Receiving an international transfer in Türkiye: what the bank checks, what to prepare, what happens if it is returned

An international transfer to a Turkish account is not credited the moment it leaves the sender. It passes through a correspondent bank, then through the compliance screening of the Turkish bank, and only then reaches the account. This guide explains what is checked at each step, which documents prevent a hold, what happens when a payment is returned, and which special cases (property, salary, family, crypto) need extra preparation.

How an incoming SWIFT transfer reaches your account

The sending bank issues a SWIFT payment message, which travels through one or more correspondent banks to the Turkish bank that holds your IBAN. At each hop the message is screened against sanctions and risk lists; the Turkish bank then runs its own compliance check before crediting. The content of the message is regulated. Under Article 24 of the MASAK Regulation on Measures, an electronic transfer of 30,000 TL or more (amended 7 October 2026) must carry the sender name, account number or reference and at least one further identifier, and the bank must verify them; the receiving name and account must also be present. Under Article 5 of the same regulation the bank identifies the parties to any electronic transfer from 30,000 TL, and regardless of amount whenever it has a suspicion. In practice this means three things decide speed: the remittance text (açıklama), a receiving name that matches the IBAN holder exactly, and a sender whose relationship to you can be explained in one sentence.

What the bank may ask before crediting

For a routine amount with a clear açıklama the bank usually credits without contact. For a larger or unusual inflow it may ask, under its know-your-customer duties, for the purpose, your relationship to the sender and a document behind the amount: an invoice or contract for a commercial payment, the sale deed or preliminary contract for property money, the employment contract and payslip for salary, a short signed declaration for family support, an exchange statement for a crypto payout. Decree No. 32 is on your side: Article 4(b) lets residents hold foreign currency in bank accounts, Article 4(c) lets them accept foreign currency from non-residents, and Article 14 declares personal capital transfers from abroad free. Whether you receive euros or lira depends on the account whose IBAN you gave: a foreign-currency account (döviz tevdiat hesabı, Article 19) is credited in currency; a lira account is credited after conversion at the rate of the bank on that day. Ask the bank beforehand which account and rate it will use.

Payment on hold (askıda) and return (iade)

If the bank cannot complete its check, the transfer appears as a pending item (askıda or bekleyen işlem) and the bank sends you a document list and a deadline. The deadline is set by the bank, not by law, so answer within it in writing. The bank will not say whether it has filed a suspicious transaction report: Article 4(2) of Law No. 5549 forbids disclosure. One statutory period exists: under Article 19/A the Minister may suspend a transaction for seven working days during MASAK analysis. If the documents do not arrive or do not satisfy the bank, the transfer is returned to the sender (iade). Who pays depends on the fee option chosen by the sender: with SHA each side bears its own bank charges and correspondent charges fall on the beneficiary, with OUR the sender pays all, with BEN the beneficiary pays all. A returned amount therefore often comes back smaller; correspondent charges are rarely refunded. Keep every bank message as the record for the sender.

Is money received from abroad taxed in Türkiye?

Receiving a transfer is not in itself a taxable event. Article 2 of the Income Tax Law (Gelir Vergisi Kanunu) taxes seven categories of income; what matters is the nature of the money, not that it crossed the border. Salary from a foreign employer is the clearest case: under Article 23(14) a wage paid in foreign currency by an employer with no legal or business centre in Türkiye, out of its earnings outside Türkiye, is exempt from income tax if the employment is genuine and the cost is not booked in Türkiye. Otherwise the wage goes into the annual return, since no Turkish withholding was applied. Money given by family without consideration falls under the Inheritance and Gift Tax Law, not the Income Tax Law; exemptions and rates depend on kinship and amount. Payment for goods, services or freelance work is ordinary income. Anyone staying in Türkiye more than six months in a calendar year is a full taxpayer under Article 4. For your own figures ask an accountant.

Property purchase, salary, family and crypto: special cases

Property: since 24 January 2022 a buyer who is not a Turkish citizen pays in foreign currency, which must be sold to a bank in Türkiye, and by the bank to the Central Bank, before the title deed transaction (Capital Movements Circular, Article 13, amended 22 July 2022; TKGM Circular 2022/1). The bank issues a foreign-currency purchase document (Döviz Alım Belgesi, DAB) with your name, passport or foreign ID number and the dollar equivalent; only the buyer, seller or their representatives may sell, and the lira amount on the DAB is declared as the price at the land registry. Have the transfer land on your own account with an açıklama naming the property. Salary: give the bank the employment contract once, then repeat the açıklama monthly. Crypto payouts: Article 24/A of the MASAK regulation applies the transfer-message rules to crypto transfers; banks review these inflows closely, so keep the exchange statement. Export proceeds follow a separate regime (Article 8 of Decree No. 32), covered in our guide on international payments.

Sources

• mevzuat.gov.tr — Decree No. 32 on the Protection of the Value of Turkish Currency, Articles 4, 8, 14 and 19
• tcmb.gov.tr — Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye: Capital Movements Circular, Article 13 (foreign-currency purchase document, DAB)
• masak.hmb.gov.tr — MASAK: Regulation on Measures (identification thresholds, electronic transfer messages, Articles 5 and 24)
• tkgm.gov.tr — General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre: Circular 2022/1 on DAB for purchases by foreign nationals

Questions