Moving To Istanbul From US - Earthrelo
Unparalleled Diplomatic Relocation Services - Earthrelo

Introduction

Relocating to another country is always a major challenge. That said, If you have got your eyes set on Istanbul, here is an essential guide that you need to look into!

Boasting an incredible atmosphere with unique neighborhoods, Istanbul has its own identity and attraction. Being home to upscale hotels, ultra-modern shopping plazas, cocktail bars, and thriving nightlife, Istanbul is an exceptional expat destination. Expats moving to Istanbul will quickly spot how vibrant the city is! Moreover, considering the low cost of living, Istanbul is a top contender for individuals who are seeking to relocate anytime soon.

On that note, relocation calls for packers. Isn’t it? Well, while shipping your goods to Istanbul, make sure you reach out to the leading movers in US that ship your items safely, without damage. At Earthrelo, we are here to assist you with our phenomenal set of relocation services thus making your move seamless with our top-notch services. Without any further introduction, let’s delve into the beauty of Istanbul!

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Relocating To Istanbul From US

One major concern for every moving individual includes the pricing factor. While moving from US to Istanbul, the cost of shipping entirely depends on a plethora of factors. Furthermore, the transit time depends on the route of shipping. While parcel shipping consumes less time, ocean freight takes weeks. However, it is the most affordable route of shipping. That said, below is a precise table on the average cost of shipping a container to Istanbul.

Estimated Cost Taken To Ship A Container To Istanbul

The table is listed as per 20ft FCL container shopping.

ORIGIN DESTINATION AVERAGE US DOLLARS
Valencia Istanbul $412
Madrid Istanbul $414
Algeciras Istanbul $414
Newyork Istanbul $777
Miami Istanbul $998
Houston Istanbul $1432

Estimated Transit Time To Ship A Container To Istanbul

PORT OF ORIGIN PORT OF DESTINATION TRANSIT TIME(DAYS) 20DV FCL
New York Istanbul 44 $887
Norfolk Istanbul 42 $887
Seattle Istanbul 42 $2304
Atlanta, GA Istanbul 4 $1292
Boston Istanbul 4 $1737
Jacksonville Istanbul 3 $1562

If you are relocating to Istanbul, Earthrelo is here to assist you with every step of your international immigration. Connect with us today to schedule your in-home survey. We are right here to calculate all your shipping rates as per cubic footage and shipment method, and required services.

American Expat Living In Istanbul

Istanbul is an exceptional spot for expats who wish to move abroad. Being extremely vibrant, you can consider these destinations for your stay in Istanbul. These places are listed in terms of incredible educational facilities, cultural level, welfare status, and livability.

1. Besiktas

Situated on the European side right at the edge of the Bosphorus, Besiktas is popular for their colorful daily life, fish market, student population, bazaar, culture, art activities, nightlife, historic buildings, shopping, seaside recreation, fine dining, and wining places with ferry piers. If you want a high-standard place to stay, you can consider Besiktas.

2. Kadikoy

Having a lovely city life and lively atmosphere, this city is a vital transportation hub with an enormous student population, cultural arts, and events, cafes, pubs, inland nightlife, shopping centers, etc. Situated on the Bosphorus Asian side, this city is one of the most colorful and populated districts in Istanbul.

3. Beyoglu

This is a huge district highly popular for its cosmopolitan city life. The city hosts several iconic sights of Istanbul like the Galata Tower, Taksim Square, and Istiklal Street. The place is extremely lively with fantastic architecture and atmosphere.

4. Sariyer

Located by the far end of the Bosphorus European Shores, this city is popular for its dining places, lively city life, natural beauty, and numerous historic places.

Relocating to Istanbul? Get exceptional offers on your immigration with us! We are a professional moving company that is committed to offering effortless moving services from the US to worldwide. Send us a mail to get your moving estimate today!.

American Expat Working In Istanbul

Usually, maximum countries ask for a work permit when it comes to employment. However, being a fresh graduate, you can easily get into teaching English, doing freelancing, being a nanny, or trying in the tourism industry. Each of these works can be done without a work permit. Furthermore, you get paid in cash as well!

