Getting a Turkish Tax Number as a Foreigner (Vergi Kimlik Numarası)

A Turkish tax number (vergi kimlik numarası) is one of the first things you'll be asked for in Türkiye. It is not only for paying tax — it is how offices, banks and insurers identify you. For a foreigner who doesn't yet have a foreign ID number, it is usually one of the first steps. It's free.

This guide is practical information, not tax advice.

What you need it for

• Opening a bank account — banks ask for it alongside your passport.

• Things around your residence permit — the permit fees themselves are paid with the application (accrual) number e-İkamet gives you, so follow the payment instructions on your application. But related steps may ask for a tax number: an insurer, for instance, may want it when arranging a policy if you need private health insurance for your application.

• Buying property or a vehicle, and many contracts.

Get it early: several of the other steps in the Handbook assume you already have it.

How to get it: apply online

Foreigners apply for a "potential tax identification number" online through the Revenue Administration (GİB). You need your passport and an address in Türkiye.

1. Go to GİB's Interactive Tax Office or Digital Tax Office and choose Potential Tax Identification Number for Foreigners (Yabancılar İçin Potansiyel Vergi Kimlik Numarası). The form is available in English.

2. Enter your details exactly as they appear in your passport: your name, your parents' names, your date and place of birth and your passport number, plus a mobile number and your address in Türkiye.

3. Upload a photo of your passport's photo page, following the form's current upload instructions.

4. Submit. If your identity is verified, your 10-digit tax number is shown and you can download the confirmation document. Save it — you'll be asked for the number again.

If identity verification fails even though your details are correct, contact a tax office (vergi dairesi) and bring your passport and a copy of its photo page.

You don't need an agent or a paid service for this — the official site is all there is to it. Use only the gib.gov.tr sites, never a lookalike.

If you have a foreign ID number (YKN)

Foreigners registered in Türkiye — including residence permit holders — have a foreign identity number (yabancı kimlik numarası, YKN) starting with 99. It is printed on your residence permit card, but it is not the card's own document number. The Revenue Administration uses your YKN as your tax number, so if you have a valid YKN you generally don't need a separate potential tax number — give your YKN instead.

Keep it safe

Your tax number is tied to your identity and used across official records. Share it with banks, insurers, landlords' agents and officials who need it — not with anyone who contacts you unprompted asking for it.