Turkcell's tourist packages, priced in Turkish lira
Kuzey Kibris Turkcell's prepaid page has a group of packages labelled Exclusive For Tourists. At the time of checking, the Tourist Plus package, also called Tourist Surfer, cost 699 TL for 15 days and included 30 GB of internet, 100 minutes towards local and Turkey lines, 50 minutes towards local, Turkey and international lines, and 500 SMS. The package page says the internet included is valid for use in the TRNC, which is the abbreviation the operator uses for the north, and that calls to a list of countries are not possible within the international minutes.
A separate application page, headed North Cyprus Tourist Package, describes discounted online-only pricing and shows a Fast Tourist Package at 599 TL for 15 days, with 55 GB of internet, 25 minutes towards local, Turkey and international lines and 100 minutes towards local and Turkey lines. The two pages list different allowances and prices for what looks like the same kind of product, so treat both as what the operator showed on the day we checked, and confirm the current offer before you pay.
Ordering online and collecting at Ercan Airport
The application page says you can make a request on kktcell.com and pick the package up from the Turkcell Contact Center at Ercan Airport. It stresses that the online step is only a preliminary request: it does not create a subscription or activate the line, which can be activated only after delivery, identity verification and completion of the contract process. The form asks for a name, e-mail, ID or passport number, phone number and birth date, and takes card details.
The page also says you must collect the requested line within 30 days at the latest. If the line is not collected or the subscription process is not completed in that time, the amount collected or pre-authorised is not refunded, so time the request to your arrival date. The page title refers to an online eSIM, but the text we read describes collecting a line, so we do not state that this route delivers an eSIM.
eSIM from Turkcell and from KKTC Telsim
Turkcell's eSIM service page, which we read in Turkish, says that for a new Kuzey Kibris Turkcell eSIM line you come to a Turkcell Communication Centre and scan a QR code created by a customer representative. To convert an existing SIM you can call +90 533 878 05 33 or visit a centre. After the line is activated, a QR code is sent to your e-mail address, and the phone needs an internet connection while the profile is installed. The page says the only charge is the standard SIM change fee, and that a line on a SIM not compatible with 4.5G can be changed to an eSIM free of charge.
KKTC Telsim's eSIM page, also in Turkish, offers two routes. You can visit a Telsim Shop, where staff create a QR code for you to scan, or you can send a text message from the device you want to use, writing eSIM followed by an e-mail address to 7000, after which customer service calls you, verifies your identity and sends a QR code. For a first-time subscription, it says the documents needed for an ordinary line also apply to an eSIM subscription, and it does not list them for a visitor. As with Turkcell, it says there is no charge beyond the standard SIM replacement fee. The page gives no visitor or tourist package, so this guide cannot compare Telsim with Turkcell's tourist range.
Using a phone across the Green Line
Turkcell's tourist package says its included internet is valid in the TRNC, so a package bought for the north is not stated to cover the south. For a prepaid line the operator lists a separate South Cyprus 4.5G Roaming Package of 1 GB valid in South Cyprus at 70 TL per day. The same page also lists weekly roaming discount packages and a Mega Roaming package for calls in Turkey.
What we could not confirm
The pages read for this guide describe no ready-to-install visitor eSIM bought online and delivered by e-mail: both operators' eSIM pages start with a shop visit, a call or an identity check. They also set out no SIM registration rule for foreigners, no coverage map and no statement of speeds. Turkcell's pages mention 4.5G, which is a label used by the operator, so we do not quote it as a measured speed.
The UK Foreign Office lists 112 for Cyprus, and its separate section on the north gives no numbers. A Turkcell tourist package collected at Ercan Airport is the route to a local number that the operator describes.
Entry rules and travelling in the north
The UK Foreign Office page for Cyprus, last updated on 14 August 2026, says British citizens can travel to Cyprus without a visa for up to 90 days as tourists, and that the Republic of Cyprus authorities count time in the north towards the 90-day total. You can use any crossing point to move between the north and south, but only pedestrians can use the crossing points at Ledra Palace and Ledra and Lokmaci Street. At Cyprus border control you may be asked to show a return or onward ticket and prove you have enough money for your stay.
The page says that if you enter the Republic of Cyprus through the north, such as through Ercan Airport, the authorities will consider you to have entered illegally, and you could be fined, refused entry to or exit from the Republic, or prevented from crossing back into the north. It says to get your passport stamped on entry and exit. The page is written for people travelling on a British citizen passport.
On the status of the area, the Foreign Office says the Republic of Cyprus is a full EU member but the country is divided by the Green Line, and the British government does not recognise the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. It says it can provide only limited consular support in areas of the north not under the control of the Republic, and that the authorities in the north do not share information with the British High Commission about the location, wellbeing or treatment of British nationals, which may leave you more vulnerable.
