Before you start

A valid passport (in-date, with entry stamp or e-visa if asked)
A Turkish tax number (vergi kimlik numarası) — the non-negotiable first step
A Turkish mobile number for SMS verification and mobile-banking activation
Proof of a Turkish address (rental contract or utility bill), and increasingly a residence permit / YKN

Step-by-step

1
Get a Turkish tax number (vergi numarası) — do this first
Apply for a Potential Tax ID Number free online through the Revenue Administration's Dijital Vergi Dairesi at dijital.gib.gov.tr with just your passport details and an address; it issues a barcoded PDF immediately. Or walk into any Bursa vergi dairesi with your passport and a photocopy and get it in 15-30 minutes. No residency required, valid indefinitely, and required before a bank account, a SIM contract or any official transaction.
OnlineWho: You (Gelir İdaresi Başkanlığı / GİB)Minutes online; same day in personFree
2
Ask HR which branch handles the company's payroll
This is the Bursa shortcut. If you are joining one of the plants, a supplier or the university, ask HR which bank runs the payroll and which branch handles new foreign hires. That branch will have opened dozens of accounts for people with exactly your paperwork, will know what the company's employment letter looks like, and will often take you further on a passport-and-tax-number file than a branch that has never seen your employer's name. Salary accounts also usually come with waived fees.
Via employerWho: Your employer's HR teamSame day
3
Get a Turkish SIM before you go to the branch
Banks verify identity and activate mobile banking by SMS to a Turkish number, and they reject virtual or online numbers, so get a real local line first. A prepaid SIM from Turkcell, Vodafone or Türk Telekom needs only a passport. Be aware of the separate handset trap in the telecom guide: a phone bought abroad works about 120 days before its IMEI is blocked.
In personWho: You (Turkcell / Vodafone / Türk Telekom)Same day~US$15-30 starter SIM and credit
4
Open the account in branch
Go in person with your passport, tax number, proof of address and Turkish phone number, plus your residence or work permit if you have one and an employment letter if you're sponsored. KYC is stricter than it used to be — be ready to explain the source and purpose of your funds. Opening usually takes 1-2 hours and the account is live the same day, with a debit card issued or posted. Without an employer behind you, ring the branch first: policy shifted in 2025-26 and differs branch to branch.
In personWho: You + bank officer1-2 hours, active same dayAccount upkeep free to a nominal annual fee; salary accounts usually waive it
5
Set up döviz accounts, cards and a way to bring money in
Open multi-currency (döviz) sub-accounts in USD/EUR/GBP alongside lira and keep savings there, converting only what you're about to spend — which matters especially if you are paid a lira salary and saving toward something priced in hard currency. Contactless is universal, with the domestic Troy scheme alongside Visa and Mastercard. Wise and Revolut send TRY into a Turkish account at near mid-market rates within minutes to hours, though Wise can no longer hold a lira balance.
Mobile appWho: You (bank app + Wise/Revolut)Ongoing

Documents you’ll need

Passport (with entry stamp or e-visa if requested)
Turkish tax number (vergi kimlik numarası) — barcoded GİB printout or PDF
Proof of a Turkish address (rental contract or utility bill)
Employment letter and work permit if you're sponsored; Turkish mobile number in all cases

Things most newcomers don’t know

In a company town, the employer is the fastest banking credential there is.

Bursa's large employers run payroll through specific banks and specific branches, and those branches open accounts for foreign hires as routine business. Going through HR's designated branch usually removes the document-by-document negotiation that an unaffiliated foreigner faces at a random branch — and often waives the account fees too.

Source: Bursa employer practice; Turkish salary-account norms, 2026

The tax number comes before the bank account, and you can get it online from abroad before you ever land.

Every bank ties the account to your vergi kimlik numarası, so anyone arriving at a branch without one is sent to the tax office first. Doing it online, free, with an instant PDF removes the single most common blocker in the whole setup.

Source: Gelir İdaresi Başkanlığı (GİB) — dijital.gib.gov.tr

Whether a bank takes you on a passport alone has quietly tightened — many branches now want the residence permit.

Banks strengthened KYC/AML compliance in 2025-26, so the old 'any tourist opens an account with passport plus tax number' is no longer reliable, and the rule varies branch to branch. It bites hardest on people who arrive ahead of a job rather than with one.

Source: Turkish immigration-law firm guidance (2025/26)

A lira salary makes the döviz habit more important, not less.

If you are paid in lira, every month's savings start losing real value the day they land. Multi-currency döviz sub-accounts let you sweep the surplus into USD or EUR immediately while spending from the lira account, which is what local colleagues with the option already do.

Source: TCMB / market data (2026)

Common mistakes to avoid

Walking into a branch before getting a tax number — you'll be sent to the vergi dairesi and lose the day.
Not asking HR which branch handles the company's payroll, and negotiating with a branch that has never seen your employer's paperwork.
Parking a lira salary in a current account month after month instead of sweeping the surplus into döviz.
Assuming any bank will take a tourist on a passport alone; post-2025 KYC means many demand a residence permit.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.