Transport
Student Istanbulkart and public transport basics
Istanbulkart is the city's transport card for buses, Metrobüs, metro, trams, funiculars, and city ferries. University students can get a discounted student card. This guide covers card types, who qualifies, how to apply, current prices, topping up, and how transfers work.
How to read this guide. Legal requirement marks rules set by Turkish law or an official authority, with a link to the source. Recommendation marks practical advice from this guide, not a legal duty. Needs confirmation marks details we could not fully verify from an official source, or that change often. This is general information, not legal advice.
Labels on this page: Official rule marks rules and prices published by İstanbulkart (BELBİM), İETT, Metro İstanbul, or Şehir Hatları.
Card types
| Card | What it is for |
|---|---|
| İstanbulkart (standard) | Pay-as-you-go card for transport and shopping, sold at ticket machines (biletmatik) and dealers. Can be used without registering. |
| Personalised (registered) card | Official rule A card must be personalised to get transfer discounts, distance-based refunds, and balance protection if it is lost. |
| Student card (Öğrenci, a type of discounted card) | Personal discounted card for students whose active student status is confirmed in the MEB or YÖK systems. |
| Öğrenci İstanbulkart Plus | Student payment card that charges the student fare. Official rule It cannot hold a monthly subscription (abonman), and reverts to full fare when you stop being a student. |
| Mavi (blue) card | Monthly subscription card. It can also be topped up with money. |
Who can get a student card
- Official rule All university students are eligible, with active student status confirmed in the YÖK system.
- Official rule Students older than 29 travel at a higher student rate (the student fare plus 10%). Master's and PhD students over 29 can keep the normal student fare by uploading proof that they are not employed or registered as business owners, using e-Devlet and SGK documents dated within 30 days, at belge.istanbulkart.istanbul.
- Official rule Foreign students whose temporary YÖK number starts with 97 or 98 must apply in person at an İstanbulkart Application Centre, not online. Bring your original passport, a recent passport photo, and a student certificate issued within the last month.
Needs confirmation İstanbulkart does not say whether foreign students need a residence permit or foreigner ID number for the student card, or which identity documents foreigners use for the online account check. İstanbulkart's own wording says "over 29" while the İETT fare poster says "over 30" for the higher student rate. Ask at an application centre or your international student office if you are unsure.
How to apply
Online (most students)
- Go to istanbulkart.istanbul → Online İşlemler and open individual services (Bireysel İşlemler) at bireysel.istanbulkart.istanbul.
- Register or log in with your mobile phone number. Official rule Applicants aged 18 and over must complete the account identity check (KYC).
- Choose card application (Kart Başvurusu), then Öğrenci (student).
- Choose delivery to your Istanbul address (shipping included in the payment), or collection from an application centre or service point.
- Pay the card fee online.
Official rule İstanbulkart announced on 9 January 2026 that student card applications are accepted online only, except for the groups that must apply at a centre (such as 97/98 temporary-number foreign students).
At an application centre (97/98 foreign students and other listed groups)
- Bring your original passport, a recent photo, and a student certificate from the last month.
- Pay the card fee by debit or credit card at the centre.
What to bring when collecting your card
If you applied online and chose to collect your card from an İstanbulkart Application Centre, prepare your documents before you travel to the centre. Centres can be busy, and a missing document can mean a second trip.
Officially confirmed by İstanbulkart (FAQ, checked 16 October 2026):
- Official rule Collect the card in person at the centre you chose, within the date and time window sent to you by SMS, and show an identity document.
- Official rule Cards ordered for delivery to your address cannot be collected from an application centre.
- Official rule Cards not collected within three months are destroyed.
Practical checklist for international students. This list is our advice to help your visit go smoothly. Only the identity document is an officially confirmed requirement. The other two items are marked Recommendation: İstanbulkart does not list them as mandatory.
Needs confirmation Rules can change, and a centre may ask for something else. Before you go, check the current instructions in the official İstanbulkart frequently asked questions (under "Online İşlemler", the question on collecting your card after an online application) and on the student card page, or call 153 Beyaz Masa.
Every year: renew (vize)
Official rule Student cards must be renewed (vizeleme) once a year within a set period. If you miss it, the card charges the full fare until you renew. Your student status is also checked during the year.
Needs confirmation Processing and delivery times, photo specifications, and the dates of the yearly renewal period are not published on the pages we checked. Watch İstanbulkart announcements.
