Before you start

A residence permit (ikamet) and a Turkish tax number (vergi numarası) if you intend to exchange your licence
Your valid home-country driving licence, with a notarized Turkish translation (or an International Driving Permit) to drive in the interim
A smartphone for the İstanbulkart, BiTaksi and iTaksi apps (English interfaces available)
Some cash or a Turkish bank card to load the İstanbulkart and pay metered taxi fares

Step-by-step

1
Get an İstanbulkart and learn the network (incl. the ferries)
Buy a reloadable İstanbulkart (a few US$) from a yellow 'Biletmatik' machine at the airport or any metro/tram station, then top it up at the same machines, kiosks (büfe) or the İstanbulkart app. One card works on the metro, tram, Metrobüs, the under-Bosphorus Marmaray, buses, funiculars and the Şehir Hatları ferries, with automatic transfer discounts when you change lines. On distance-based lines (Marmaray, Metrobüs) and a few long ferry routes you tap in on entry and tap out on exit; one card can pay for several people. The Bosphorus ferries (e.g. Eminönü–Üsküdar ~15 min, Beşiktaş–Kadıköy ~20 min) are the cheapest, fastest and most scenic way to cross between continents.
In personWho: YouSame dayCard a few US$; rides under US$1; ferries a little more
2
Use BiTaksi or iTaksi instead of hailing yellow cabs
Istanbul's licensed taxis are yellow and metered, but flagging one on the street carries a real reputation for refusing short trips and 'rounding up' fares with tourists. Hail through an app instead: BiTaksi (the most popular, Turkish-made, English UI) or iTaksi (run by the municipality, İBB). Uber operates in Istanbul too, but it dispatches the same licensed yellow taxis on the same metropolitan meter — there is no separate cheaper UberX. The apps add live tracking, the driver's plate and photo, in-app payment and an automatic receipt, which is the practical defence against overcharging.
Mobile appWho: YouOn demandMetered fare (all apps use the same official taxi meter)
3
Drive on your foreign licence for up to 6 months
As a visitor or newcomer you may drive on your valid home-country licence for up to 6 months from your date of entry. Keep a notarized Turkish translation of the licence with you at all times — or carry an International Driving Permit (IDP) — especially if your licence isn't in the Latin alphabet. This window is the grace period before you are expected to convert; once you actually hold a residence permit, relying on the foreign licence becomes legally risky, so treat the exchange as the next step.
In personWho: You (driver)Valid up to 6 months from entryNotarized translation ~US$15-30
4
Exchange your licence for a Turkish sürücü belgesi (once resident)
Book an appointment via the national NVİ portal (randevu.nvi.gov.tr or Alo 199) and apply in person at your District Population Office (İlçe Nüfus Müdürlüğü). Türkiye has reciprocal recognition agreements with the EU, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea and many more, so eligible nationalities exchange their licence with NO written or practical exam. Bring your original licence and a notarized Turkish translation, residence permit, tax number, a driver health report (sağlık raporu), one biometric photo, your blood type, and the fee receipt. The card is typically issued within a few weeks.
OnlineWho: You (via NVİ appointment + İlçe Nüfus Müdürlüğü)Appointment + ~2-4 weeks~US$200-280 in official fees + translation/health report
5
Optional: owning and running a car
Cars are expensive in Türkiye because of heavy taxes (notably ÖTV / special consumption tax stacked on top of VAT). If you buy one, you must carry compulsory third-party traffic insurance (trafik sigortası), pass the periodic TÜVTÜRK vehicle inspection (muayene), and fit an HGS toll sticker/transponder to pay automatically for the Bosphorus bridges, tunnels and intercity motorways. Unpaid tolls, fines or tax on the plate will block your inspection until cleared. Combined with brutal congestion and aggressive driving, most expats conclude a car is a liability inside the city.
In personWho: You / car dealer / insurerOngoingHGS small; muayene every 2 yrs; trafik sigortası annual; ÖTV baked into car price

Documents you’ll need

Valid home-country driving licence + notarized Turkish translation (or International Driving Permit)
Residence permit (ikamet) and Turkish tax number (vergi numarası)
Driver health report (sağlık raporu), one biometric photo, and blood-type record
İstanbulkart (for daily transit) — purchased from station machines or kiosks

Things most newcomers don’t know

Don't plan your life around driving — transit plus the ferries genuinely outperforms a car in Istanbul.

Istanbul's congestion is among the worst on Earth, while one İstanbulkart spans metro, Metrobüs, the under-Bosphorus Marmaray and the cross-continent ferries. A bridge crossing that crawls for an hour by car is a cheap 15-20 minute ferry ride with a sea view.

Source: Metro İstanbul / Şehir Hatları; expat transport guides (2026)

You have a 6-month grace period on your home licence — but it closes, and residency closes it faster.

Visitors can legally drive on a foreign licence (with translation/IDP) for up to 6 months from entry. After that, or once you hold a residence permit, the foreign licence is no longer a safe basis to drive, and you must exchange it.

Source: NVİ (nvi.gov.tr); Koç University ICO 'Driving in Türkiye' (2026)

Most nationalities exchange their licence with no driving test at all.

Türkiye has reciprocal recognition agreements with the EU, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea and many others, so eligible holders simply swap the licence at a Nüfus office after submitting documents — no written or practical exam.

Source: NVİ (nvi.gov.tr); licence-exchange guides (2026)

Always summon a taxi through BiTaksi or iTaksi rather than flagging one down.

Yellow cabs have a well-earned reputation for refusing short rides and overcharging foreigners. The apps lock the trip to the official meter and record the driver, plate and route — and note that Uber here is just the same yellow taxis dispatched through an app, not a cheaper alternative.

Source: Istanbul tourist-information & expat ride-hailing guides (2026)

Common mistakes to avoid

Driving on your home licence past the 6-month window (or after getting residency) without exchanging it — you risk fines and invalid insurance.
Carrying the foreign licence with no notarized Turkish translation or IDP — required if the licence isn't in Latin script, and demanded at checks.
Forgetting to tap OUT on Marmaray, the Metrobüs or long ferry routes — you forfeit the distance-based refund and overpay.
Buying a car without budgeting for ÖTV-inflated prices, compulsory trafik sigortası, TÜVTÜRK muayene and an HGS tag — and assuming a car beats transit inside the city (it usually doesn't).