For remote earners considering Turkey
Live in Istanbul.
Pay 0% tax on foreign income.
Status · May 26, 2026: Turkey passed the 20-year 0% foreign-income tax exemption on May 21 (retroactive to Jan 1, 2026). Resmi Gazete publication pending — promulgation window runs to June 5. Find out which path qualifies you in 2 minutes.
Free · No commitment · Takes 2 minutes
Where you are right now
Pick your lane.
🔍
I'm researching
Comparing Istanbul to Lisbon, Dubai, Mexico City. The tax angle is interesting — am I even eligible for the 0% regime?
Start with: 2-min eligibility check →
✈️
I just landed
First 30 days. Apartment, SIM card, bank account, residence permit — everything is on fire and Google is unhelpful.
Start with: First 7 days checklist →
🏠
I live here now
3+ months in. Looking for community, weekly events, coworking spaces, long-term residence renewal, tax stuff.
Start with: Community & events →
The Guide
Five topics. Everything you need.
Pillar · 4 articles
Visa & Residence
Digital Nomad Visa, tourist residence permit, the 20-year tax holiday (passed May 21, 2026). What you actually need, not what blog mills say you need.
Read the pillar →
Pillar · 4 articles
Money & Banking
Open a Turkish bank account, off-ramp USDT, Wise vs local banks, leaving Dubai for Istanbul. The math nobody else does honestly.
Read the pillar →
Pillar · quarterly refresh
Cost of Living
Real monthly cost in USD/EUR — rent, food, gym, insurance, taxis. Updated quarterly. Three monthly budgets ($1.5K / $2.5K / $4K).
Read the pillar →
Pillar · 4 areas
Neighborhoods
Kadıköy, Cihangir, Karaköy, Beşiktaş. Asian side vs European side. Where to actually live as a foreigner — not where Airbnb wants to put you.
Read the pillar →
Pillar · spaces + cafes
Coworking
Real coworking spaces (Workhaus, Kolektif House, Impact Hub), laptop-friendly cafes, wifi reality. Where founders and remote employees actually work.
Read the pillar →
Pillar · weekly events + WhatsApp group
Community
Curated weekly events for nomads in Istanbul — meetups, hackathons, wellness, pitch nights. Plus a low-traffic WhatsApp group for everything in between.
Read the pillar →
Latest
Recent guides
Tax update
Turkey's 20-Year 0% Tax Residency for Foreigners · Passed May 21, 2026
Turkey passed the 20-year foreign-income tax exemption on May 21, 2026 — retroactive to Jan 1. Foreigners establishing Turkish tax residency pay 0% on foreign income for 20 years.
Updated
Visa
Turkey Citizenship by Investment for Founders (2026): The Honest Math
For online founders earning $300K–$2M+ from offshore: when does Turkey's $400K citizenship-by-investment beat the DNV path? Honest math, 4 reasons it works, 4 reasons it doesn't.
Updated
Visa
Turkey Citizenship by Investment vs Caribbean: 2026 Math for Founders
For founders comparing Turkey's $400K Citizenship by Investment against Caribbean programs (St Kitts, Dominica, Antigua, Grenada): honest 2026 math. 4 dimensions Turkey wins, 4 Caribbean wins.
Updated
Neighborhoods
Where to Live in Istanbul as a Foreigner · 6 Neighborhoods, Real Rents
Where foreigners actually live in Istanbul: Cihangir, Beşiktaş, Kadıköy, Moda, Etiler, Nişantaşı. Real rent ranges (Q2 2026), demographics, walkability, and the trade-offs nobody mentions.
Updated
Neighborhoods
Istanbul Apartment Hunting for Foreigners · 3 Platforms + 5 Scams
How to find a rental in Istanbul as a foreigner without getting scammed. Real prices by neighborhood, the 3 platforms compared, 5 scam patterns to recognize, what to bring to viewings.
Updated
Starter
Healthcare in Istanbul for Foreigners · The 4 Hospital Networks
How healthcare actually works in Istanbul as a foreigner: the 4 English-speaking private networks, what doctor visits cost ($30 GP, $50-80 specialist), insurance options, the SGK reality.
Updated
Starter
Istanbul SIM Card Guide for Foreigners · The BTK Registration Trap (2026)
Turkcell vs Vodafone vs Türk Telekom prices. The 120-day BTK trap — current fee is ~$1,030–$1,180. Plus the July 2025 eSIM block on Airalo, Saily, Holafly, and 5 other providers.
Updated
Visa
Turkey Digital Nomad Visa — Eligibility, Requirements, Process · 2026
Turkey Digital Nomad Visa: 36 eligible countries, age 21–55, $3K+/mo income from non-Turkish clients. Document checklist, timeline, common rejection reasons.
Updated
Money
How to Open a Turkish Bank Account as a Foreigner · 2026
Walk-in rejection at Turkish banks runs above 70% even with a valid residence permit. The reliable path: pre-vetted relationship manager at a Tier-1 bank with a complete KYC dossier.
Updated
Money
USDT & Crypto Off-Ramp via Turkey · 2026
Off-ramp USDT to TRY via licensed Turkish exchanges (BtcTürk, Paribu, Binance TR). Setup, KYC, end-to-end timeline 1–24 hours, all-in cost ~0.3–0.6%.
Updated
Article
Turkey DNV vs Portugal D8 vs Spain DNV (2026)
Turkey DNV vs Portugal D8 (Digital Nomad Visa) vs Spain DNV: income requirements, setup cost, time, banking access, tax treatment, citizenship paths. Honest tradeoffs.
Updated
Article
Turkey vs UAE for Founders: The Corporate Tax Math
UAE introduced 9% corporate tax in June 2023. Turkey DNV exempts foreign salary today. Side-by-side scenarios at $200K, $500K, $1M annual profit. Crossover ~$250K.
Updated
Who's writing this
M. Can Avcı · Levent, Istanbul
I live here. Not "I visited for a month and wrote a series." Born in Turkey, returned in 2023 after years abroad. I write about the parts of Istanbul I'd want a friend to know before they moved — the visa stuff banks don't explain, the apartment scams, the neighborhoods that aren't on the Airbnb map.
More about me & how this site works →The starter pack
Free 7-day Istanbul email series.
7 short emails over 7 days. Day 1 SIM card. Day 2 tax number. Day 3 bank account. Day 4 apartment. Day 5 transport. Day 6 healthcare. Day 7 the residence-permit appointment everyone forgets to book.
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