Why BTCTurk and Paribu restrict Iranian accounts, and what the alternative is

Over the past two years many Iranians living in or visiting Türkiye have reported that their accounts on Turkish crypto exchanges, BTCTurk and Paribu in particular, were either never approved or were restricted after a while. Rather than individual stories, this article looks at the mechanics: what Turkish exchanges require for verification, why the lack of residence effectively closes the door, which rules have pushed platforms to review accounts, and what the alternative route for converting USDT in Istanbul looks like if your account is restricted or you could not open one at all. The information is taken from the exchanges' own help pages and legal sources as of writing (October 2026) and may age as the rules change.

What Turkish exchanges require for verification

BTCTurk describes four steps in its sign-up guide: e-mail and phone verification, scanning the ID card with the camera, a facial liveness test, and then profile details such as occupation and the purpose of the account. Another page in its knowledge base says the user's identity number is verified through Türkiye's civil registry system (NVI); in other words, the core of verification is an identity number recorded in Turkish government systems. Its help centre has separate sections for “foreign users” (changing a phone number, resetting a PIN), which shows that foreigners with an identity number can hold accounts; but the public guide does not explain how someone with only a passport would be verified.

Paribu is more explicit. Its “KYC failed” help page says in-app verification works only with the new chipped Turkish ID card, and that a driving licence, a passport, an old chipless ID, a foreigner ID card and the “blue card” cannot be scanned. Foreign nationals must tell live support that they hold a foreigner ID card so that an in-person courier process starts: the courier calls to set an appointment, comes to the stated address, photographs the documents and takes a signature. For the address step, a residence document (ikametgah) from the e-Devlet portal is required.

Taken together: the normal verification route at both exchanges rests on a Turkish ID card or a foreigner ID card, a registered identity number and an official address in Türkiye.

The 99 number and residence: the main gate

The “foreigner identity number”, which starts with 99, is issued together with the residence permit card and printed on it, according to the brochure of Türkiye's migration authority. Access to the e-Devlet portal and the address document (ikametgah) likewise depend on an address registered in Türkiye. The consequence is simple:

• Someone living in Türkiye with a valid residence permit has the 99 number, a foreigner ID card and e-Devlet access, and can go through verification (at Paribu, via the courier).
• A visitor, or someone whose permit has expired, usually has none of these and is stopped at the very first step; a passport alone is not enough.

The guide to opening a bank account in Türkiye explains the same logic for banks; crypto exchanges have moved the same way since the new law.

Why even open accounts get restricted

Since 2024 Türkiye has built a complete framework for this market, and each step has brought a wave of account reviews:

1. Law No. 7518 (July 2024): crypto platforms came under the supervision of the Capital Markets Board (SPK) and a licence became mandatory.
2. SPK implementing regulations (13 March 2025): platforms were obliged to adopt defined identification, reporting and central-registry integration structures.
3. The Crypto Asset Central Registry System (MKK, 27 May 2025): platforms report customer balances to a central registry and every investor can check their own records there, which means every account must be tied to one registered, unique identity.
4. MASAK Communiqué No. 29 (June 2025): stablecoin transfer caps and withdrawal waiting periods, covered separately in stablecoin transfer limits in Türkiye.
5. The amended remote-identification rules (March 2026): liveness detection in the video call and anti-deepfake measures became mandatory for crypto platforms.

Within this framework, platforms are obliged under the anti-money-laundering law to identify customers and beneficial owners, to monitor transactions on a risk basis and to report suspicious cases. That is why accounts opened with older documents are reviewed again, and an expired permit, a name that does not match the document (even in Turkish characters), an outdated address or an unusual transaction pattern can lead to a restriction. In a risk-based approach, residence status, consistency of information and country of nationality are among the assessment factors; none of the two exchanges' public pages publish a rule of the form “Iranian accounts are closed”.

Three common misunderstandings

• “Being Iranian is prohibited.” No such general rule appears in these exchanges' guides; the practical obstacle is documents and residence.
• “A passport will do.” At least at Paribu, no: the passport cannot be scanned in the app, and the foreign-national process depends on the foreigner ID card.
• “I'll use a friend's account.” That contradicts every customer-identification rule, puts that person's account at risk, and if the account is frozen you have no formal claim on the funds.

If your account has been restricted

1. Read the platform's message in full; it usually names a specific document or piece of information.
2. Follow up only through the official support channel (in the app or on the main site) and do not engage with anyone presenting themselves as “support” on social media.
3. Have your residence card, 99 number, e-Devlet address document and proof of the source of funds ready.
4. For withdrawals, allow for the legal 48- and 72-hour waiting periods.
5. Never give anyone a verification code, password or private key; an account restriction is a scammer's favourite moment.

The alternative: converting USDT in person in Istanbul

For someone who holds USDT and wants lira or cash but cannot or does not want to use a Turkish online exchange, the usual route is an in-person conversion at an exchange office. It is neither better nor worse than a platform; it is different, and it is dependable when a few signs are present:

• The office has fixed premises you can visit, and you can talk to it in advance.
• It states the rate and the fee before execution, in writing, and you decide on that basis rather than on the reference rate of public pages.
• It confirms the network (TRC20, for instance) and the receiving address, and does not ask you to send USDT before that confirmation.
• Delivery is in person and comes with a receipt; it may ask for identity documents and an explanation of the source of funds, because the same legal framework applies here too.

At EL DÖVİZ this is done through a USDT conversion quote: you specify the currency, the amount and the delivery method, and the rate and fee are stated before anything is done. The day's reference USDT rate is on the USDT rate page, and for the fuller picture of networks, rules and cashing out, read the guide to Tether in Türkiye.

In short

The restriction of Iranian accounts on Turkish exchanges is less a personal decision against a nationality than the result of a law that ties verification to an ID card, the 99 number and an official address in Türkiye, and that obliges platforms to review on a risk basis. If you have residence, take the official route with complete documents; if you do not, an in-person conversion with a prior quote is the more transparent path. In both cases, never send USDT before the rate, network and address have been confirmed in writing.