My husband and I have quad-band phones we take to Europe. When we arrive in a new country, we buy local SIM cars. We're getting conflicting information about using the phones in Turkey - phones need to be registered, SIM cards can't be used for two weeks, etc. Can any of you shed some light on this? We're also hoping to use the phones in Greece, but it doesn't sound as though that will be a problem. Thanks!
Posted by
Martinez, CA, USA
1512 posts
We were in Turkey in Sept 2011. We first bought a SIM card in Istanbul from a shop selling phones, SIM cards, calling cards, etc. We paid 35TL and it came with 30 minutes of calls and we were told it would work for 4 weeks which is what we needed. What we did not know is that he did not register it in our name. The card worked for 2 weeks only. We went to another phone store in Antalya. Don't remember if it was Vodafone or Turkcell. We were told that the SIM card was registered to someone else and could not be changed to our names. We then bought another card for 65TL with 30 minutes. The card was registered,and started working the next day (or same day, don't remember). Long story short, go to a Vodafone or Turkcell store and you will get a valid SIM card. Your phone will work correctly. It seems the phone number must be registered (they even needed our passports). If they don't register it then don't buy the card. We've used our quad phone in Portugal and Turkey and we're going to Greece in a week and plan to buy a SIM card for use there. Don't expect any problems.