Moving to Ankara
Make Ankara feel like home.
Smileys pairs practical local knowledge — the Handbook's guides — with an in-person community, so you can sort out the paperwork, choose where to live, and build a real social life once you arrive.
Your move, step by step
What to read, and when — from the Handbook guides Ankara already has.
Before you arrive
I'm planning my move
Residence permits and where to live — the decisions to make before you land.
- Working Remotely from Türkiye: Digital Nomad Visa, Work Permissions, Tax & Social Security
- Entering Türkiye: Visa-Free Stays, e-Visas and the 90/180 Rule
- Residence Permit (Ikamet): Your first application, without the panic
Your first week
I just arrived
Get in from the airport, then a working phone, a transport card and a way to pay — the first-week essentials.
- Getting a SIM Card and Home Internet in Türkiye
- Başkentkart (Ankarakart): One Card for the Metro, Ankaray, Başkentray and the Buses
- Opening a Turkish bank account as a foreigner
Your first month
I'm settling in
Healthcare, a longer-term home, family life and the everyday systems that make a city work.
- Health Insurance for Your Residence Permit: What Is Accepted in Türkiye
- Turkish Basics and Etiquette: Words, Customs and the Rules Worth Knowing
Once you're settled
Build your life here
Paperwork done — now the part that makes a city home: people.
The practical side
Guides from the Ankara Handbook, written by the Smileys team. Where a guide links official sources, those are the requirements; the rest is lived experience.
Residence permits and legal status
3 guidesWorking Remotely from Türkiye: Digital Nomad Visa, Work Permissions, Tax & Social Security
Last reviewed 13 October 2026 · Links official sources
Banking and money
3 guides20-Year Tax Exemption in Turkey: Who Really Qualifies
Last reviewed 2 November 2026 · Links official sources
SIM, home internet and essential apps
2 guidese-Devlet for Foreigners: Getting Your Password and What You Can Do With It
Last reviewed 17 October 2026 · Links official sources
Healthcare
1 guideHealth Insurance for Your Residence Permit: What Is Accepted in Türkiye
Last reviewed 23 October 2026 · Links official sources
Transport
2 guidesDriving in Türkiye: A Practical Guide for Expats and Foreign Residents
Last reviewed 5 November 2026 · Links official sources
Safety, scams and emergencies
3 guidesLost or Stolen Passport, Residence Permit or Phone in Türkiye: What to Do
Last reviewed 23 October 2026 · Links official sources
Find your neighborhood
Where Smileys members in Ankara live, and where things are happening.
ODTÜ
METU's forest campus and the 100. Yıl cafés around it — Ankara's alternative side
1 Smileys member live here
Batıkent
The planned new town at the end of the metro — cooperative housing, wide streets, honest prices
1 Smileys member live here
Ulus
Where the Republic started — the first parliament, the Roman baths, Hacı Bayram and the old-town bazaars
Ankara Kalesi
The citadel: copper lanes, restored houses turned restaurants, and the museum quarter at its foot
Hamamönü
Restored Ottoman streets, courtyard cafés and the calmest walk in the old city
Kızılay
The city's crossroads — metro hub, Sakarya's fish-and-beer tables and the student crowd that never goes home
Build your life here
Events, clubs and hosts in Ankara.
Upcoming events
The Ankara calendar.
Clubs
3 active clubs — hiking, language, food, film and more.
Meet the hosts
The members who run events and clubs.
Community rules
How members look after each other — worth reading before your first event.
Ask people who've done it
Flatmates, an English-speaking doctor, schools, a lawyer or accountant, a vet, a reliable handyman — members ask each other on the Ankara community board.
Answers are members' own experiences, not recommendations or endorsements by Smileys.
Anyone can read the board; posting a question needs a Smileys account.
Open the community boardArrive knowing people.
Joining is free. You only pay for events you choose, and the price is shown before you RSVP.