Registration of foreign phone in Turkey

We would like to answer a frequently asked question about how and where to register a phone brought to Turkey from abroad. This question is often asked by people who have already moved to Turkey for permanent residence or are just planning it and buying a Turkish SIM card for using mobile communications. At the same time, they want to continue to use their mobile phones, bought earlier, already in Turkey. On one "beautiful day" you may simply find that your foreign mobile phone is simply blocked and no longer works for calls, SMS messages or using the Internet. To avoid this, carefully read this article and follow our tips and instructions)))) Useful information for you:

All foreign and non-registered mobile phones in which a Turkish SIM card is inserted and used are subject to blocking . Previously, this happened 1-2 months after the start of using the Turkish sim card in the phone, now this period has been increased to 6 months. So the period for registration of your mobile phone is significantly increased.
Blocked mobile phone, not the SIM card itself. More precisely, any possibility of using the telephone functions that work via cellular communication (made and receiving calls via mobile communication, sending and receiving SMS messages, using the Internet) is blocked. The remaining functions of the phone will continue their work.
Blocking occurs through a unique number assigned to your phone during its manufacture - IMEI number.
The phone is blocked only when using a Turkish SIM card, if you use any other foreign SIM card, your phone is not subject to blocking.

There are several options for exit from this situation and be constantly in touch))

Solutions to this issue:

The easiest of them is to simply buy a mobile phone in Turkey and use a Turkish SIM card. The minimum price for used phones from 80-100 lire. It’s true that no one will answer to you for the quality and life of such phones))) Or buy a modern and high-quality mobile phone (the price difference will be noticeable). But at the same time, you will not have to worry if your phone breaks down, as it will have a warranty (usually the warranty period is 2 years or more depending on the phone model). Also in this case, you should not worry and think about how to transfer the phone you brought from abroad to another country to repair or replace it under warranty.
The second option is to flash your phone (change its unique IMEI number). But we want to warn you that it is ILLEGAL and in this case you lose your warranty on your phone. Also, if the "craftsmen" do it wrong, your phone will also be blocked after 6 months. We strongly recommend that you do not give in to persuasion on reflashing your phone in order to avoid problems in the future.
Well, the third option is to officially register your mobile phone brought from abroad.

Documents required for registration of your foreign mobile phone: - Passport and its photocopy - Residence permit in Turkey (Ikamet). If you register a phone without a residence permit, you will only extend the possibility of temporary use of your phone, but not more than 3-6 months. - Tax number in Turkey (Vergi Numarası), you can get it free of charge in the Tax departments for a maximum of 10-15 minutes. To do this, you need a photocopy of your passport with the information written on it: the name of your father and mother in Latin letters (as in Turkey, no patronymic used to us is used), your phone number and e-mail, your address in Turkey. Also, you should know that one person has the right to register only one mobile phone within 2 years. The procedure for registering a mobile phone in Turkey is not complicated and will not take you so much time.

First of all, you need to pay a state fee (tax) on registration of a foreign mobile phone. You can do this in the Tax Department of your city. Today, this tax is about 140 lire. To do this, you need to bring with you all the above documents and the IMEI number of your phone. You can look at the IMEI number on the package from your mobile phone, or look at the phone cover under the battery for it, or dial the digital code on your mobile phone: * # 06 # and the IMEI number will automatically appear on the phone screen. If you have a Turkish credit card, you can also pay this tax online simply by entering your data in the fields to fill out.
Next you need in any post office of the city to get the login and password for access to E-DEVLET (access to the Turkish public services). It costs at the initial circulation of 4 lira, at the secondary circulation it will cost about 40 lira.
Well, the last stage))) With a receipt for paying the tax on a mobile phone, the phone itself and a login with a password from E-DEVLET will contact any of the offices of mobile operators. It is better to do this in one of the offices of the three largest mobile operators: Vodafon, TurkTelekom or Turkcell. This service in the office of mobile operators costs no more than 20-25 lire. Also, if you do not have a Turkish SIM card yet, you can purchase it right there on the spot. If, at the time of the registration planned by you, your phone is already locked, it will take a day to unlock it, and sometimes more.

Also note that your mobile phone will be tied to this particular SIM card and if you change your SIM card to another Turkish, your phone will be blocked. In addition to mobile foreign phones, they can also be blocked and subject to registration: tablets (which have a built-in SIM card for surfing the Internet and using cellular communication), 3 and 4G modems, laptops with 3 and 4G modules. We hope that our information was useful for you and will help you in avoiding problems in the future))) Author: Julia Magarovskaya 01/19/2018 year

Author:

01/23/2018