Moving to Izmir
Make Izmir feel like home.
Smileys pairs practical local knowledge — the Handbook, written by members who went through it — 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 Izmir already has.
Before you arrive
I'm planning my move
Residence permits and where to live — the decisions to make before you land.
Open this stageYour first week
I just arrived
Get a working phone, a transport card and a way to pay — the first-week essentials.
- İzmirim Kart: The Only Ticket That Matters
- Getting a SIM Card and Home Internet in Türkiye
- 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.
No Izmir guide for this stage yet.
Once you're settled
Build your life here
Paperwork done — now the part that makes a city home: people.
The practical side
Member-written guides from the Izmir Handbook. Where a guide links official sources, those are the requirements; the rest is lived experience.
Residence permits and legal status
1 guideResidence Permit (Ikamet): Your first application, without the panic
Last reviewed 10 August 2026 · Links official sources
Banking and money
1 guideOpening a Turkish bank account as a foreigner
Links official sources
SIM, home internet and essential apps
1 guideGetting a SIM Card and Home Internet in Türkiye
Links official sources
Transport
1 guideİzmirim Kart: The Only Ticket That Matters
Links official sources
Safety, scams and emergencies
1 guideScams & Tourist Traps in Türkiye: How to stay safe without becoming paranoid
Last reviewed 10 August 2026 · Links official sources
Find your neighbourhood
Where Smileys members in Izmir live, and where things are happening.
Bornova
University energy, students, cheap eats
2 Smileys members live here
Konak
Clock tower, Kemeraltı bazaar, the city's front door
1 Smileys member live here
Karşıyaka
The other side of the bay, families, ferry commute
1 Smileys member live here
Bostanlı
Sunset steps, waterfront cafés, evening runs
1 Smileys member live here
Alsancak
Kordon seafront, bars, long evenings
Mavişehir
Modern blocks, malls, marina
Build your life here
Events, clubs and hosts in Izmir.
Upcoming events
The Izmir calendar.
Clubs
3 active clubs — hiking, language, food, film and more.
Meet the hosts
The members who run events and clubs.
Community guidelines
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 Izmir community board.
Answers are members' own experiences, not recommendations or endorsements by Smileys.
Open the community boardArrive knowing people.
Joining is free. You only pay for events you choose, and the price is shown before you RSVP.