Money and SIM Cards for a Short Visit

The official currency is the Turkish Lira. Rents are often quoted in pounds sterling, but day-to-day spending is in TL.

Current rates

TRNC Central Bank selling rates for 2026-07-07^{7 Jul 2026 ↗}:

• 1 USD = 46.8204^{7 Jul 2026 ↗} TL
• 1 EUR = 53.4677^{7 Jul 2026 ↗} TL
• 1 GBP = 62.5653^{7 Jul 2026 ↗} TL

Banks and exchange offices handle currency exchange. On the exchange-office side, the Cyprus Turkish Foreign Exchange Bureaus Association (KTDBB), a trade association, keeps a member list:

• KTDBB (Cyprus Turkish Foreign Exchange Bureaus Association) — Abdi İpekçi Caddesi, Lefkoşa/Nicosia; phone +90 542 852 0073; email info@ktdbb.org; office hours 09:00–17:00; ktdbb.org
• Exchange bureaus on the KTDBB member list: Sun Döviz, Tatis Döviz, Denizatı Döviz, Cyprus Metehan Exchange, Trust Exchange, Gesfi Döviz, Musmer Exchange, Vippay Exchange, Yalınca Exchange, Ducat Exchange, Alav Change&Exchange, Ahmet Bayraktar Exchange Office, Ahmet Pehlivanoğlu Döviz Bürosu, Hüseyin Galipoğulları Döviz Bürosu — current list on the KTDBB members page

This list does not give branch addresses; confirm the location and hours of a given bureau directly with it. Numbers and hours can change — confirm the current ones on the institution's own page.

Current central bank exchange rates:

SIM cards

Roaming on your home line may work in North Cyprus and is often enough for a trip of a few days. For a longer stay, a local SIM is usually cheaper. Two GSM operators verified for this guide: North Cyprus Turkcell (KKTCELL) and TRNC Telsim (Vodafone North Cyprus).

• North Cyprus Turkcell (KKTCELL) — Şht. Arif Salih Sok. No.12, Yenişehir/Nicosia; customer service on a KKTCELL line: 533, from other lines/abroad: 0533 878 0 533 (WhatsApp on the same number); contact page
• TRNC Telsim (Vodafone North Cyprus) — Ali Rıza Efendi Caddesi, No: 33/A, Ortaköy-Nicosia; customer service +90 542 888 05 42, WhatsApp +90 548 810 05 48, email vmol.info@vodafone.com; contact page

Numbers and addresses can change — confirm the current ones on the operator's own page.

KKTCELL lets you order a prepaid tourist line online in advance and collect it at the Turkcell service centre at Ercan Airport. Placing the online order does not activate the line on its own; it is switched on only after delivery, identity verification, and the contract steps. The form asks for a Turkish national ID number, so the flow appears geared to Turkish citizens — if you are not one, ask the operator which document is accepted and through which channel you can register. A comparable tourist-specific process for Telsim could not be confirmed for this guide; ask the operator directly if that matters to you. Package contents and prices vary, so confirm through official channels.