The English schools in Istanbul generally pay decent and genuine wages besides offering and genuine wages along with incredible benefits like health insurance and house insurance. The job of a teacher is highly in demand. You can offer private lessons as well and get paid up to $60 per hour. For women, an easy way to earn money is by being a nanny. Several positions offer $1000 per week.

The publishing industry holds lucrative opportunities as well. For freshers, there are tons of internship opportunities. Freelance transcription is also widely available for individuals who wish to work from home. If you are a journalist or writer, or you have a bachelor’s degree, you can find innumerable job opportunities in prestigious Turkish companies.

However, compared to the other EU countries, the annual paid leave is low in Turkey. Employees get paid vacation in case of funerals, weddings, or circumcisions. Vacation days are calculated on the employee’s age and the number of years he/she has been working with the firm.

  1. ) 1-5 years: 14 days
  2. ) 5-15 years: 20 days
  3. ) Over 15 years: 26 days

Employment in Istanbul is excellent. It is a place where individuals build self-made careers. Many residents opt for alternative career paths as well. Many start a business of their own. All in all, Istanbul is a perfect expat destination for Americans moving abroad.

Banking

As soon as you arrive in Istanbul, make sure you make a bank account immediately. Although several banks may not allow you to open a bank account without a proper residency card, some expat banks like ‘Turkiye İş’ bank do allow expats to create an account with a valid passport.

Bank accounts are vital here. Initially, you will also discover that Turks don’t use cheques. They use their ATM card for all purchases. Hence, if you have a US credit card, make sure you cancel it as soon as possible as per the circumstances. However, most banks don’t issue a Turkish credit card to expats. In case you use your US credit card, it will be good to keep a legal US bank account and US Mailing address.

Another thing to note is, transferring funds between a US bank account and a Turkish bank account is extremely complicated. Hence, it will be helpful if you use your US ATM card for withdrawing cash and redepositing the same in your Turkish bank. There are several ATMs in Istanbul that allow you to withdraw US dollars instead of Turkish Lira.

CATEGORY INFORMATION
Country Turkey
Timezone UTC+3 (TRT)
Currency Turkish Lira, TL. Symbol: ₺
Religion Islam
Official Language Turkish, Foreign Language:English
Dialing Code +90
Houston . istanbul and .ist
Driving On The Right Side
Emergency Numbers Police (155), Fire (110), Ambulance (112)

Healthcare

There are tons of hospitals in Istanbul that offer exceptional medical care. Most of the hospitals are accredited by JCI and hold advanced technologies. Private hospitals hold internationally trained doctors and nurses to cater to all the needs of residents. Being an expat, you can visit hospitals including,

  • American Hospital
  • International Hospital
  • German Hospital
  • Acibadem Memorial
  • Florence Nightingale Hospital

However, these hospitals not only offer the key treatments and checkups but they have special units for organ transplantation, plastic surgery, and lasik eye treatments. Conditions like psychological issues and nutritional issues are also addressed.

In Istanbul, pharmacies are denoted by a White, square sign of the letter “E”. Maximum pharmacists and chemists (eczan) are open Monday-Saturday between 10:00-19:00. In addition, each neighborhood holds one on-call pharmacy (nöbetci eczane), which provides special assistance in case of emergency. They are open between 19:00-10:00. However, bear in mind, they might not speak English.

Housing And Accommodation

Finding a proper apartment in Istanbul is crucial. You can search for accommodations in expat groups on Facebook. Local websites like Hürriyet Emlak and Sahıbınden are the most famous places to search for apartments. Alternatively, you can opt for the old-fashioned route of searching for accommodations in local newspapers like Hürriyet, Milliyet, or Zaman. However, bear in mind that these will be available in Turkish. In case you have not picked up the local language yet, you can connect with a real estate agent to assist you in finding perfect housing in Istanbul.

Rental prices in Istanbul vary highly. It depends on the location of your new apartment. Rents for a one-bedroom apartment can vary between 1000 TRY and 2,000 TRY. You need to pay an advance payment of 6-12 months as a security deposit as per the norm in Istanbul. Furthermore, your landlord may even demand you to pay your rent in USD or Euro. In several places, landlords might not offer accommodation as they look for long-term tenants.

