Setting Up Utilities and Internet in Turkey: Electricity, Water, Gas and Fibre (Abonelik Guide for Foreigners)

The first week in a new Turkish flat usually involves the same four phone calls or office visits: electricity (elektrik), water (su), natural gas (doğalgaz) and internet. Each one is a separate subscription (abonelik) with a separate company, and each one wants your ID, your address and sometimes a deposit. This guide explains what you need, the rules that protect you as a new tenant or owner, and the Turkish that gets things done at the counter.

Disclaimer: This is a language-learning guide, not legal advice. Procedures differ by city and company. Check the requirements with your local supplier and the energy regulator EPDK before you act. Facts below were checked on 14 October 2026.

Before you start: three things to have ready

1. Your ID number. As a foreigner this is the foreign identity number (yabancı kimlik numarası, usually starting with 99) on your residence permit card. Bring your passport too.
2. Proof of your right to live there: a rental contract (kira sözleşmesi) or the title deed (tapu). See our guides to renting and buying property.
3. An e-Devlet password. Many companies let you apply or approve contracts on e-Devlet, Türkiye’s government portal. The e-Devlet FAQ says foreigners with a foreign identity number can get a password in person at PTT offices or Türksat cable offices by showing a valid residence permit, or a work permit with a passport. As of October 2026 the FAQ lists a 5 TL charge for the first password and 20 TL for each replacement.

Also note the meter readings (sayaç endeksi) on the day you move in, with photos. They protect you if there is a dispute about the previous occupant’s use.

Electricity: a contract in your own name

Electricity is sold to households by the assigned supply company (görevli tedarik şirketi) for your region. e-Devlet lists 21 of them covering all 81 provinces, including Enerjisa, CK Boğaziçi, Aydem and Gediz, and many accept subscription and cancellation applications through e-Devlet.

Three rules from EPDK, the energy regulator, are worth knowing:

• You must have your own contract. EPDK says consuming electricity by paying bills issued in the previous occupant’s name counts as irregular consumption (usulsüz elektrik enerjisi tüketimi). If this is discovered, you get a 15-day notice and the supply can be cut, with a fee. Don’t “just keep paying the old bills”.
• You are not liable for the previous occupant’s debts. EPDK states the new consumer cannot be asked to take over earlier consumers’ debts at the same address.
• There may be a deposit (güvence bedeli). When you leave, it is refunded, updated using an official rate, within five working days of your request, once your bills are paid. No condition other than paying your debt may be imposed.

Water: your municipality’s utility

Water is run by the municipal water administration (for example İSKİ in Istanbul or ASKİ in Ankara), so procedures differ from city to city. Expect to show your ID, your contract or tapu, and the meter number.

One national rule applies to both water and electricity. Under the Disaster Insurance Law (No. 6305), when you open a water or electricity subscription for a home covered by compulsory earthquake insurance, the company checks that a valid DASK policy exists. Owners must take out and renew the policy every year. If you rent, ask your landlord for the DASK policy number before your appointment.

Natural gas: an inspection before it is switched on

Gas comes from the local distribution company (for example İGDAŞ in Istanbul). A regulation amendment published in the Resmî Gazete on 21 February 2026 sets several points:

• The contract is made with the person who will actually use the gas, so a tenant opens it in their own name.
• For a new subscription at an address that has had gas before, the installation is inspected within four working days of signing the contract, and the gas is then switched on. If the inspection finds problems, they must be fixed first.
• Distributors may charge a one-off deposit to customers with mechanical meters. If you ask, it must be split into at least six equal instalments with no extra charge. Customers with prepaid meters don’t pay it.

Internet: fibre, contracts and e-Devlet approval

Home internet (fibre or VDSL) is sold by private providers, and availability depends on the infrastructure (altyapı) in your building. Ask the provider to check your address before you sign. They will usually ask for your ID number and full address.

Two things are specific to foreigners and to Turkish contracts:

• Approving the contract on e-Devlet. The telecom regulator BTK runs a service on e-Devlet called Yabancılar için e-Kayıt Başvurusu Onay İşlemleri, which lets foreigners approve subscription applications electronically instead of signing paper.
• Commitment contracts (taahhütlü abonelik). Cheap prices usually mean a 12- or 24-month commitment. Under the Subscription Contracts Regulation, as quoted by EPDK, leaving early can only cost you the unrecovered part of the discounts, devices or other benefits you received. And if you move to a place where the same service cannot actually be provided, you can cancel without paying those amounts.

For your mobile phone, the separate rules on registering foreign handsets are in our IMEI registration guide.

Why your bills matter later

A utility bill in your name is one of the documents used for address registration, which in turn matters for your residence permit. Set up an automatic payment instruction (otomatik ödeme talimatı) with your bank so you never miss a due date; our bank account guide shows how.

What to say at the counter

The accusative case is everywhere here, because you are talking about specific things: aboneliği (“the subscription”), sözleşmeyi (“the contract”).

Siz:      Merhaba, yeni taşındım. Elektrik aboneliği açtırmak istiyorum.
          (Hello, I've just moved. I'd like to open an electricity subscription.)

Görevli:  Kimliğiniz ve kira sözleşmeniz yanınızda mı?
          (Do you have your ID and rental contract with you?)

Siz:      Evet, buyurun. Bu da ikamet izni kartım.
          (Yes, here you are. And this is my residence permit card.)

Görevli:  Tesisat numarasını biliyor musunuz?
          (Do you know the installation number?)

Siz:      Evet, eski faturada yazıyor. Sayacın fotoğrafını da çektim.
          (Yes, it's on the old bill. I also took a photo of the meter.)

Görevli:  Tamam. Güvence bedeli ödemeniz gerekebilir.
          (OK. You may need to pay a deposit.)

Siz:      Önceki kiracının borcu var mı? Onu ben ödemek zorunda mıyım?
          (Does the previous tenant have a debt? Do I have to pay it?)

Görevli:  Hayır, önceki kiracının borcu size geçmez.
          (No, the previous tenant's debt doesn't pass to you.)

On the phone to an internet provider:

Siz:      Bu adreste fiber altyapı var mı?
          (Is there fibre infrastructure at this address?)

Temsilci: Kontrol ediyorum... Evet, var. Kampanyamız yirmi dört ay taahhütlü.
          (I'm checking... Yes, there is. Our offer comes with a 24-month commitment.)

Siz:      Taşınırsam ve yeni adreste hizmet yoksa cayma bedeli öder miyim?
          (If I move and there's no service at the new address, do I pay a cancellation fee?)

Temsilci: Hayır, o durumda ödemezsiniz.
          (No, in that case you don't pay.)

Siz:      Kurulum ne zaman yapılabilir?
          (When can the installation be done?)

Utilities vocabulary

Common mistakes

• Using the old tenant’s account. For electricity it counts as irregular consumption, and it means bills are not in your name when you need them for address registration.
• Not writing down meter readings. Photograph every meter on moving-in day.
• Signing a 24-month internet deal without asking about moving. Ask how the provider handles a move, and remember the rule on unavailable service.
• Forgetting to close subscriptions when you leave. Close each account and ask for your deposit back.
• Arriving without the DASK number. For water and electricity, the company checks it.

Next steps

With your utilities running, you are ready to register your address and settle in. To read bills and SMS messages from suppliers without a translator, practice the possessive suffixes (faturanız, “your bill”) and take our level test to find your starting point.