Turkish banks no longer need Russian clients, which this year became a huge number there, and “tightened the screws” on the issue of opening a bank account in Turkey. The domestic traveler personally visited several banks and, in her blog on Yandex.Zen, spoke about the new tightened requirements for opening an account.
“The poor are not welcome in Turkey,” she warned and said that earlier in the beach republic, everything was simple for Russians. – The residence permit was issued almost for nothing. The apartments were sold for next to nothing. And it was possible to open an account in a local bank even without a deposit. This year is different. No money – goodbye!”
The question of opening an account is so relevant, because. abroad, Russians are cut off from the ability to pay with domestic Mir cards. Against this background, the ideal solution to the problem is to open an account at a local bank in order to transfer money to yourself using a swift transfer if necessary and buy goods and services.
However, the procedure for opening an account has become very complicated, now it will definitely not be available to tourists without money. There are only two Turkish banks that are ready to open accounts for wealthy travelers without a residence permit in Turkey – these are Vakif Bank and DenizBank. The first asks foreign tourists to put a 3-month deposit in the bank in the amount of 3,000 euros (about 206,000 rubles at the current exchange rate) and pay a one-time commission for opening an account in the amount of 3,700 liras (12,800 rubles). The second requires a monthly deposit of 5,000 euros/dollars (343 thousand rubles/323 thousand rubles). The commission, called “insurance”, is 1,500 liras (5,200 rubles).
There is also a general list of required documents. This is:
- Passport. Copies are not needed.
- Russian passport. The bank is interested in information about registration. “It is better to translate your internal passport into Turkish in advance and certify it with a notary. This increases the chances of opening an account quickly,” the tourist advised.
- Tax number (vergi numarası). It can be obtained free of charge by any foreigner at the tax office of any Turkish city.
- Local SIM card. Required to activate the bank application. “The first login must be done via mobile Internet and SMS, not via wi-fi. I heard that some tourists manage to use Russian SIM cards. They say that this will not work with Tele-2 and Beeline, but MTS and Megafon can help out. But it’s better to play it safe, ”she explained and said that the limits and commissions for operations need to be clarified in each bank separately. For example, in DenizBank, the commission is 1.5% for transfers in foreign currency.
- Deposit and cash commission, which may change due to private changes in requirements, so it is better to take money with a margin.
The problem is that these conditions are not final and vary greatly from department to department. In addition, the human factor plays an important role in the decision to open a bank account. The manager did not like the tourist and was refused extradition without explanation.
“In Turkey, everything is decided by the human factor. Even if your “papers” are in order, but for some reason the employee did not like you, you may be denied services without explaining the reasons, ”the Russian woman shared.
“A DenizBank employee told me that each branch of their bank has its own requirements. Where I was, they require a deposit of 5,000 euros. And in the next branch of the same bank – 10,000 euros. And the third foreigners may even be refused. And after all, they are not in different cities, and not even in different areas. They are on the same street! — added the travel blogger.
In addition, there is another important point that concerns Russian legislation already – citizens of the Russian Federation must notify their tax authorities about opening an account in a foreign bank.
And the most important thing that is required to open an account in Turkey is free time. “You will be surprised how different the work of local banks is from Russian ones. The Turks are in no hurry, they drink tea at the workplace and talk about extraneous topics. And in the middle of the day, branches close for an hour lunch break. But know that you should not show your displeasure. After all, otherwise you can sit in the bank for 2-3 hours and get a refusal (yes, there have been such cases).
If everything is in order with your papers and funds, an account will be opened for you immediately after checking the documents. A VISA or MasterCard debit card will be issued after making a deposit at the cash desk and paying a commission, the Russian woman specified. – You need to open an account in Turkey without a residence permit only in case of great need, for example, when it comes to buying real estate. If you come here as a tourist for 1-2 months, you will have to spend half a day translating your passport, issuing a SIM card and obtaining a TIN, and then another whole day to open a card.
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