Foreign mobile device registration fee in Turkey 2024

In Turkey, it is mandatory for individuals to register their mobile phones purchased abroad. The registration requires the use of IMEI numbers. Phones not registered within 120 days of entry into the country will be rendered unusable.

The IMEI registration fee for 2024 has been published in the Official Gazette as the international phone registration fee. As a result, the fee for IMEI registration in 2024 has risen to 31,692 TL.

Due to high taxation in Turkey, people prefer to receive telephone calls from abroad. However, phones brought from abroad must be registered, or they will be blocked from use. The IMEI number is required for registration, and the fee for this is quite substantial.

IMEI registration fee

The IMEI registration fee has seen a significant increase over the years: from 170.70 TL in November 2018 to 500 TL, then to 618 TL in June 2019, 1,500 TL in July 2019, 1,838 TL in January 2020, and 2,006 TL in 2021. In 2022, the fee was raised to 2,732 TL, marking a 33.63% increase. By 2023, the fee had soared to 6,090 TL and was further hiked to 20,000 TL on July 8th.

Nevertheless, the steep taxes and IMEI registration fees have led citizens to increasingly resort to electronics shops that unofficially switch IMEIs. While this is not an option for iPhones, it is a relatively simple process for Android phones.