One of your most important issues in Turkey is to obtain a bank account in Turkey, so you may have some questions about opening a bank account in Turkey for foreigners, and for Arabs in particular, so Fanar Real Estate has prepared this detailed report for you in which we explain the most important points that you need to open a bank account in Turkey.


Through this article, you can learn about the papers needed to open bank accounts in Turkey, the procedures for doing so, in addition to a brief overview of the most important banks in Turkey, and some important questions with their satisfactory answers.

Is a foreigner entitled to open a bank account in Turkey?

Certainly, as a foreign resident in Turkey, you have the right to open your own bank account, but a bank account in Turkey is considered one of the necessities to accomplish many tasks and jobs within the country.


We have found that it is necessary for foreigners in Turkey to familiarize themselves with all the details associated with opening a bank account in Turkey, and this is what we have detailed in the subsequent paragraphs.


Documents required to open a bank account in Turkey

Before we talk about the papers needed to open a bank account in Turkey, it must be emphasized that these papers may differ according to several things:

  • The nationality of the foreigner

  • bank type

  • bank account type

But we will talk in general about the most important thing you need to open a bank account in Turkey, and when necessary, you must ask and inquire from the bank in which you want to open an account for you to get more accurate information and more details.


In general, the most important documents needed when opening a bank account in Turkey are:

Passport and residence card

  • The passport must be valid

  • Some banks in Turkey request a translated copy of the Turkish language and certified at the Noter office

  • Sometimes some banks are satisfied with an identification card, such as work permit or tourist residence

  • Some banks may accept opening a bank account without residency and only the passport of the account holder, and this is due to the policy of each bank and the conditions it sets.

  • Many Turkish banks do not accept the temporary protection document for Syrian refugees in Turkey, but with some conditions that differ from one bank to another

Tax Number

  • Easily obtained

  • It is extracted from the Finance and Tax Office, and it can also be extracted via the Internet

  • Finance and tax offices are distributed in Turkish states and large neighborhoods

  • The procedures for extracting the tax number are easy and simple, and it can be extracted on the same day.

Proof of residence

To prove housing in Turkey, there are several methods and documents that can be included in the papers necessary to open a bank account in Turkey, and some banks in Turkey may require a specific type of documents to prove housing.


But the unified condition is that the document that proves your residence is registered in your name, and matches your data in the passport and residence.

Among the documents that are used as proof of residence in Turkey:

  • Civil registration 

  • Real estate ownership contract / title deed

  • lease

  • An electricity, water or net bill in your name and for the same home address.


The Civil status registration can be extracted from the Civil Registry Department in Turkey or through the electronic government in Turkey E-Devlet

Signing the registration form at the bank

The registration form is a contract between you and the bank to open the bank account

The form varies from one bank to another

But in general, it includes a set of obligations required of you and the bank, in addition to the rights and duties of each of the parties to the contract.


The registration form can be in either Arabic or English in addition to the Turkish language, thus ensuring that you read and understand all the details of the contract if you are not fluent in the Turkish language.


There are Arab employees in some banks in Turkey, such as QNB and Kuveyt Turk, so you can get to know all the details that require you to review the Arab employees or call the service numbers for Arabs with them.

How to open a bank account in Turkey from outside the country

It is not difficult if the bank in which you want to open a special account for you has an external branch in the country in which you are located, but often the procedures are a little more complicated than the procedures if you were inside Turkey, however, some things make it easier to open a bank account from outside Turkey.


To open a bank account in Turkey easily while you are outside the country, you must have a valid residence in Turkey, and even if you do not have a valid residence in Turkey, you can open the account from outside Turkey, but with more complex conditions and related to:


  • Bank and its procedures

  • account type

  • The amount you want to deposit

  • Some banks in Turkey offer facilities if the amount deposited is in dollars or euros.


You may be exposed to some legal and routine obstacles, especially with regard to extracting the tax number, and here you are faced with two cases:


  • If you have a residence permit in Turkey, keep the tax number that you extracted during the procedures for obtaining residence in Turkey, as it can be submitted within the papers necessary to open a bank account in Turkey from outside

  • If you do not have a residence permit, and you have not obtained a tax number from Turkey, the most appropriate solution is to explain your problem to the employee you deal with, and he will find an appropriate solution for you through his experience with the laws of the bank.


In any case... It should be noted that the majority of procedures in banks in Turkey are related to their ease and difficulty with the employee you deal with. When you have a lack of documents or a problem, you must be able to explain your problem to the employee and negotiate well to open the account despite the obstacles.


The most important banks in Turkey

There are many banks in Turkey that provide their services to Turks and foreigners, and the following is a list of the best Turkish banks:


  • Türkiye Ziraat Bankası

  • Kuveyt Türk Katılım Bankası

  • Anadolu Bank

  • QNB FINANSBANK

  • İş Bankası 

  • Garanti Bankası

  • Akbank

  • Fibabanka

  • Burgan Bank

  • Yapı Kredi Bankası

  • Odeabank 

  • Al Baraka Turk Bank 

  • Asya Katılım Bankası

  • Şekerbank 

  • Vakıf Bank 

  • TÜRKİYE HALK BANKASI

  • Deniz Bank

How to contact banks in Turkey

There are many ways to communicate with banks in Turkey, which can be summarized as follows:


  • Visit the main branch of the bank or one of its branches, and there are dozens of branches distributed over Turkish cities and states and large and well-known neighborhoods.

  • Communication through the communication methods of each bank, where each bank in Turkey has a special website, phone numbers for communication, and some of them have Arab employees and special numbers to respond to them.

  • Via social media or email

  • Through automated teller machines (ATMs) on the streets, they are very common.