Buy and sell Turkish lira in Istanbul

Buying and selling Turkish lira in Istanbul is the simplest EL DÖVİZ service and often the first step: you pay in toman and receive lira in cash at the office, as a deposit to a bank account in Turkey, or delivered to where you are staying. The reverse works too; if you hold lira and need toman, you hand over the lira and the toman equivalent is deposited to your account in Iran.

One principle never changes in either direction: the rate and the fee are confirmed before anything is executed, and nothing starts until you say yes. This page explains how the lira buy and sell rate is set, the ways you can receive lira, which documents are needed and what the steps look like.

Today's lira buy and sell rate

The table on the home page and on the Turkish lira to toman rate page shows a market reference rate, taken from a public source and refreshed every few minutes. It is fine for a first estimate, but it is not the EL DÖVİZ quote. The "buy" column is the rate at which the source buys lira from a customer and the "sell" column is the rate at which it sells; if you want to buy lira, look at the sell column, and if you want to sell lira, look at the buy column.

The final rate of each transaction depends on three things: the amount, how you pay (toman by bank transfer, toman in cash or USDT) and how you receive the lira (cash or bank deposit). That is why the proposed rate is written to you separately after your request has been reviewed, together with how long it stays valid. If the market moves in the meantime, a fresh rate is sent and the decision is still yours.

Cash lira versus lira in an account

Cash lira means banknotes you collect in person; lira in an account means an amount deposited to your own or someone else's bank account in Turkey. The two rarely trade at exactly the same rate, because sourcing them costs and works differently. If you need notes for daily spending, cash is the practical choice; if you are paying rent, tuition or a debt, a bank deposit is usually easier and leaves a clear trail. For a deposit to a third party's account in Turkey, see lira transfers to Turkey.

How you can receive the lira

Cash at the office

This is the most common option for visitors. Once the rate is confirmed and the toman has been paid, the lira is handed over at the EL DÖVİZ office in Istanbul; the notes are counted in front of you and you get a receipt. If you prefer large or small denominations, mention it in your request so it can be arranged from the day's stock.

Deposit to a bank account in Turkey

If you have a bank account in Turkey, the lira is deposited to your IBAN and the bank receipt is sent to you. For this we need the account holder's full name and the IBAN; how an account in Turkey is opened and where to find your IBAN is explained in the guide to opening a bank account in Turkey. For residents and students who already hold a lira account, this is usually the least effort.

Delivery to a hotel or address

For visitors who cannot come to the office, cash delivery to a hotel or address in Istanbul is arranged case by case, depending on the amount and the location, after the request has been reviewed. The terms, including an approximate time and any cost involved, are confirmed with you before you approve.

Who buys lira?

Visitors

Most visitors from Iran prefer to have part of their trip money in lira before departure or on the first day, so that taxis, meals and small purchases do not depend on airport and tourist-district exchange counters. Whether to bring lira from Iran, carry dollars and exchange them in Istanbul, or pay toman and collect lira from EL DÖVİZ is compared in Lira or dollars for a trip to Turkey?.

Students

Students usually need lira every month: rent, dormitory, transport and living costs. For them, a deposit to a lira account in Turkey avoids carrying banknotes each time. Tuition follows a separate route, described on the university tuition payment page.

Residents and families

People who live in Turkey, or who send money to family in Turkey regularly, need to convert toman to lira on a recurring basis. In that case the destination account details can be recorded once and later requests only need the amount.

Selling lira for toman

If you earn lira in Turkey, have sold a property or a car, or came back from a trip with lira left over, you can hand over the lira in Istanbul and receive the toman equivalent in your Iranian account. The buy rate is confirmed before the handover; after the notes are counted and the amount is agreed, the toman payment is made. The details of this route and the receiving options in Iran are on the money transfer from Turkey to Iran page.

Documents

For buying or selling lira in cash, a valid identity document (passport or Turkish residence card) is required and is checked at handover. For a bank deposit, the account holder's name and IBAN are needed as well. Depending on the amount and the circumstances, a short explanation of the purpose of the transaction may be requested; any additional document is asked for before the transaction, not at the moment of handover.

The fee and how it is quoted

EL DÖVİZ does not publish a fixed fee for buying and selling lira, because the cost of each transaction depends on the amount, the payment method and the delivery method. Every quote states the rate and the fee separately, so you know exactly how many lira you will receive or how many toman will reach your account. If you change your mind after the quote, you owe nothing.

Steps for buying or selling lira

1. Request a quote: In the quote form, choose the currencies, the amount and your preferred delivery method.
2. Rate and fee: After your request is reviewed, the proposed rate, the fee and how long the quote is valid are sent to you.
3. Your confirmation: Nothing happens until you confirm; this is the moment to ask questions.
4. Payment and delivery: You pay the toman in the agreed way and collect the lira in cash, or the deposit is made to the account. When selling lira, the order is reversed.
5. Receipt: You receive an office receipt for cash and a bank receipt for a deposit.

Buy all the trip money at once, or in stages?

The lira's rate against the toman can move either way within a trip or a semester, and nobody can guarantee the direction of the market. Many people buy what they need for the first days in cash and convert the rest in one or two further rounds as the real need becomes clear. That means less cash on you, and no leftover lira if plans or costs change.

To decide, follow the reference rate on the lira rate page for a few days to get a feel for the swings, and request a quote for your own amount; since the proposed rate can differ by amount, comparing against the table alone is not the full picture. Lira left over at the end of a trip is not wasted either: it can be converted back to toman through the same process.

Before you travel

• Both Iran and Turkey have limits on cash carried by travellers, and the figures change; read the cash limit from Iran to Turkey before you leave.
• If you carry dollars or euros and want lira in Istanbul, cash dollar and euro exchange is the better route.
• To compare every way of moving money from Iran to Turkey and pick the right one for your amount, see the guide to money transfers from Iran to Turkey.

To get started, enter the amount and your preferred delivery method in the quote form; the rate and the fee are confirmed before anything else happens.