Cars hired in the Republic often have no insurance cover in the north, and you will not be allowed through a crossing without the correct insurance documents, although at some crossing points you can buy insurance for the north. There are controls on goods bought in the north and taken across the Green Line, such as a limit of 40 cigarettes per person, and the authorities can confiscate goods and fine you.
Wildfires, photography, clinics and emergency numbers
The Foreign Office says there is a high risk of wildfires during the summer season from April to October, and advises making sure your mobile phone is registered to receive emergency alerts. It says crime against tourists is not common, that drink spiking is a risk, and that avoiding photographs near sensitive areas such as military buildings matters because the authorities could arrest you. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in the north but not widely accepted, according to the page.
It warns that fertility treatment in the north carries risks because clinics are not regulated in the same way as in the UK. Rental companies often ask for your passport as a deposit, which the page says is illegal, so never hand it over that way.
For Cyprus the Foreign Office gives one number, 112, covering ambulance, fire and police, and tells you to call it if you are in immediate danger from a wildfire. Its section on the north gives no separate numbers, so this guide states none. For urgent help for a friend or relative abroad it lists FCDO in London on 020 7008 5000, open 24 hours.
Networks our Northern Cyprus plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Northern Cyprus, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- 2degrees5G
- 35G
- 3 DK5G
- 3 SE5G
- 3 UK4G
- A15G
- A1 HR5G
- A1 MK4G
- A1 SI5G
- A1 Srbija4G
- Afghan Wireless Communication Company (AWCC)4G
- Africell5G
- AFRICELL5G
- Africell RDC4G
- Airtel5G
- Airtel Uganda Ltd.4G
- AIS5G
- Alands Mobiltelefon4G
- Algerie Telecom Mobile (ATM)4G
- aliv4G
- ALOU (CV MOVEL)4G
- Altice Dominicana5G
- ALTICE Dominicana5G
- AndorraT5G
- Asiacell4G
- AT&T Mexico5G
- Atlantique Telecom Togo4G
- AWCC4G
- Bakcell5G
- BAKCELL5G
- Be Aliv4G
- beeline4G
- Beeline4G
- Belize Telemedia4G
- Bell5G
- BH Mobile4G
- Bouygues Telecom5G
- BTL4G
- Cable & Wireless5G
- Cable & Wireless Panama5G
- CABLE AND WIRELESS PANAMA5G
- CelcomDigi5G
- Cellcard4G
- Cellcom5G
- Cellcom Israel5G
- Cellfie5G
- Cellfie Mobile5G
- Cellplus my.t5G
- Celtel Niger (Airtel)4G
- China Mobile5G
- China Telecom4G
- China Unicom5G
- CHINA UNICOM GSM5G
- Chunghwa5G
- Claro5G
- CLARO AR4G
- Claro Argentina4G
- Claro CR4G
- CLARO CR4G
- CLARO GSM4G
- CLARO URUGUAY4G
- CLARO UY4G
- ClaroPER4G
- CSL5G
- CTM5G
- Digicel5G
- DIGICEL4G
- Digicel (BVI) Limited4G
- Digicel (Fiji)4G
- Digicel (Turks and Caicos)4G
- Digicel Antilles Francaises Guyane (French West In4G
- Digicel Aruba4G
- Digicel Curacao4G
- Digicel Guyana4G
- Digicel Jamaica5G
- DigicelF4G
- DNA4G
- Drei5G
- DST Communications5G
- DSTCom5G
- du5G
- Du5G
- Econet4G
- EE5G
- ENTEL5G
- Entel Peru5G
- epic5G
- Epic5G
- ERONET4G
- Ethio Telecom5G
- Faroese Telecom5G
- FL15G
- Flow4G
- FLOW (LLA)4G
- Free5G
- Free Caraibe4G
- Free Mobile5G
- Gabon Telecom4G
- GEOCELL5G
- Geocell Ltd5G
- GIBTEL5G
- Gibtelecom5G
- Glo Mobile4G
- GLOBE5G
- Globe Telecom5G
- gomobile5G
