Opening a bank account is one of the necessities to meet the demands of modern life but when you have moved to a foreign country it becomes a daunting task. You can utilize banks to pay fees, such as university fees, rental accommodation, all purchases, bill payments, and Currency exchange, in addition to adopting the banks applications such as smart device applications, making it easier to do your banking without the need to visit the bank physically.

Banks in Turkey provide you with full foreign currency and Turkish Lira services, including deposits and saving accounts, credit cards, debit cards, and fast money transfers to any bank in the world. You will be able to process your banking transactions via the internet or by telephone banking, both of which have English-speaking customer service representatives.

Banks can exchange foreign currency but unfortunately, charge a commission. Many foreign exchange bureaus change foreign currencies more quickly and usually for better rates than the banks. Please be mindful that traveler cheques, bank checks, or Euro-cheques are challenging to cash in Turkey.

Most of the main banks have branches in all the Turkish cities and towns, in almost every district. Most also have Automated Teller Machines (ATMs). All ATMs have multilingual instructions for usage.

Which documents are required to open a bank account in Turkey?

To open a bank account in Turkey, you will be requested to provide the following documentation when you visit a branch:

• Original passport (the bank will make a photocopy of this)
• Proof of signature form
• Proof of address

List of some of the banks in Turkey:

• HalkBank
• İş Bank
• Ziraat Bank
• Vakıf Bank
• Kuveyt Turk
• Garanti Bank
• Akbank
• DenizBank
• Finansbank
• Şekerbank
• HSBC Bank
• ING Bank
• Ziraat Katılım
• Vakıf Katılım