Which Turkish bank is better for Iranians? Ziraat, İş Bankası, Garanti BBVA and VakıfBank compared

"Which Turkish bank is best for Iranians?" is the question we hear most often from newcomers to Istanbul, and the honest answer is that there is no best bank. The four names that always come up, Ziraat, İş Bankası, Garanti BBVA and VakıfBank, differ in history, ownership and branch network, but what decides things for you in practice is the policy of the particular branch you walk into on that particular day.

This post compares the four banks only on public, verifiable information and then lists the criteria you should check yourself at the branch. It does not repeat the account-opening steps and documents; those are covered in detail in the guide to opening a bank account in Turkey.

The four banks at a glance

Every figure in this table comes from the banks' own publications or encyclopaedic sources and can be traced in the sources section. The last column is not a claim; it is the list of questions whose answers differ from one branch to the next.

Ziraat Bankası: Turkey's oldest bank

Ziraat was founded in 1863 and describes itself as Turkey's leading state bank; its shares are held by the Türkiye Wealth Fund. It has a wide branch network across the country, so even smaller towns usually have a branch.

What to know: being state-owned does not mean one policy in every branch. Two branches in two Istanbul neighbourhoods may give different answers to the same Iranian passport, because the final decision sits with the branch manager and the bank's compliance unit. Before you go, phone and ask whether they open a lira account on a passport and tax number without a residence permit.

Türkiye İş Bankası: the long-established private bank

İş Bankası was founded in 1924 and is one of Turkey's large private banks. Many residents know it for its app and internet banking, but whether the English interface is enough for you is something to test yourself.

Key questions for this bank: is a debit card issued to non-resident customers, what are the account and card fees, and will they open a foreign-currency account (dollars or euros) alongside the lira account.

Garanti BBVA: the private bank with a European shareholder

Garanti was founded in Ankara in 1946, and today about 86% of its shares belong to the Spanish banking group BBVA. A European majority shareholder shapes the bank's compliance and identity-verification processes; that can mean more thorough documentation, and it does not automatically mean a stricter or softer stance towards Iranians.

If your main reason for opening an account is an international card or a foreign-currency account, ask for the exact conditions for issuing cards to foreigners and any limits that apply.

VakıfBank: the state bank with foundation roots

VakıfBank was established by a special law and has operated since January 1954. Today it is a state bank whose main shareholder is the Türkiye Wealth Fund (about 65% after the 2020 capital increase). Like Ziraat, it has a wide branch network.

The same questions apply to VakıfBank: which proof of address they accept (a utility bill or an address registration), whether a Turkish mobile number is mandatory, and what kind of account they open for non-residents.

The criteria that actually decide it

Instead of searching for the name of the "best bank", weigh these seven criteria for your own situation:

1. A branch near your home or work. Opening the account and many later changes require a visit in person; a reachable branch matters more than the bank's name.
2. Service language. Ask whether a member of staff can explain things in English and whether the app has an English interface.
3. Foreign-currency account. If your income or savings are in dollars or euros, ask from the start whether an FX account can be opened next to the lira account.
4. A card for non-residents. Some banks do not issue cards to customers without a residence permit, or issue them with limits; clarify this before opening.
5. Fees. Ask in writing for the account maintenance fee, card issuance and renewal fees and domestic transfer charges.
6. Current policy on foreign customers. The most important and least stable criterion. At the time of writing (October 2026) there is no official, lasting list of banks that open accounts for Iranians without residence, and experiences shared on social media go stale within months.
7. How the bank behaves afterwards. Ask residents you know how strict the bank is about document updates and transaction reviews, and how long it takes to resolve a temporary block at the branch.

A simple rule

If two banks are equal on these criteria, choose the one whose branch is closer and whose staff explained the conditions more clearly. A bank that is transparent at the first meeting usually stays more transparent later.

Before you go to the branch

Turkish law does not prohibit foreign nationals from opening accounts; the decision rests with the bank and its risk policy. What all four banks have almost in common is the basic paperwork: a valid passport, a potential tax number (potansiyel vergi kimlik numarası), which is free and issued at any tax office or through the Revenue Administration's online form, proof of address and, in many cases, a Turkish mobile number. If you hold a residence permit, the kimlik card makes everything simpler.

Get the tax number before you go to the bank; without it almost no branch will start the process. The full document list, the difference with and without residence, and fixes for the common problems are in the guide to opening an account in Turkey.

After opening: funding your own account

Once the account is open, the next question is how money gets into it. A direct bank wire from Iran to Turkey is not available in practice, which is why most Iranians use a lira transfer to Turkey: toman is paid in Iran and lira is deposited to your own IBAN. The rate and fee of every request are confirmed before anything is done, and the bank receipt is handed to you after the deposit.

For a first estimate, look at today's lira rate; it is the market reference rate, and the final transfer rate differs from it.

EL DÖVİZ does not open bank accounts and has no agency relationship with any of these banks; this post exists only to help you decide, and each bank's conditions must be confirmed with the bank itself.