Prices (2026)
Card fees
| Card | Card fee | Yearly renewal (vize) |
|---|---|---|
| Student / discounted card, Öğrenci İstanbulkart Plus | 140 TL | 65 TL |
| Personalised card | 140 TL | — |
| Mavi (subscription) card | 140 TL | — |
| Standard İstanbulkart | 165 TL | — |
Source: İstanbulkart fees and limits page, checked 16 October 2026 (no effective date shown). İstanbulkart sometimes runs campaigns that reduce card fees; check its campaigns page.
Fares on buses, Metrobüs, metro, tram, Tünel, and funiculars
| Fare type | Full fare | Student | Student over 29/30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single journey | 46.20 TL | 22.55 TL | 41.58 TL |
| Monthly subscription (Mavi) | 3,628 TL (180 journeys) | 653 TL (200 journeys) | 3,265 TL |
| First transfer | 34.40 TL | 11.21 TL | See the İETT tariff |
| Second transfer | 26.42 TL | 10.62 TL | |
| Third to fifth transfer | 17.18 TL | 9.26 TL |
Source: İETT public transport tariff, valid from 20 July 2026 (İBB Assembly decision no. 813 of 17 July 2026). Fares on Metrobüs depend on distance; see below.
Ferries
City ferry (Şehir Hatları) fares differ by route. For example, Karaköy–Kadıköy is 65.21 TL full and 31.76 TL student. Needs confirmation The ferry tariff page shows no effective date; check Şehir Hatları fares before travelling.
Topping up
- Official top-up channels: the İstanbulkart Mobil app, the individual services website, ticket machines (biletmatik), dealers, and partner banking and finance apps.
- Official rule Top-ups in the İstanbulkart app have a service fee from 2 TL (for 30 or 50 TL) to 10 TL (for 1,000 TL); 1,500 and 2,000 TL top-ups are free. Loading a student subscription in the app costs 8 TL.
- Official rule İstanbulkart lists top-ups as free through banking apps and at A101, BİM, CarrefourSA, Migros, ŞOK, and Turkcell stores.
- Official rule At ticket machines, credit card top-ups carry a fee (1% for subscriptions, 3.5% for other loads), and cash loads onto unregistered cards cost 2 TL.
Recommendation If you have a student card, a monthly subscription is usually cheaper than single fares when you commute every day. Compare it with how many journeys you actually make.
How transfers work
- Official rule Transfer discounts apply within 2 hours of your first tap, on personalised and discounted cards.
- Official rule You cannot get a transfer discount on the same vehicle. With a discounted, free, or subscription card you must wait 30 minutes before tapping again at the same point.
- Official rule Metrobüs fares depend on the number of stops. Tap your card on the refund machine at the exit within 2 hours to get the distance refund. There is no transfer discount when you transfer onto Metrobüs. Between 01:00 and 06:00 a flat fare applies.
- Official rule Transfers onto Şehir Hatları ferries are 50% off with a personalised card within 120 minutes, except at night (00:30–05:30) and on Islands (Adalar) routes.
- Official rule Contactless bank cards are charged a higher single-ticket price, not the Istanbulkart fare.
Common mistakes
- Missing the yearly renewal and paying full fare without noticing.
- Lending your student card. Official rule If someone else is caught using your personal discounted card, the card is confiscated or blocked, and you pay a penalty: the full monthly subscription price plus the card fee the first time, and ten times the subscription price plus the card fee after that.
- Using an unregistered card, which means no transfer discounts and no balance protection if it is lost.
- Forgetting to tap out at the Metrobüs refund machines.
Practical advice
- Recommendation Until your student card arrives, use a personalised card or a standard card for a few days, and keep your top-ups small.
- Recommendation Register your card in the İstanbulkart app so you can see your balance and protect it if the card is lost.
- Recommendation Plan routes with an up-to-date journey planner and check service notices from the operators before travelling.
Official sources
- İstanbulkart: card types and student card rules Turkish.
- İstanbulkart: fees and limits Turkish.
- İstanbulkart: student applications online only (9 January 2026) Turkish.
- İstanbulkart: frequently asked questions Turkish.
- İETT: public transport fare tariff Turkish.
- Metro İstanbul: tickets and fares Turkish.
- Şehir Hatları: ferry fares Turkish.
Was this helpful?
Spotted an error or outdated detail? Suggest a correction.