Settling in
Türkiye is exciting, but the first months are full of practical procedures. Not
knowing where to start makes the process needlessly stressful. This guide
gathers, in order, the basic steps you need to handle in your first months as a
newcomer — so you can settle in without getting lost.
Tax Number: The First Step
In Türkiye,
almost every official procedure requires a tax number — from opening a bank
account to getting a phone line. This is usually the first step to handle and a
relatively quick procedure. Without a tax number, many other steps can get
stuck, so make this your priority.
Bank Account and Payments
After getting
your tax number, you can open a bank account. You'll need it for rent, bills,
and daily spending. Different banks have different conditions for foreigners;
researching which suits you saves time. When opening an account, a passport,
tax number, and address information are usually enough.
The Health System
Türkiye has
both public and private health services. Depending on your residence and work
status, you may have access to the public health system (SGK); where you don't,
private health insurance is an important safeguard. Clarifying your health
coverage in the first months protects you in unexpected situations.
Adapting to Daily Life
Beyond
practical procedures, adapting to daily life matters too: a local transport
card, supermarket and market culture, getting to know your neighbourhood, basic
Turkish phrases. These small things make the difference between feeling you
'live' somewhere and feeling like a 'guest.' Don't rush — it settles step by
step.
A Practical Order for the First Week
A concrete
starting order: First get your tax number (a precondition for most procedures).
Then open a bank account. Next get a local phone line/eSIM. Clarify your
address and accommodation. Check your health coverage (SGK or private
insurance). If these five steps are handled in the first week, everything else
flows much more easily. The order matters — for example, without a tax number
the bank step can get stuck.
Frequently Asked
'Can I settle
without knowing Turkish?' — Yes, especially in big cities and tourist areas
much can be handled in English, but basic Turkish greatly eases daily life.
'Should I do the procedures alone?' — You can, but if there's a language and
bureaucracy barrier, multilingual consultancy saves great time and stress in
the first months. 'Which step gets stuck most often?' — Usually missing
documents and wrong ordering; going with the right documents in the right order
makes the process far smoother.
If you need
someone to guide you through the first steps of settling in Türkiye — from tax
number to residence procedures, bank account to daily life — at MARTES we can
support you in Turkish, English, German, and Russian. Settling into a new
country is much easier with the right guide beside you.