Can tourists buy a permanent (non-tourist) SIM card in Istanbul, Turkey?
Based on 2 discussions with 3 participants · Last activity: 16 days ago
TL;DR
Officially, tourists in Istanbul can only get temporary tourist SIM cards (usage package limited but the line itself can stay active for a year+); some carrier shops now refuse to register even tourist SIMs on a foreign passport and ask for a residence permit (ikamet) for a permanent line — call around to Turkcell/Vodafone/Türk Telekom stores before going.
What the community said
A traveler has a barely-used Turkish tourist SIM left over: only 2 weeks since activation, most data/minutes untouched, and the line stays valid until July 2027 — she's offering to sell it to someone heading to Turkey for a month or six months instead of them buying a new one.
18 days ago SIM valid until July 2027
Several carrier shop staff reportedly said they no longer issue a physical SIM (calls, SMS, internet) on a regular tourist passport — only with a residence permit (ikamet). The traveler is asking where it's still possible to buy one on a passport alone.
19 days ago
Another traveler is asking whether it's possible to get a permanent SIM in Turkey instead of the standard 3-month tourist SIM — i.e., a line without a fixed expiry that doesn't need renewing or replacing on the next trip.
19 days ago tourist SIM usually 3 months