Can you buy an eSIM in Turkey after arrival?

Since July 2025 Turkey's telecoms regulator has blocked access, from inside the country, to the websites and apps of more than 50 international eSIM sellers. The eSIMs themselves were left alone: one that is already on your phone connects as normal. What stopped working is everything that needs the seller's shop — buying a plan, topping one up, opening a support chat.

So the traveller who installed at home notices nothing, and the traveller who planned to sort it out on arrival is stuck at the first step. The full background is in our guide Is eSIM banned in Turkey?

• Wi‑Fi. An eSIM is downloaded, so the phone has to be online to install it. Istanbul Airport offers free, unlimited Wi‑Fi on the network “iGA WiFi”: you get an access code by SMS, or by scanning your passport at one of the Wi‑Fi kiosks if your home SIM is not receiving texts.
• A phone that takes eSIM and is not locked to your operator. Dial *#06#: if an EID number appears, the phone supports eSIM. Our how it works page lists supported models.
• A payment card and your email on the same phone, because that is where the eSIM arrives.

1. 1

   Get on the airport Wi‑Fi

   Pick the airport network, open any web page and follow the login. Keep your normal SIM's data roaming switched off while you do this, so it cannot start charging you in the background.

2. 2

   Choose a plan

   Open our plans. For a week or two of ordinary use — maps, messages, social media — 10 GB for €3.99 is what most people pick. Plans start from €2.99.

3. 3

   Pay and open the email

   Enter your email address, confirm your phone is eSIM-ready and pay. The email with your eSIM arrives within seconds. Check the spam folder if it does not.

4. 4

   Install it

   Use the press-and-hold or the manual-entry route described above. Label the new line “Turkey”.

5. 5

   Switch it on

   Select the Turkey line for mobile data and turn on Data Roaming for that line only. It finds the network within a minute, and that first connection is the moment your plan's validity starts.

An eSIM from a shop that opens in Turkey is not the only way to get online. These are the others, with their catch:

This is the more common version of the same problem: the eSIM worked, the data is gone on day five, and the provider's top-up page does not load. You do not need to remove anything. Most phones hold several eSIMs, so you can install a second one next to the first and move mobile data to the new line in your settings.

Our own plans can be topped up from inside Turkey for the same reason you can buy them here: the shop stays reachable.

Everything above works, but it is a job to do standing in an arrivals hall. If you are reading this before your trip, buy now and install on your home Wi‑Fi. Installing does not start the clock: validity begins when the eSIM first connects to a network in Turkey, and you have 180 days to make that first connection. You land, switch the line on and walk out online.