- Grameen4G
- GrameenPhone4G
- Hi3G5G
- HOT IL5G
- Hot Mobile5G
- Hutch4G
- Hutchison Telecom4G
- ICE Norge5G
- ICE Norge AS5G
- ILIAD5G
- Integra Technologies Group4G
- IPKO5G
- Irancell4G
- Jazz4G
- JIO4G
- JT5G
- KDDI5G
- KPN5G
- KT5G
- KYIVSTAR4G
- LAO TELECOMMUNICATIONS5G
- LIBERTIS4G
- Liberty5G
- LIBERTY5G
- lifecell4G
- LMT5G
- LTC (Laos Telecommunications)5G
- m:tel4G
- Maxis5G
- MegaFon5G
- MEO5G
- Meteor5G
- METEOR5G
- MIC 2 (touch)4G
- MobiCom4G
- Mobilis4G
- Mobily5G
- Mobitel5G
- Moldcell4G
- MONACO5G
- Monaco Telecom5G
- Movistar5G
- MOVISTAR5G
- Movistar Chile4G
- Movistar Mexico4G
- Movitel4G
- MTEL5G
- MTML4G
- MTN4G
- MTN Zambia4G
- MTN-RWA4G
- MTS4G
- my.t cellplus5G
- Ncell4G
- Netcom5G
- NetCom5G
- NL KPN5G
- NOS5G
- Nova5G
- NOVA5G
- Nuuday5G
- Nuuuday5G
- O25G
- O2 - CZ5G
- o2 - de5G
- O2 - SK5G
- O2 Germany5G
- Odido5G
- Omantel5G
- One NZ5G
- Ooredoo5G
- Optus5G
- Orange5G
- ORANGE5G
- Orange Bissau4G
- Orange Caraibe4G
- Orange France5G
- Orange Guinee4G
- Orange L4G
- Orange Liberia4G
- Orange Mali4G
- Orange Moldova4G
- Orange Reunion5G
- Orange Tunisie5G
- OrangeJO4G
- P4 Play5G
- Pelephone5G
- PLUS5G
- Polkomtel5G
- PrimeTel4G
- Proximus5G
- Reliance Jio India Andhra Pradesh4G
- Reliance Jio India Assam4G
- Reliance Jio India Bihar4G
- Reliance Jio India Delhi4G
- Reliance Jio India Gujarat4G
- Reliance Jio India Haryana4G
- Reliance Jio India Himachal Pradesh4G
- Reliance Jio India Karnataka4G
- Reliance Jio India Kerala4G
- Reliance Jio India Kolkata4G
- Reliance Jio India Madhya Pradesh4G
- Reliance Jio India Maharashtra4G
- Reliance Jio India North East4G
- Reliance Jio India Orissa4G
- Reliance Jio India Punjab4G
- Reliance Jio India Rajasthan4G
- Reliance Jio India Tamil Nadu4G
- Reliance Jio India Uttar Pradesh (East)4G
- Reliance Jio India Uttar Pradesh (West)4G
- Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited4G
- Reliance Jio West Bengal4G
- Rogers5G
- ROGERS5G
- Salt5G
- Salt.li4G
- ScanCom (MTN)4G
- Servei de Telecomunicacions d'Andorra (STA)5G
- SFR5G
- Siminn5G
- SIMINN5G
- Singapore4G
- Singtel5G
- SingTel5G
- SK Telecom5G
- Smart4G
- SMART5G
- SoftBank5G
- SONATEL4G
- Spacetel - MTN4G
- Spark5G
- Spark NZ5G
- StarHub5G
- stc5G
- STC5G
- Sunrise5G
- Sure4G
- Swazi MTN4G
- T-Mobile5G
- T-Mobile USA5G
- Taiwan Mobile5G
- Tango5G
- TANGO5G
- Tcell4G
- TELCEL5G
- Telcell N.V.4G
- Telcell St Maarten4G
- TELCO OI5G
- TELE Greenland4G
- Tele25G
- Tele2 EE5G
- Tele2 Latvia5G
- Tele2 LT5G
- Tele2 LV5G
- Tele2 SE5G
- Telecel4G
- Telecel S.A.4G
- Telecom Liechtenstein5G
- Telefonica Moviles Espana5G
- Telekom5G
- TELEKOM5G
- Telekom Srbija4G
- Telekom.me5G
- Telemach5G
- TELEMACH5G
- Telemovil4G
- Telenor5G
- TELENOR5G
- Telenor DK5G
- Telenor Norge5G
- Telenor Pakistan4G
- Telia5G
- Telia FI5G
- Telia Finland5G
- Telkomsel5G
- TELKOMSEL5G
- Telus5G
- TELUS5G
- Tigo4G
- TIGO5G
- TIGO GUATEMALA5G
- TIGO Paraguay4G
- Tikiphone (Vini)5G
- TIM5G
- TIM Brasil5G
- TM HR5G
- True Move H5G
- Turk Telekom5G
- Turkcell4G
- Tusass4G
- Ucell5G
- Umniah4G
- Unitel4G
- US Cellular5G
- UTS NV.4G
- Velcom4G
- VELCOM4G
- Verizon5G
- Viettel5G
- VINAPHONE4G
- Viva Armenia5G
- Vivo5G
- voda HU5G
- voda IE5G
- voda NL4G
- Vodacom4G
- Vodafone5G
- VODAFONE5G
- Vodafone Ghana4G
- Vodafone Idea4G
- Wind Tre5G
- WINDTRE5G
- Yettel5G
- Zain5G
- ZAIN5G
- Zain IRAQ4G
- Zain JO5G
- zain KW5G