Based on 2 discussions with 3 participants · Last activity: 6 days ago
TL;DR
If you’re only in Istanbul for 2 days and your phone doesn’t support eSIM, using roaming on your existing foreign SIM is usually easier than buying a local one. For longer use, a foreign phone with a Turkish SIM can hit Turkey’s device limit: about 4 months on eSIM plus 4 more months on a physical SIM, after which you need costly IMEI registration or a trip out of the country.
For longer stays in Turkey, the key issue is the foreign-phone limit: an eSIM may work for about 4 months first, then roughly 4 more months with a physical SIM. After that, the phone usually needs IMEI registration linked to a passport, and the fee is often described as close to the cost of the phone itself.
If you only need data for 2 days, travelers often consider skipping a Turkish SIM entirely and using roaming on an existing foreign physical SIM instead. In the discussion, Kyrgyz, Russian, and Armenian SIM cards were considered as simpler short-term options when eSIM is not available.
There is also a practical workaround for longer stays: some people have a Turkish SIM purchased by a Turkish citizen they know, then update that number inside banking and other apps while the line remains active. This was mentioned as working for several years, but it depends on having a trusted person in whose name the SIM is registered.