Language: Turkish is the official language, but English is widely understood in the main tourist areas.
Currency: The official currency is the New Turkish Lira (TRY), which was introduced on 1 January 2005, whereby six zeros were dropped from the TL and the sub-unit New Kurush was created. Currency can be exchanged at banks, exchange booths, post offices, airports and ferry ports; banks have the worst rates and highest commissions, but will exchange lesser known foreign currencies. Banks open mainly Monday to Friday, but some are open daily in tourist areas. ATMs are widely
available in major cities and tourist areas, but Turkish ATM keypads usually do not have letters of the alphabet on their keys. Most bank branches have ATMs which accept Cirrus and Plus. Major credit cards are widely accepted; the most popular are Visa or MasterCard, but American Express is accepted in many of the more expensive places. Travelers cheques can be exchanged at some banks and currency exchange offices, but are not as welcome as cash or credit cards. US dollars or Euros are preferred. Some pensions and hotels in the most popular destinations accept US dollars as payment.
Time: Local time is GMT +2 (GMT +3 from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October).
Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz. The European two-pin plug is standard.
Communications: The international country dialing code for Turkey is +90. The outgoing code is 00, followed by the relevant country code (e.g. 0044 for the United Kingdom). City/area codes are in use, e.g. Istanbul Asya (Asia side) is (0)216 and Istanbul Avrupa (Europe side) is (0)212. GSM 900 and 1800 networks cover most of the country. Internet cafes are available in the main towns and resorts.
Duty Free: Travelers to Turkey do not have to pay duty on the following items: 200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars, or 200g tobacco, and 200 cigarette papers, or 50g chewing tobacco, or 200g pipe tobacco, or 200g snuff tobacco. Alcohol allowance includes 1 liter or 700ml bottle of wine or spirits. Other allowances include 5 bottles perfume up to 120ml each; gifts to the value of EUR255.65; electronic articles to the value of EUR255.65; tea and coffee for personal consumption; jewelry and guns for sporting purposes permitted by foreign travelers. Tape recorders, record players and transistor radios have to be declared on arrival. Restricted items include playing cards limited to one pack.
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