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Layover guideIstanbul · IST

Staying connected in Istanbul

A handset brought from abroad works on a Turkish network for 120 days from your date of entry, then the regulator cuts it off unless the device is registered.

Tony Webster / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
All of Istanbul

Turkey registers handsets, not just SIMs. BTK, the national telecoms regulator, states that phones brought from abroad can be used for 120 days without registration.

If the device is not registered within those 120 days, its communication is shut down.

The clock runs from your date of entry into the country. A normal layover never gets near it; a crew member who bases in Istanbul and keeps a foreign handset on a Turkish number will.

Registration is done through the e-Devlet portal and needs an e-Devlet password, a Turkish ID number (TC Kimlik No), the handset's IMEI and a paid duty. Once registered, the device works only with GSM lines registered to that ID number, and a person may bring and register one device every three calendar years. It is not something you can complete between duties.

  1. BTK (Information and Communication Technologies Authority): central device registration system · checked 2026-08-17

The rest of Istanbul

The whole guide
Getting out of the airportMetered taxis run 24 hours from the arrivals floor, the airport metro station is inside the terminal, and the city publishes every fare on the line.Ride-hailingiTaksi is the city council's own app, it dispatches taxis registered to the system, and the only pickup points the airport publishes are the taxi ranks.Local laws that catch crew outCarry photo ID at all times, keep opinions about Turkey off your phone, and treat antiquities and cheap spirits as the two quiet ways to ruin a trip.WeatherMild marine climate: warm dry summers (~25C), cool wet winters (~7C) with occasional snow; December is the wettest month.Eating near the crew hotelsWaterfront street food at Eminonu/Karakoy and Ortakoy, late-night eats around Taksim, and Kadikoy across the water; lokantas are the cheap fixed-price feed.What to buyGrand Bazaar for jewelry, carpets and leather (haggle, always), Spice Bazaar for edibles; VAT refund at Tax Free shops, claimed at IST or SAW before departure.TippingNot obligatory but appreciated; around 10-15% in restaurants, round up taxis, and tip in cash since cards usually cannot carry the tip.