Registering your English mobile phone

[Crabbit]

If you would like to use a Turkish sim card or would like to take a British handset to your friends or relatives living in Turkey as a gift, you must get your mobile phone registered with the Turkish Telecommunications Authority. Because the recent changes in the Turkish Telecommunications regulation requires all mobile phones to be registered with the Turkish Telecommunications Authority's database with their IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) numbers  in order to use Turkish sim card. Mobile phones (IMEI numbers) not registered with the Turkish Telecommunications Authority are blocked for connection through a Turkish sim card.

According to the Turkish customs regulation, from 1st Januray 2007, travellers can bring only one mobile handset into Turkey in a calendar year as one of their personal belongings, free of customs duties and they do not need to declare it to the Turkish Customs.

In order to get your handset registered, the following documents should be submitted to the Telecommunications Authority through a subscription centre ("abone kayit merkezi" in Turkish) of the relevant Turkish mobile operator.

    ... Passport and copies of relevant pages of passport (identity and entry stamp pages),
    ... A petition indicating the IMEI number of handset. (could be provided by subscription centre)

After the registration is completed a Turkish network sim card can be used with a British handset. Please ensure that the handset is sim free or not locked.

You can check if your handset's IMEI number is registered with the Telecommunications Authority or not through Turkish Telecommunications Authority's website at: http://imei.tk.gov.tr

Your handset's IMEI number is found on a sticker underneath the battery, or on screen by simply keying *#06# into most phones.

You can find a subscription centre (abone kayit merkezi) of relevant Turkish mobile operator through :
AVEA = http://www.tk.gov.tr/Tuketici/Sorulanlar/veri/Avea_Abone_Merkezi_Liste.xls

Turkcell = http://www.tk.gov.tr/Tuketici/Sorulanlar/veri/Turkcell_Abone_Merkezi_Liste.xls

Vodaphone = http://www.tk.gov.tr/Tuketici/Sorulanlar/veri/Vodafone_Abone_Merkezi_Liste.xls

Good luck.

Crabbit