Turkey eSIM — stay connected

eSIM is usually the better pick for Turkey if your phone supports it. Quick check: dial *#06# on your phone — if an EID number shows up, you're eSIM-ready, so install before you fly and skip the airport SIM counter. No EID? Go with RORO's physical SIM instead — same network, same top-up flow.

Note: a carrier-locked phone can't use RORO's eSIM or physical SIM either — it needs to be unlocked first. Full supported-device list is on our eSIM Compatibility Check page.

Head to the Turkey plan page on the RORO site or app, choose eSIM or physical SIM, pick a data plan, then check out with a card, PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Pay — no ID or local address needed. eSIM orders email you a QR code to install right away; physical SIM orders ship to your address, or can be collected at pickup points where available.

Not at purchase or install — the validity clock only starts once your RORO SIM connects to a network in Turkey. That means you can buy and install days or weeks ahead of your trip with no data wasted; it only counts down once you actually land and go online.

Turkey's IMEI registration rule targets phones registered long-term to a Turkish number — it doesn't touch short-term visitors on a data-only eSIM like RORO, so any unlocked phone bought locally or abroad works fine.

Buy your Turkey plan, scan the QR code from your confirmation email over WiFi — under a minute to install. It sits dormant until your phone connects to a Turkish network, so it's fine to set up weeks before you fly.

On arrival: Airplane Mode off, Data Roaming on for the RORO line, set as your data SIM.

Istanbul and Ankara run strong, consistent 4G, and coverage holds up well along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts — the resort belt from Bodrum to Antalya is well served too.

A short Istanbul city break with light map-checking and messaging fits a small fixed-GB plan. Add a longer coast-and-Cappadocia itinerary with hot-air-balloon photos and video calls home, and a bigger tier or Unlimited day-plan makes more sense — top up on the same eSIM mid-trip if you need more.

Note: Unlimited plans include 3GB of high-speed data per 24 hours (from activation, resetting every 24 hours) plus a 500MB/24-hour hotspot-sharing allowance — if you need guaranteed high-speed data or unrestricted hotspot sharing throughout your trip, a Fixed plan is the safer pick.

Yes, but a single-country plan only covers that country — it won't work once you cross the border. For a multi-country trip, buy a separate plan for each destination, choose one of RORO's regional bundles if your countries fall within one, or pick a Global plan for the widest coverage. You can hold multiple RORO eSIMs/physical SIMs at once and switch between them.

In fact, your RORO eSIM or physical SIM works across 190+ countries and regions worldwide — keep it installed after this trip and just top up with a new plan whenever you're heading somewhere else, no reinstall needed. A RORO SIM only expires after 2 years with no activity, and every top-up extends that validity by another 2 years.

Yes, but only after 2 years of no activity. A RORO eSIM or physical SIM doesn't expire the moment a data plan runs out or its validity period ends — it stays in your phone, ready to top up for your next trip.

Every time you top up with a new data plan, that 2-year countdown resets, so if you travel with RORO regularly the SIM effectively never expires. Only go 2 full years without a single top-up and the SIM itself expires.

Fixed plans give you a set amount of GB for your whole trip — a small pack is usually enough for maps, messaging and light browsing, and you can always top up if you run low. Unlimited plans are priced by day instead of data volume, but include 3GB of high-speed data per 24 hours (counted from activation and resetting every 24 hours) plus a 500MB/24-hour hotspot-sharing allowance — better if you stream or video call within those limits.

A single eSIM or physical SIM can hold multiple data plans, but only one is active at a time, in the order they expire — plans don't run side by side on the same SIM.

If you want an Unlimited plan but worry about hitting its 3GB high-speed cap, buy a separate Fixed plan on a second RORO eSIM: with both installed, switch to the Fixed-plan SIM once Unlimited's daily high-speed data runs out, then switch back after it resets. And if you plan to hotspot data to other devices or friends, a Fixed plan is the better pick, since Unlimited plans cap hotspot sharing at 500MB every 24 hours.

Turkish law requires ID and address registration for a local SIM. RORO isn't a local Turkish SIM, so none of that paperwork applies — just an email address to activate.

Yes. RORO runs as a second, data-only line next to your existing SIM — home number stays live for calls and texts, RORO handles data in Turkey, no data roaming charges from home.

Add a pack from the RORO app or site — it lands on your existing eSIM instantly, no new QR code. Top up before you hit zero, since you'll need WiFi to buy more once data runs out.

To top up: pick a data plan and hit Top Up, then enter the ICCID and PIN of the SIM you're adding it to — or start from your ICCID, choose which one to top up, then pick the plan. Either way, once payment goes through, the new data plan is added straight to that ICCID.

Yes. BiTaksi is the leading local ride-hailing app, and booking or tracking a ride needs a live connection throughout. For Istanbul's trams, buses and ferries, the Istanbulkart app and Moovit cover routes and top-ups — keep your RORO data on while you're out exploring, not just at the hotel.

Yes. Etstur, a popular local OTA, sits alongside Booking.com as the go-to platforms for hotels and attraction tickets here — both work fine over RORO data.

Checkout takes Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay, PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Pay.

On the ground, cards are widely accepted in cities and resorts, but carrying Turkish lira cash is genuinely useful in bazaars, for tea and small vendors, where card readers are less common.

112 (general emergency). Save this before you land.

Emergency calls typically go through on any available network even without an active data SIM, but it's worth having RORO's data running for maps and messaging so you can describe your location clearly if needed.

Yes — hotspot to a laptop or a travel companion's phone with no extra setup, same as at home. Speeds follow local coverage, so it's strongest in the big cities and coastal resorts.

Keep in mind the hotspot allowance depends on your plan: Fixed plans share their full data pool with no extra hotspot limit, while Unlimited plans cap hotspot sharing at 500MB every 24 hours.

Straddling two continents, Istanbul alone is worth budgeting extra data for — you'll be pulling up maps and translation apps constantly between the Grand Bazaar, the Bosphorus ferries and Cappadocia's balloon fields. Rural eastern Turkey sees coverage thin between towns, though the major cities and coastal resorts stay well connected. Turkey has also occasionally throttled social platforms (X/Twitter, Instagram) around major news events — rare, usually lifts within hours to days, and doesn't affect maps, messaging or general browsing.