Mobile phone

[karmels]

I Puchase a new mobile phone for the wife while we were in Turkey on Holiday.
On our return last monday I could not get the TRNC Vodaphone sim to work. Yesterday went to the Vodaphone shop to see if they could sort it only to be told we would have to go to customs and register it.
This would have cost me 300TL in duty so we are keeping it for our holidays in Turkey.
This is a new law which came into force two weeks ago, so anybody who is thinking about bringing on in from abroad check with your server first.

[Keithcaley]

That's really odd, isn't it?

I thought that there was supposed to be a 90 day period to allow for tourists bringing in and using their own 'Foreign' mobile 'phones... Perhaps they're not allowed to fit TRNC-sourced SIM cards into them...

No doubt all will be revealed in due course!

[NorthCyprusLife]

It is not odd!
this has been in affect only for the last 2 weeks. I mentioned this on my for sale post for my phone which is NOT subject to this new legisalation. ANY phone coming into Turkey and/or TRNC is now subject to registration and tax. some reports state up to 30%!!!
It is the PHONE itself and not the network.... just when you put a TRNC sim in the phone it will automatically detect that phones individual IMEI number and you will receive a text message giving you 90 days to register and pay tax (Lefkosa)..... if you do not the phone itself will be locked.

My phone, which is for sale, has been in use in this country for 2 years.... it is NOT subject to this new legislation, it only relates to phones bought into the country after the last couple of weeks.

THerefore, used phone prices in TRNC will go up!

http://www.kibkomnorthcyprusforum.com/v ... 31&t=34330

[Keithcaley]

Yes, I did read your post, and I still think that it's odd, because....

"I thought that there was supposed to be a 90 day period to allow for tourists bringing in and using their own 'Foreign' mobile 'phones"

typo corrected 13/10/16

[IPMAN]

Is there anymore info on this? is it new phones only? most people I know either bought phones in the UK or the south and they still work!

[Keithcaley]

There's some info at http://www.bthkmcks.org if you can make any sense of it!

[IPMAN]

Ah thanks for that Keith - thats cleared that up then

[Keithcaley]

Ingrate!

[karmels]

When you put a trnc sim in your new phone if it has been imported the IMIE it transmits is not recognised and the sim will not work.
They then give you 90 days to pay the duty or the phone will be locked. I am going next week to Guruk to pay.

[Keithcaley]

...and of course, you should NEVER, EVER, accept an offer to 'clone' the IMIE of an already registered 'phone, because that would be extremely NAUGHTY!!!

[karmels]

Hi Kieth I haven't got the guts to have a go myself, and to have one of the shops to do it would very nearly be the same price as Gumruk, so we are off to Lefcosia Monday to pay. We only got caught by a week but thats life.

[Dave G]

I have a Mobile that I brought in about 18 months ago which had a non TRNC SIM card in until I decided to change to a TRNC SIM last week, does anyone know if this will be subject to import duty or how I can find out?
We may have received a text message but her in doors deletes anything she doesn't understand.

[karmels]

Vodaphone told me to go to Gumruk to register the phone, Deniz1 has written she had her phone unlocked at Turksell. We have both sim cards, my wife uses vodaphone I use Turksell, so I will put the turksell sim in the phone and see if they will open it. Will let everyone know later.

[karmels]

OK this is what happened.
We went to Turksell who gave us a printed sheet with the instructions.
The office you need to go to first is BTHK this is on the road near the BHC, if you travel up past Torros home store heading for the High commision at the top of the road you turn left at the small round about, follow this road for about 1km towards town, on the right look for Dominos Pizza the office is above. Turn right into the small side street and try to park.
Walk back and enterance is at the rear of the building, go up 3 flights of stairs the door is on your right.
Inside there is a room on the left with the form you need to fill in, you will need your passport. On this form they ask for the EMEI number, open your phone and type in *#06# this will give you the EMEI number, if this does not work take out the battery the number is printed in small numbers inside the battery well.
Once this is done go to the desk outside this room and give your form - passport and phone to the guy. you then have to pay 15TL. They will give you a receit with with the form you filld in.
You now need to go to customs ( Gumruk ) near the industrial park, go upstairs the door facing you will photo copy the form ( Free ) then go down the passage to the right you will see a form outside the office saying CEP phone,
Here you will pay the duty on the phone, IPHONEs about 250TL, our was a HTC 620 we payed 60 TL he must have taken pitty on us.

