Turkish rand: Russians faced problems opening a bank account
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Russians in Turkey complained about problems and non-obvious rules of local banks for opening an account
Turkish banks clarify the rules for opening accounts for foreigners. Requirements include: having a residence permit (residence permit) or work permit. However, in private banks the conditions are different and depend on each specific branch. Read about the difficulties Russians face in Turkey in the MK material.
Opening a bank account in Turkey can be confusing for a person who is accustomed to similar services in Russia. There is no uniform information and rules regarding opening an account in the country, and even different branches of the same bank impose different conditions for foreigners. Decisions are usually made by the branch director. This situation has always existed in the country, and it has nothing to do with the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine.
“When I opened the account, I went to the bank with a local Turk who agreed to help me. The account was opened for free. All you had to do was provide your Russian passport details, deposit about a thousand dollars and not withdraw money for three months. Then I calmly withdrew this amount without any restrictions,” Antalya resident Sergei told MK.
He admitted that he was either lucky or influenced by the presence of a Turkish citizen. According to the stories of friends or even comments on social networks, there are a great many obstacles to opening an account. “They may simply refuse or send me to another department. In one of the banks I was asked to pay additionally for opening an account for three thousand dollars. In some cases, the information on a Russian passport is not enough and they ask for a residence permit or even a Turkish passport,” shared Istanbul resident Daria.
By far the most common advice you can get if you fail is: contact another branch, even of the same bank.
Another problem that foreigners in Turkey have begun to face is SWIFT transfers. If previously there were no restrictions and it was possible to make a transfer in dollars or euros using only a banking application, now you need to go to a bank branch.
In addition, clients of one of the banks began to receive messages demanding to provide documents allowing them to reside in Turkey. The bank itself explained this by internal procedures, but the news made many Russians seriously nervous. Also, after the arrival of the American delegation in December 2023, rumors began to circulate that Turkish banks began to close the accounts of Russian legal entities that used the country for transit payments and supplies.
There are absolutely no problems with transfers in lira within the country, foreign exchange transactions and the provision of loans, although this is not nearly as convenient as Russians are accustomed to at home. “Turkey, of course, is seriously lagging behind in this regard – there are obvious problems with the interface, transfers by phone number are impossible to make or they take a long time,” Daria notes in a conversation with MK. “Some operations can only be done the old fashioned way from bank branches, where there are eternal queues.”
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