How to get a Turkish phone number from abroad

How Turkish mobile numbers work

Türkiye's country code is +90. Inside the country, numbers start with the trunk prefix 0, which you drop after +90.

Mobile numbers begin with 5. Written domestically they have 11 digits, 05xx xxx xx xx, and after the country code 10 digits: +90 5xx xxx xx xx. The three digits after the 0, such as 532, 542 or 505, were originally assigned to particular operators, but numbers can be carried between networks, so they are no longer a reliable guide.

Turkish numbers are usually grouped 3-3-2-2, for example 0532 123 45 67. Landlines use area codes, such as 212 and 216 for the European and Asian sides of Istanbul and 312 for Ankara, and can't receive SMS codes.

Country code

+90

Mobile prefix (domestic)

05

Mobile format (domestic)

05xx xxx xx xx, 11 digits

Mobile format (international)

+90 5xx xxx xx xx, 10 digits after +90

Trunk prefix

0, dropped after +90

Time zone

Türkiye Time, UTC+3 all year

The 120-day rule for phones brought from abroad

Türkiye's Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) runs a central device registry based on each phone's IMEI. According to BTK's consumer site, phones brought from abroad can be used for 120 days without registration; if they are not registered within that period, they are cut off from Turkish networks.

Registration is done on the e-Devlet portal (turkiye.gov.tr) for people with a Turkish or foreign ID number and an e-Devlet password, or at an operator's subscriber registration center, and it involves a fee. You'll need the phone's 15-digit IMEI, which you can see by dialing *#06#.

For a short trip this rarely matters, because most holidays end well before 120 days. For anyone staying longer, returning often, or moving to Türkiye, it means a Turkish SIM in a foreign phone comes with extra paperwork and cost. A number that lives in a web dashboard doesn't depend on your handset being registered.

Your options, compared

Roaming your home SIM

Keeps your usual number, but it isn't +90, so Turkish apps and forms that want a local number reject it

Turkish prepaid SIM

A genuine 05xx number, normally bought in Türkiye; a foreign phone using it is subject to BTK's 120-day IMEI rule

eSIM data plan

Convenient for data on arrival, but most travel eSIMs come without a Turkish number

VoIP app number

Easy to get, but not a Turkish mobile, and many sign-up forms refuse internet numbers

Real mobile number online

A +90 5 mobile number in a web dashboard; no SIM, no IMEI registration, usable from any country

Where a Turkish number helps

Services tied to your identity, such as Turkish bank accounts and e-Devlet itself, generally expect a line registered in your own name. For those, a Turkish SIM registered to you is the right tool.

• Food delivery, ride-hailing and e-commerce apps popular in Türkiye that verify accounts by SMS.
• Booking clinics, hotels and tours, where confirmations and reminders go to a local number.
• Property rentals and purchases, where agents and landlords contact you on WhatsApp.
• Doing business with Turkish suppliers and customers who expect a +90 contact.
• Keeping a Turkish number after you move away, or setting one up before moving to Istanbul, Antalya or Izmir.

How to get a Turkish number with SMSCreation

1. 01Sign up with an email address. No passport, Turkish ID number or local address is needed.
2. 02Open the Turkey list and choose a number. Each is a real +90 5 mobile number; the first two and last two digits show as XX until activation.
3. 03Choose a plan. The yearly plan is $1.80 a month ($21.60 billed yearly); other terms are shown at checkout.
4. 04Pay in USDT or USDC on Tron, Polygon, BNB Smart Chain, Base or Solana, or from your wallet balance.
5. 05The number appears in your dashboard. Incoming SMS and calls arrive there instantly, wherever you are.
6. 06Enter it as +90 followed by the 10 digits starting with 5.

Tips for Turkish numbers

• Never write +90 05. The 0 is only for dialing inside Türkiye; use +90 5xx xxx xx xx.
• If a form has a Turkey country picker, type the 10 digits starting with 5, with no 0.
• Don't copy the 3-3-2-2 spaces into forms that reject them; 5321234567 is the same number.
• When sharing your number with Turkish contacts, give the 05 form, such as 0532 123 45 67; that is how numbers are dialed inside Türkiye.
• Some sites list the country as Türkiye and others as Turkey. Both mean +90, so pick whichever the form shows.
• Türkiye stays on UTC+3 all year: three hours ahead of London in winter and two in summer. Plan code requests when you can watch your dashboard.
• If an SMS is slow, wait a minute before resending, or choose a voice call if offered. Incoming calls are unlimited.

When SMSCreation is not the right choice

If you live in Türkiye and need a line registered to your residence permit for banking or government services, a Turkish SIM in your name is the right tool. If you only need data for a short holiday, an eSIM data plan is simpler.

SMSCreation suits you if you want a real Turkish mobile number for verification codes, contacts and business that stays reachable from abroad, with no SIM and no device registration.

Before a longer stay in Türkiye

• Set up your +90 number before you travel, so hotels, clinics and landlords have a local contact for you from the start.
• Note your phone's IMEI by dialing *#06#, in case you later decide to register it for use with a Turkish SIM.
• Keep track of your entry date. BTK counts the 120-day period for devices brought from abroad from that point.
• Save your Turkish number in international form, +90 and 10 digits, in every app, so logins work wherever you are.
• Decide whether you also need a Turkish SIM in your name once you have a residence permit, for services that require one.

Why it works with WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram & Google

Apps check more than the digits: they look up the line type, the country format and whether the number can actually receive their code. Every SMSCreation number is a real mobile number in its country's official format — not a VoIP line — so it passes those checks the same way a SIM in your pocket does.

And we stand behind it with a 7-day replacement guarantee: if your number doesn't work with WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram, Google or any app you need, we replace it free with a new number in the same country — or refund 100% if you prefer.

• Non-VoIP, real mobile line type — line-type checks see an ordinary SIM number, not a VoIP line
• Official country format with the right country code, prefix and digit count
• Unlimited incoming SMS and calls — codes arrive by text or through the “call me” option
• Private to you — never listed on public SMS sites, so it isn't flagged or rate-limited
• Yours for as long as you want — re-verification and account recovery keep working

Price, keeping your number and the 7-day guarantee

A Turkish number costs the same as every other country: from $1.80 a month on the yearly plan ($21.60 billed yearly), with unlimited incoming SMS and calls, 500 outgoing SMS and 1,000 outgoing call minutes a month.

The number stays yours while you renew it. If it doesn't work with WhatsApp, Telegram, Google or another app, you get a free replacement in the same country within 7 days of activation, or a full refund if you prefer.