I hope this is easy to follow, any phone imported after 18th September will have to register, we tryed to find out about phone that had been imported before this date but never had a sim card put in, all they told us was to use the code *#06# if the EMEI number shows it is registered if not you will get a SMS message telling you to register within 90 days.

Today there was Turkish students having to register thier phones but not paying the full duty to customs.

[karmels]

Sorry forgot to mention the Gumruk ( customs ) duty is 30% of the value.

[Maisiemoo]

Thanks for the info, think I'll stick with my old Nokia!

[goldfish123]

Hi,
In light of this thread please can someone confirm, if bringing a UK mobile phone in and using it on UK sim card only this phone will not need registering?. IE keeping the phone as a uk phone/account only, not putting in a local sim card.

[Keithcaley]

I'm not sure - my EE/Orange UK 'phone has just lost its ability to use Turkcell or Vodafone TR (after 10 years!) - so don't know if it's related to this issue or not. Another poster thinks that it could be a contractual 'roaming' issue, and says that a Vodafone sim works ok....

I think that I've got one somewhere, so I'll try that and see what happens!

[karmels]

I don't think it is you phone Keith, it has been working long before the new laws came in.

[Keithcaley]

Ta Mel,
I'll try a Vodafone sim if I can, and report back...

[karmels]

Karens phone still not connected, they said minimun 5 days the right hand does not know what the left should be doing.
If you have neeb useing you mobile prior to this new law you are ok the phone does not need top be registered.

[karmels]

Karens phone still not connected, they said minimun 5 days the right hand does not know what the left should be doing.
If you have neeb useing you mobile prior to this new law you are ok the phone does not need top be registered.

[Dave G]

Thanks for the information Karmels
I tried the code in two iPhones, the EMEI number came up on the phone I have been using with the TRNC SIM but not on the other so I assume this will need registering, it's a bit annoying as I have meant to change this for a few weeks but the SIM needed to be cut down and I waited until it needed to be topped up, big mistake.
For information, the EMEI number is found on the SIM card holder on the iPhone and it is extremely small.
Karmels, do you turn by the Mercades show room to get to the customs office?

I thought that I posted this yesterday but when I look today I was surprised that it was not there.

[snd1966]

Very thankful for this post as it made me go and enquire about a message, due to the fact the phone I bought in turkcell here is dual sim, one sim is ok but my work one isn't ok . yes the sim is ok but not with the phone though. Rather unhappy as I bought the phone here to save myself hassle. Silly me
Off to lefkosa next week so thank you karmels sharing so I know what to expect

[karmels]

Thanks for the information Karmels
I tried the code in two iPhones, the EMEI number came up on the phone I have been using with the TRNC SIM but not on the other so I assume this will need registering, it's a bit annoying as I have meant to change this for a few weeks but the SIM needed to be cut down and I waited until it needed to be topped up, big mistake.
For information, the EMEI number is found on the SIM card holder on the iPhone and it is extremely small.
Karmels, do you turn by the Mercades show room to get to the customs office?

I thought that I posted this yesterday but when I look today I was surprised that it was not there.

Dave, yes that is the turning it is upsatirs. You must register the phone first before going to Gumruk.

[Poppy+1]

A little confused with the phone registration.

We have not received a message, phone and sim are both from UK.

As we are due to go back to UK for a week soon will this activate the need to register on return to TRNC, or would it be better to use and old phone and our UK sim whilst in UK, so if old phone is blocked it won't matter as we can use it for UK visit.

[Keithcaley]

A little confused with the phone registration.

We have not received a message, phone and sim are both from UK.

As we are due to go back to UK for a week soon will this activate the need to register on return to TRNC, or would it be better to use and old phone and our UK sim whilst in UK, so if old phone is blocked it won't matter as we can use it for UK visit.

I really doubt that anyone on here can tell you that with any degree of certainty!

Probably best to go into the Telephone Company's office and ask

p.s. Let us know what they say!!!

[Poppy+1]

Thanks for advice Keithcaley

Will ask in Vodaphone in town, let you know of their response.
If there is uncertainty we will leave the phone off and use the old phone, whilst in UK.

[Dave G]

Thanks Karmels

[karmels]

Phone swithed on yesterday a week after registration.

[snd1966]

Phone swithed on yesterday a week after registration.

Is that 5 working days

Followed your instructions today to BHTk and phone has should have two working Sims, thank you no cost and no argument about when and where the phone was purchased.
The girls working today were very pleasant I kept looking behind me to check it was me they were speaking to.