Leaving Türkiye: closing your accounts and moving the balance abroad without leaving loose ends
Closing a Turkish bank account is simple in principle and untidy in practice: cards and automatic payments must be cancelled first, loans and credit-card balances settled, the outgoing transfer documented so the bank sends it, and the final statements kept for the foreign bank and tax authority that will ask where the money came from. For company owners there is also the tax office: a debt-free letter and, if the company is being wound up, the liquidation your SMMM runs. We prepare the closure checklist in order, the transfer's document pack, the tax clearance request, and accompany you to the branch with a sworn interpreter so that the account is closed in writing, not merely emptied.
Price — one person or one company, all accounts at one bank
State fees and the notarial tariff are paid by you directly to the state or to the notary. We are not a notary and receive no remuneration from any notary, bank or lawyer.
Last verified: 24.10.2026 · source: GİB İnteraktif Vergi Dairesi (debt status) — gib.gov.tr; TCMB — tcmb.gov.tr; MASAK — masak.hmb.gov.trPilot price, valid until 31.12.2026, incl. KDV. Bank fees, state fees and the notarial tariff are separate and paid by you to them.
Closure checklist, in the order that works
- List everything attached to the account: debit and credit cards, standing orders (rent, utilities, phone), e-commerce tokens, SGK or BAĞ-KUR debits, loan instalments.
- Cancel and settle: standing orders stopped; credit cards paid to zero and cancelled in writing (the final statement follows the billing cycle); loans closed with a closure letter.
- Tax position: debt status checked on İnteraktif Vergi Dairesi; debt-free letter requested if a foreign bank or your home tax authority will ask; company owners coordinate with the SMMM.
- Outgoing transfer: beneficiary account in your own name abroad; purpose stated; the bank may ask for the source of the balance — your own statements and the original source documents answer it.
- Final statements: full statements for the last 12 months and the closing statement, stamped; translated if the receiving country requires.
- Closure in writing: the bank's closure confirmation with date. An emptied account that stays open accrues fees and can be used for fraud.
- Afterwards: keep the closure letter and statements with your residence-permit file; de-register the Turkish phone number only after the last SMS confirmation.
Leaving residents with a company should speak to their SMMM about the company's position before closing any company account.
How it works
Inventory
You tell us the banks, accounts, cards, loans and automatic payments you know of; we help you check e-Devlet and the apps for the ones you have forgotten. You receive the checklist in order with dates.
Settle and document
Cards to zero, standing orders stopped, loan closure letters obtained. We assemble the transfer pack: statements showing how the balance was built, the original source documents, the purpose statement in Turkish for your signature, the foreign bank's requirements.
Branch visit
With a sworn interpreter: transfer ordered by you, final statements and closure letter requested, cards cancelled in writing. We ask for the closure confirmation before leaving.
Landing and confirmation
We track the transfer to the foreign bank by reference, answer any follow-up from either bank with you, and confirm in writing that each account is closed.
Typical cases
- Employee relocating after three years; salary account, credit card with an instalment plan, and a standing order for the flat; wants the balance in euro in Germany.
- Property sold, proceeds to be repatriated; the bank wants the sale documents and the original purchase DAB before sending abroad.
- Company owner winding up a Ltd; the company account closes after liquidation, in step with the SMMM's calendar, not before.
- Student graduating; small balance, a dormant second account, a phone contract still debiting.
- Account at a bank that already gave closure notice; the task is to get the balance paid out with the correct documents.
What can go wrong
- Closing the account before the last card statement. The card bills after closure; the unpaid amount becomes a default record.
- Transfer refused for lack of source documents. The money you deposited over years needs the papers from when it arrived. Keep DABs and contracts.
- Beneficiary account not in your name. Banks refuse or hold transfers to third parties on account closure. Your own account abroad.
- Leaving a dormant account open. Fees accrue; dormant accounts attract fraud; later closure from abroad is hard.
- Forgetting the tax office. A tax debt found later complicates everything from a future visa to a future account.
Questions
Can I close the account from abroad?
Some banks allow closure through the app or by a notarised and apostilled instruction; many require the holder in person. Close before you leave; it is far easier.
Will the bank ask where my money came from before sending it abroad?
Often, yes, for larger balances: the bank must document the source under MASAK rules and the foreign bank will ask the same. Your own statements plus the original source documents — salary, sale contract, DAB — answer it. We prepare that pack.
Do I need a tax clearance letter?
Türkiye does not require an exit tax certificate for individuals, but a debt-free letter is easy to obtain through İnteraktif Vergi Dairesi and some foreign banks and tax authorities ask for it. Company owners must handle the company separately with their SMMM.
Can you transfer the money for me?
No. You order the transfer in your own banking; we never hold or move money. We prepare the documents and interpret at the branch.
Related: blocked or closed account · bank letters and statements · source-of-funds pack · guide: address change notification · back to banking & finance
When are you leaving?
Opens in WhatsApp. Documents are sent through WhatsApp or e-mail during the pilot. Reply within one business hour.