How to Send Money from Germany to Turkey in 2025

As of today, 14 million foreigners live in Germany, including citizens from both the European Union and other parts of the world. The largest diaspora communities are made up of Romanians, Syrians, Poles, and Italians. Germany is also home to many immigrants from post-Soviet countries. However, the largest migrant group by population is made up of ethnic Turks.

At the beginning of 2025, there were 2.85 million people in Germany with roots in the Republic of Turkey.

In this article, we’ll discuss how Turks and other immigrants live and work in Germany, and we’ll also explore the best ways to send money to Turkey. We’ve previously written about the cost of living and taxes in Germany.

18% of Germany’s population consists of migrants. While geopolitical events often drive migration to the country, many people also come to study or work—and often stay for a long time. According to surveys, the average length of stay for foreigners in Germany is 21 years.

A significant portion of immigrants — 49% — are citizens of countries that enjoy free movement within the EU. Another 22% have arrived as refugees, and only 14% came specifically for employment.

Most foreigners prefer to settle in western Germany, particularly in regions like North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and Hesse. Migrants primarily work in catering, cleaning services, construction, and transportation management.

Turkish migration to Germany began in 1961 and was initially labor-related. The agreement between the two countries assumed that Turkish citizens would stay temporarily to support Germany’s economic growth. However, living and working conditions in the country turned out to be very attractive and the number of foreign residents continued to rise.

According to the latest data from the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, there are 1.5 million Turks living in the country, 76% of whom were born abroad. Statistics from the Turkish side report nearly twice as many people, which highlights the difficulty of making accurate estimates. Nonetheless, one thing is clear — Germany is one of the most popular destinations for Turkish immigrants.

The Turkish community in Germany remains committed to its culture and religion, continuing to practice Islam. Turkish grocery stores, restaurants, and mosques are common in many German cities.

In three out of four cases, the relatives of Turkish labor migrants remain in Turkey. As a result, there is often a need to quickly and affordably send money back home.

Let’s explore how to transfer money from Germany to Turkey, as well as to other EU countries.

Germany is part of the eurozone — an economic union of countries that use the euro as their primary currency. The union includes 20 countries, such as Spain, France, Greece, and others.

Within the eurozone, the SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) system operates, allowing users to send euros from debit and credit cards. However, SEPA also functions beyond the economic union — today, it connects 38 countries and over 7,000 banks.

Contrary to popular belief, SEPA transactions are not always free. Banks may charge a fee equal to their domestic transfer fees. To clarify: if your financial institution charges for domestic transfers, then an international SEPA transfer will cost the same.

To complete a payment, you’ll need an IBAN account number and, in some cases, a BIC code. Money can be sent through standard methods:

Payments are usually processed within one business day. Some institutions support SEPA Instant Credit Transfers, which are completed in around 20 seconds.

Let’s start with the currencies commonly used in the Republic of Turkey. The national currency is the Turkish lira, but US dollars and euros are also widely accepted — especially in shops, hotels, and restaurants, where they are often taken in cash.

Transfers outside the EU are usually not conducted directly, but through intermediary services such as Korona and Western Union. This is because Turkey is not part of the eurozone and not connected to the SEPA system.

The table below provides an overview of various payment systems, available currencies, fees, and transfer speed to the recipient.

There are more than 10 services on the market that support transfers to Turkey. In this article, we reviewed only a few of them. As shown in the table, some intermediaries charge a fixed fee, while others increase the fee as the transfer amount grows. The first option is clearly more cost-effective, helping you avoid overpaying, especially when sending large sums.

The lowest fee is offered by Korona — just €0.95. This favorable pricing is combined with fast delivery times and a wide range of available payout currencies. In addition, the system allows you to make direct card-to-card transfers to Turkey, as well as instant transfers via IBAN. The latter option is available 24/7, including weekends, and is limited to payments of up to 20,000 TRY.

Let’s take a closer look at how to send money with Korona.

To send money from Germany to Turkey, download the Korona app on your smartphone. It’s available in Google Play and the App Store.

Then follow these simple steps:

1. Log into the app using your German phone number (prefix +49). This is required to activate the currency options available in Germany.

2. Tap “Send Transfer.”

3. Select the recipient country, then choose the method of receiving money.

4. Indicate the currency in which the recipient will get the money.

5. Enter the amount you want to send and review the transfer conditions.

6. If the terms suit you, fill in your details and the recipient’s information.

7. Pay for the transfer using your bank card (enter your card details and confirm with the SMS code).

If you selected cash pickup as the receiving method, share the transfer code shown in the app after payment. The recipient can collect the money at a partner location — a passport will be required.

Cross-border transactions are subject to specific regulations — that’s why you’ll need to provide personal information when sending large amounts. Here are the limits set by the Korona service:

The maximum transferable amount is €200,000, but specific conditions depend on the destination country and the capabilities of the sender’s and recipient’s banks. The fee is fixed — €0.95.

We’ve looked at how to send money from Germany to Turkey. These transactions are carried out through intermediary services — payment systems. The market offers many options with varying conditions, but Korona remains one of the most cost-effective choices.

Here’s a helpful tip: the Turkish lira is highly volatile, so we recommend monitoring the exchange rate and choosing the right moment to send money.

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