Another easy way to arrange the house is to go through websites such as Erasmusu. It shows cheap and genuine accommodations. You may consider hiring a real estate agent as well. However, keep in mind that these agents often charge a lump sum fee equal to at least one month’s rent.

Visa And Registration

Usually, US citizens and several other nationalities are given visas on arrival for $20 for tourism. This visa allows you to stay in the country for 90 days. The new tourist visa restricts the visit to Istanbul up to 90 days out of every 180 days. Maximum expats prefer visa runs to make the process of acquiring residential permits easy. Permits are important as it is a matter of formality and are available via the Foreigners Department of the Provincial Security Directorate General or the Local Security Directorates throughout the country. Additionally, residential permits are generally based on student visas or work visas. The applications for these permits must be made within 30 days of your arrival in Turkey.

In case you decide to reside in Turkey, you need to apply for a proper work visa and work permit from a nearby embassy. In terms of work visas, you will be provided with a one-year temporary visa that can be renewed for another 3 years after the initial first year. The Turkish Government only provides a work visa to self-employed people after they have completed their stay in Turkey for straight 5 years.

After arriving in Turkey and applying for a residence permit, you will acquire a pink book from a foreign registry office of the local police department(Emniyet Müdürlüğü Yabancılar Şubes). Make sure you finish with this within 30 days of your arrival.

Education

The Education System in Turkey is entirely state-supervised to build a skillful Labour force in the country. Education is compulsory for every child from primary to secondary. Kindergarten is a pre-school built for children between 5-7 years focusing mainly on theatre, songs, and manners. Primary education is for children between 6-14 years and is mandatory. This stage of education focuses on the Turkish language, mathematics, arts, science, music. English is taught as a foreign language. After the eighth grade, students are placed in high schools.

Istanbul has both public and private schools. Public schools in Istanbul are free for all children along with Turkish Foreigners and Nationals. However, the standard of education varies in Turkey from place to place. Private schools can charge around $4000 per annum.

High/secondary education in Istanbul lasts for 4 years. Some schools add an extra year to prepare students for a foreign language. Students can choose any foreign language of their choice like French, English, German. Instead of focusing entirely on Islam, religious education in Istanbul is optional and a comparative study of several religions.

After high school, students can opt for universities. There are several Turkish universities in Istanbul that provide an excellent education. The quality of education even varies hugely. Some are on par with the best American Universities.

Cost Of Living In Istanbul

Compared to other European countries, Istanbul is considered a fair pricing city. It is not very expensive. Nevertheless, Istanbul is highly popular due to its historical, cultural, and economical development. Being the biggest city in Turkey, Istanbul has several things to offer for every person’s taste.

GOOD/SERVICE AVERAGE TURKISH LIRA AVERAGE US DOLLAR
Meal at an Inexpensive Restaurant 40.00 TL $15.00
Milk (1 gallon, regular) 25.10TL $3.26
Loaf Of Fresh White Bread 2.90TL $2.48
Rice (White) 5.82TL $1.80
Eggs (regular, 12) 14.88TL $2.30
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.34TL $1.80
Wine bottle (mid range) 60.00TL $12.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 15.33TL $2.51
Basic (Electricity, water, garbage) for 915 sq ft apartment 516.34TL $166.83
Internet (60Mbps, unlimited data, cable/ADSL) 118.15TL $66.04

Conclusion

Besides offering an excellent opportunity for expats, Istanbul is home to more than 16 million people. However, when it comes to relocating to Istanbul from US, make sure you connect with the leading and reliable international shippers and packers from the US to Istanbul. That said, Earthrelo offers the most suitable international package services to Istanbul. We provide the ultimate set of relocation services besides completing all the custom processes. Alongside, we take utmost care of the safety and security of your goods. Shipping goods from US to worldwide without damage, our moving company in US deals in a comprehensive range of Moving services including packaging, shipping, and unpacking at affordable rates. Being licensed US to Istanbul Movers, our team of expert assistance is dedicated to providing the best reliable transportation services to help you in moving from the US to Istanbul efficiently. Connect with us today and get FREE quotes along with the best shipping advice at cost-effective rates.

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