Living in Turkey
Electric Services
Electric bills are issued every two months. Payment is either by automatic bank transfer or at banks specified. Overdue bills are paid at your district Electric Department Central Office. There is a significant charge for overdue bills.
Telephone
The cell phone has become an indispensible part of Turkish life. Getting a cell phone with a regular monthly bill requires co-signing from a Turkish citizen. Turkcel (0532) and Telsim (0542) are of this type. Other numbers are available that have replaceable cards with set amounts of talking time which are easier to acquire.
Traditional phone booths are conveniently located around the city. Phone cards can be purchased from the local vendors or from the PTT (Posta-Telefon-Telegraf) offices.
Home phone service is much more reliable than it used to be and much easier to have installed. You must present a written request to your district's Telephone Department Central Office (Genel Mudurlugu) - not the local PTT office. If your home has a phone line it will be turned on within a few days. If there are no lines you will be given an appointment for installation. It is possible to pay an extra fee for faster service.
Paying the Bills: Bills can be paid through automatic bank transfer or at banks specified. Bills past the due date must be paid at the General Office.
Water
Water bills are issued every three months. They can be paid through automatic bank transfer, at banks specified, or at your district's Water Department General Office.
Cable TV
Cable TV service can be obtained from your district's Telephone Department General Office with a written request for service. Bills are issued monthly and can be paid by automatic bank transfer or at banks specified on the bill. Overdue bills are paid at the telephone office.
At present, English language channels include: CNN, BBC World, BBC, Teleon, Prime, MSNBC, and Eurosport. CINE-5 is a for-pay channel with sporting events, movies, and sitcoms (some English, mostly Turkish). Channel E often has English-language sit-coms and movies in English with written Turkish subtitles.
Natural Gas
Most homes have been equipped with natural gas for heating. Sometimes, the cost of gas is included in your monthly general building charges. If your gas is handled separately from the general apartment, your monthly bills are paid through automatic bank transfer or at banks specified on the bill.
Some ovens and bathroom water heating units used LPG gas tubes. These are sold on trucks that visit the neighborhoods, often playing music to advertise their presence.They can also be contacted by phone.
Postal Services
Letters, magazines, and small parcels are delivered to your door by a postman. It is in your best interest to develop a good relationship with your neighborhood postman to encourage him to bring packages to your door and save you a trip to the Paket Posta in town. Also, instruct relatives and friends to send small padded envelope packages whenever possible. It also helps to have packages sent to your work address if possible.
Letters can be mailed from any PTT office. For an extra fee, the letters can be sent express and arrive within 2-3 days. Express mail services like DHL and UPS are also available.
