Many banks offer accounts in various currencies: Turkish lira, US dollars, euros, pounds. With a debit card, you can pay for goods in almost all stores, for healthcare services in state and private clinics.
To open a bank account, you will need to provide only a few papers:
- international passport;
- a document confirming the address of residence, ikamet;
- Turkish tax identification number (TIN).
To get a Turkish TIN, you must contact your local tax office. You will need to provide a foreign passport and address of residence in Turkey. Having received the tax number (in Turkish Vergi Kimlik Numarası), be sure to check the spelling of the name, it must be the same as the spelling of the name in the passport. You will need to contact the tax office again if there are any mistakes.