local calling card

Whether you're a tourist visiting Turkey or a student studying there, having a local SIM card is essential for easily communicating with friends and staying up-to-date with local news and information. Taif provides everything you need to know about purchasing a local SIM card in Türkiye.

There are three mobile phone service companies in Türkiye:

1- Vodafone

Vodafone Turkey, the country's second-largest telecommunications company after Turkcell, competes fiercely in the international telecommunications market. Vodafone strives to attract and satisfy customers by offering attractive services.

This company boasts several advantages that make it attractive to those looking to purchase a SIM card in Türkiye. One of the most important advantages is its high internet speed at an affordable price for internet packages.

If you've traveled to Turkey for tourism and mobile internet access is important to you, Vodafone is the perfect choice. Its high internet speed and good network coverage, even in remote areas, set it apart from its competitors.

The Vodafone Holiday SIM card is available for 120 days and is ideal for tourists and international travelers. This card offers services at affordable prices.

The holiday SIM card is intended exclusively for foreign tourists, and local residents are not allowed to purchase this type of card.

Another positive aspect of Vodafone is that it also offers services in English. So, if you aren't fluent in Turkish, you can get advice from the company's staff, who often speak English.

Regarding Vodafone SIM card fees, a small amount will be automatically deducted from your card balance as a subscription fee for that SIM card.

2- Turkish Telecom

Turk Telekom is the third-largest mobile phone company in Türkiye, after Turkcell and Vodafone. This company is known for providing low-cost mobile phone services in Türkiye.

Turk Telekom covers a wide area and offers a variety of telecommunication services to compete with other companies.

Turk Telekom SIM cards feature high internet speed and also support 2G, 3G and 4G/LTE networks.

There are official stores and agencies of Turk Telekom in various cities in Türkiye.

A well-known drawback of this company is that it does not provide an accurate list of its services to customers. Therefore, if you want accurate information about Turk Telekom's services, contacting the company's staff directly and asking questions is the best solution.

3- Turkcell

Turkcell is the largest mobile telecommunications company in Türkiye and is preferred by many travelers looking for a Turkish SIM card due to its widest network coverage in the country.

You can purchase Turkcell SIM cards from its official agencies at airports and various cities.

This telecom company offers services that are considered more expensive than other telecom companies in Türkiye. Turkcell agent branches have screens displaying SIM card types and prices, so you can choose the card that best suits your needs by reviewing the services offered by each type.

By purchasing a Turkcell SIM card in Türkiye, in addition to calling and messaging services, you can benefit from internet services using 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G technologies.

As mentioned earlier, the cost of calls, internet, and text messages for this telecom company is slightly higher than for other companies, and a small subscription fee and maintenance tax will be applied.

However, Turkcell organizes special campaigns and offers at certain times of the year, where its services are offered at exceptional prices.

One of the unique features of Turkcell SIM cards is that if your SIM card expires and you call other Turkcell numbers, the company will notify the other person about your call so they can call you again.

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These companies have stores at Istanbul's airports (New Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Airport), so you don't have to worry if you arrive in Türkiye without mobile phone coverage.

To purchase a local SIM card in Turkey, you'll need to show your passport. You can purchase SIM cards at the three operators' stores in the arrivals hall of Istanbul Airports. Although this service is available, you'll have to pay significantly higher prices than regular local rates at airports. Tourist SIM card packages are offered that cost more than regular local packages.

Even outside airports, you may find that vendors in stores are only willing to sell prepaid SIM packages aimed at tourists. You may be subject to high registration fees if you don't speak Turkish. You'll also need to show your passport to sign up for any plan you wish to subscribe to.

Taif Student Company provides a local card issuance service for its students coming from outside the country, among several other services.

Features of registration through Taif Student Company:

1- Get free educational advice.

2- Study your file in detail and get the appropriate offers.

3- Obtain your university admission for free through our direct contracts with Turkish universities.

4- Translate your file completely into Turkish for free.

5- Obtaining student residency through us.

6- Securing your university accommodation

7- Get your certificate equivalent for free.

8- Follow up on your university file after final registration.

Important articles to help you get university admission

Open education in Türkiye

-Entrance exams to Turkish universities

-The language of study in Turkish universities

Documents required for registration in Turkish universities

Student accommodation in Türkiye

Comparison between Turkish universities

Joints calendar for public universities

Find your student accommodation yourself