Opening a Turkish bank account from the UK

Why people need one

An SGK pension is paid only into a Turkish account; property purchases, rent from a flat in Türkiye, utility bills, a child’s university fees and the residence permit process all run through Turkish banking. Turkish citizens living in the UK usually let an old account lapse and then find they cannot reactivate it from London; British spouses find that a bank will not open an account without a Turkish tax number and a translated passport. Two things need saying at the outset: each bank sets its own conditions and changes them, and banks have become cautious about customers resident abroad, so what one branch does another may refuse. The bank account page keeps notes on what banks have asked for recently.

Path one: Turkish citizens

With a valid kimlik kartı and a Turkish mobile number, several banks allow a citizen to open an account remotely through their app, with identity confirmed by NFC reading of the card and a video call; some restrict this to people physically in Türkiye or to Turkish SIM cards, and some ask for an address in Türkiye. The alternatives are a branch visit during a trip home, or a relative holding a vekaletname executed at the consulate or a Turkish notary that expressly covers opening and operating accounts. Reactivating a dormant account normally requires a branch visit or a POA. Your tax number is your kimlik number, so no separate step is needed. UK proof of address is sometimes asked for, in which case a council tax bill or bank letter is accepted in English by some banks and in Turkish by others.

Path two: British spouses and other foreigners

A foreigner needs, first, a Turkish tax identification number (vergi kimlik numarası), obtainable online from the Revenue Administration’s interactive service with a passport scan, or at a tax office. Then the bank’s list, which in our clients’ experience has included:

• the passport, with a Turkish translation notarised in Türkiye; several banks insist on the notarised form rather than reading the passport themselves;
• proof of address, which can be Turkish (a utility bill, a tenancy, the residence permit) or, for a non-resident, a UK utility bill or council tax bill translated into Turkish;
• a Turkish mobile number in your own name;
• for non-residents, some banks ask for a reference letter from your UK bank or evidence of the source of funds, translated;
• a residence permit, for banks that no longer open accounts for non-resident foreigners at all.

A branch visit in person is the norm; a POA route exists but many branches will not open a foreigner’s first account on a POA. Plan the account opening for a trip, with the translations done beforehand.

The translation form banks accept

Banks follow the same rule as other Turkish institutions: a translation notarised in Türkiye by a notary working with a sworn translator, or one certified by the Turkish consulate. A UK certified translation is not what they mean by tercüme, and branches send people away with it. We produce the notarised version in Ankara from scans and deliver the paper set to you in the UK or to the branch city. For the passport, the notary attaches the translation to a copy of the data page; banks have not asked for an apostille on the passport to date, and a passport cannot be apostilled in the ordinary way in any case.

Costs and timing

• Tax number: free, same day online.
• Notarised translation of the passport data page: £6.50 for the translation plus the notary tariff of about £13.50 plus a £5 handling fee; a utility bill or bank letter the same again; courier £30; two to four working days. No UK VAT.
• Bank charges: account maintenance fees and card fees vary by bank; ask about fees for customers abroad.
• Branch visit: often done within an hour once the file is complete; some banks require a second visit to collect the card.

Where it goes wrong

• Turning up without a Turkish mobile number; the bank cannot register you.
• Bringing a UK agency’s translation of the passport.
• Assuming a POA executed for property is wide enough to open an account; the wording must cover banking.
• Letting the card expire while abroad and having no way to renew it.
• Expecting the bank to accept documents in English because the branch manager speaks it.

What we do

We translate and notarise the passport, proof of address and bank reference letters in Ankara, and we translate the Turkish bank’s account-opening forms and terms into English so you know what you are signing. We do not recommend banks or hold funds; questions about a bank’s policy go to the bank.