Turkey´s official currency is the Turkish Lira (TL). Please click to see the currency rates of today.
Opening a Bank Account in Turkey
In order to open a bank account a registered tax number will be needed (please see the Taxation/Salaries section). Most banks will also require a residency permit before opening an account in Turkish Lira, but some may make exceptions for customers making larger investments. If you don´t have a residency permit then you can open a Euro, British pounds or US dollars account as well.
Current accounts which you might probably wish to have one, will allow you to store and transfer money. For those accounts, most banks support online banking and you can arrange automatic bill payment for your telecom and utility bills.
Some examples for largest banks in Turkey are listed below:
- Akbank
- Finansbank
- Garanti Bankası
- Halkbank
- Türkiye İş Bankası
- Vakıfbank
- Yapı Kredi Bankası - Koçbank
- Ziraat Bankası
Those banks will have many branches in city centers. Garanti Bankası notes that it makes a concerted effort to offer English-speaking staff at most branches. Isbank, meanwhile, owns several European branches, which makes it a convenient choice for foreigners.
There are foreign banks in Turkey as well, including Deutsche Bank, HSBC Bank, Citibank, and J.P. Morgan Chase. They have branches in three biggest cities of Turkey: İstanbul, Ankara and İzmir.
Banking Hours
Most banks operate between 9:00 and 17:00, and during these hours you will have full access to all banking services. Some of the Turkish banks remain open during lunch hours. Online banking will mostly serve for 24 hours.