Turkcell Tourist eSIM: Buy Online Before You Arrive, Price 1,800 TRY (Oct 2026)

Short version: Turkcell’s tourist eSIM costs 1,800 TRY (about $37) for 20 GB, 200 minutes and unlimited WhatsApp for 28 days. You can now apply for it online up to 90 days before you land, using your passport, and activate it in the Turkcell app. Or collect it free in any Turkcell store. If all you need is data, a travel eSIM is about half the price and needs no store visit; see the best eSIM for Turkey. If you need a Turkish phone number, Turkcell is a good choice, and the best network outside the big cities.

Turkcell tourist SIM card price

The Turkcell tourist SIM card and eSIM (Tourist Welcome Pack) cost 1,800 TRY, about $37, for 28 days. It includes 20 GB, 200 minutes and unlimited WhatsApp. It is the same price for a physical SIM or an eSIM. Line-opening charges may be extra, so ask the store for the total.

The Turkcell Tourist Welcome Pack, 1 October 2026

This is what Turkcell’s official campaign page says, read on 29 September 2026 and rechecked on 17 October 2026 (price unchanged at 1,800 TL / 28 days). The campaign is marked valid until 31 December 2026.

	Tourist Welcome Pack
Price	1,800 TRY recommended retail price (about $37 at 48.8 TRY/USD)
Data	20 GB
Calls	200 minutes to any Turkish number
Messages	Unlimited WhatsApp messaging, 100 SMS
Validity	28 days
Who can get it	New Turkcell prepaid (Hazır Kart) line opened with a foreign passport, online or in store
Bonus	Top up 300 TRY or more in one go, or buy a package of 300 TRY or more, within 90 days of activation: an extra 10 GB for 28 days (once per 30 days, at most twice in 90 days)
Use abroad	No, Turkey only

Two points from the terms that most guides miss:

• You do not pick it. Turkcell’s terms say every new line opened by a foreign customer is activated with the Tourist Welcome Pack (Syrian nationals are the stated exception). There is no cheaper tourist tier to choose instead.
• Unused data does not roll over. After 28 days, what is left is gone. After the pack runs out, data is charged at Turkcell’s prepaid overage rate until you buy another package.

The campaign page was checked on 11 October 2026 and lists an end date of 31 December 2026. The 1,800 TRY is the recommended retail price. Turkcell’s page does not say whether line-opening charges are extra. Türk Telekom’s tourist page states that the radio licence fee and special communication tax are charged separately when a new line is opened. Ask the Turkcell store for the total before you hand over your passport.

Can you buy a Turkcell eSIM online?

Yes. Turkcell has a tourist page where you apply online and get the line as an eSIM. This is new: our earlier version of this guide said foreigners had to go to a store, and that was out of date. Turkcell’s tourist page (read 17 October 2026) says:

1. Apply online. Choose the package, enter your full name, date of birth, nationality, passport number, contact details and arrival date. Confirm the code sent to your email and phone, then pay by a card that works for international online payments.
2. Activate in the Turkcell app. You need an eSIM phone with NFC and a biometric (chipped) passport. In the app choose English, tap “Turkcell Tourist”, scan the passport, tap it to the phone, do the face check and accept the contract by live video. Your line is ready when you arrive.
3. After landing, open the app, check the “Türkiye entry check” page, and switch the eSIM on in your phone settings.

Limits to know: the window is 90 days before or after arrival, only a passport works (no ID cards), and the app route is eSIM only. If your passport has no chip, or you want a physical SIM, collect the line free in any Turkcell store and show your passport. Refunds go back to the same card; call +90 532 532 0000 to cancel.

The older Turkcell digital application (for Turkish citizens with the new ID card) is a different route and still does not take passports.

How to get one in a store, step by step

1. Check your phone is unlocked and supports eSIM. On iPhone: Settings, General, About, look for “Digital SIM” or “Available SIM”. A phone locked to your home carrier will not take a Turkish line.
2. Go to an official Turkcell store with your passport. There are Turkcell stores in the arrivals halls at Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gökçen, and many in the city. Airport stores are convenient; city stores are usually quieter.
3. Ask for the line as an eSIM before they start. Staff will scan your passport, set up a prepaid Hazır Kart line and give you a QR code to scan. Not every store issues tourist eSIMs as a matter of routine, so ask first.
4. Check the pack is active. Text KALAN to 2200 (free) to see what is left and when it expires. This is from Turkcell’s campaign FAQ.
5. Keep your home line on for SMS if you need it. With dual SIM, set Turkcell for mobile data and keep your home number on for bank codes from home.

Turkcell eSIM or a travel eSIM?

	Turkcell Tourist Welcome Pack	Simbye Turkey 20 GB
Price	1,800 TRY, about $37	$16.15 with code NOMADISTAN15
Data	20 GB, 28 days	20 GB, 30 days
Turkish phone number	Yes, with 200 minutes	No, data only
How you buy	Online with passport (app activation) or Turkcell store	Online, also from inside Turkey
Networks	Turkcell	Simbye lists Türk Telekom, Vodafone and Turkcell
120-day IMEI clock	Starts it on a foreign phone	Does not start it
Checked	17 Oct 2026, Turkcell tourist page	18 Oct 2026 Simbye plan page

Choose Turkcell if you need a +90 number. Turkish bank one-time codes, e-Devlet, and many delivery and taxi apps only send SMS to a Turkish number. A data-only travel eSIM cannot receive them.

Choose a travel eSIM if you only need data. It costs about half as much for the same 20 GB, you can install it before you fly or from your hotel Wi-Fi, and there is no passport scan or contract. Most international eSIM shops (Airalo, Holafly, Saily, Nomad) are blocked inside Turkey, so if you are already here, pick one whose shop still loads from Turkey.

Only need data? · no store, no passport scan

20 GB for $16.15 instead of 1,800 TRY

Simbye's Turkey eSIM is the travel eSIM whose shop and checkout still work from Turkish networks. 20 GB for 30 days is $16.15 with our 15% code, checked 18 October 2026. 10 GB is $10.20 for short stays.

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Code NOMADISTAN15 applies automatically through our link. Data only, no Turkish number. Affiliate link, no extra cost to you.

Many long-stay visitors do both. They keep a travel eSIM for data and a Turkcell or other Turkish line as a second line for SMS codes. The full price comparison of travel eSIMs is in our best eSIM for Turkey guide.

Turkcell vs Vodafone vs Türk Telekom

All three sell prepaid tourist lines in store against a passport, and all three can issue them as eSIMs. Turkcell is the one with a full online route for tourists. Turkcell has the widest coverage outside the big cities and is usually the most expensive. Vodafone and Türk Telekom’s tourist packs are cheaper for similar data. Our SIM card and IMEI guide compares the three operators and the documents each asks for.

The 120-day IMEI rule

A Turkish operator line in a phone bought abroad starts a 120-day clock. After 120 days, the phone must be registered with BTK, Turkey’s telecom regulator, and pay the registration fee, or Turkish networks stop serving it. On a normal holiday this does not matter. If you are staying longer, read the IMEI registration guide before you put a Turkish line in your main phone. A travel eSIM connects as a roaming line and does not start the clock.

Disclosure

The Simbye link on this page is an affiliate link. We earn a commission, your price does not change, and the code gives a real 15% off. We have no affiliate relationship with Turkcell. Turkcell’s prices and terms come from its own campaign and support pages, read on the date shown. Prices in lira change often, so check in store before paying.