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Sending lira from the UK
There's a reason this corridor has been badly served. lira are a thin market for banks in the UK, so they price it lazily or refuse it. The Turkish diaspora in Germany, the Netherlands and France is enormous, and transfers home are steady and long-running.
Grey treats GBP to TRY as a first-class route. You see the rate, you see the fee, and Ziraat Bankası or any Turkish bank receives a domestic credit.
How sending to Türkiye works
Sign up
Verification takes a passport or BRP and usually clears while you're still filling in the recipient's details for Istanbul. Grey works with regulated partners in the UK.
Fund
Top up from Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest, Monzo or any UK bank. Or, if a client abroad pays you in dollars, send to Türkiye from that balance and skip a conversion.
Send
Türkiye runs on IBANs. Paste the recipient's TR IBAN, confirm the GBP to TRY rate Grey shows in London, and send.
Where the cost hides on this route
The TRY your recipient receives at Ziraat Bankası, İş Bankası, Garanti BBVA, Akbank, Yapı Kredi is fixed at confirmation and shown separately from the fee. What you see in London is what arrives.
Your rate is fixed when you tap send
Once you confirm in London, the TRY amount is done. Grey carries the currency risk between confirmation and settlement in Istanbul, not you and not your recipient.
For a fee or a rent, that certainty is the point.
A route priced like an afterthought
Formal transfers from the UK to Türkiye were priced for years as if nobody would compare. Türkiye carries students, patients and traders at once. What they share is the need to know the lira amount before it leaves. Grey shows the comparison before you pay.
TRY into the account, nothing else
A normal TRY credit into the recipient's account at Ziraat Bankası, İş Bankası, Garanti BBVA, Akbank, Yapı Kredi or any Turkish bank. It shows up like a domestic deposit. Your recipient in Istanbul never has to download anything, and you track it from London.
TRY in, nothing out
No receiving fee, no deduction at Ziraat Bankası.
Same-day in most cases
Funded transfers from London usually settle in Türkiye the same day.
If they're on Grey too
GreyTag skips the bank entirely and lands in seconds.
Funding options
Most British senders top up in pounds and convert to TRY on the day. UK senders fund by Faster Payments from Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest or Monzo. The pound balance sits on Grey until the transfer is due.
Top up once
Move a month's worth of pounds in and send to Istanbul as needed.
Earn in foreign currency?
Send from that balance and avoid a double conversion.
Convert on the due date
Hold pounds, convert to TRY when the payment is actually due.
Weekly payments to Istanbul are easier with a standing balance than with a fresh top-up from London every time.
The typical the UK to Türkiye sender
Students
Living costs for scholarship students at universities in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and Konya.
Medical patients
Deposits and balances for dental, hair and fertility clinics in Istanbul.
Textile traders
Payments to wholesalers in Laleli, Merter and Osmanbey.
Family support
Monthly transfers to relatives in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and the Anatolian provinces.
Three kinds of sender use this route from London: families with someone in Istanbul, parents of students, and businesses with a supplier or contractor in Türkiye. The Turkish diaspora in Germany, the Netherlands and France is enormous, and transfers home are steady and long-running.
What Grey does differently on this route
The value of a transparent GBP to TRY rate isn't visible on any single payment. It shows up in the annual total for a sender in London, and in never having to explain to someone in Istanbul why the money arrived short.
Rate and fee shown up front in London. Settlement in TRY to the recipient's own bank in Türkiye, usually the same day.
FAQs
How do I fund a transfer from the UK to Türkiye?
Top up by Faster Payments from Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest, Monzo or any UK bank. The pounds sit on Grey until the payment is due.
How long does a transfer from the UK to Türkiye take?
Funded transfers from London usually settle in Türkiye the same day. You see settled in the app the moment it lands in Istanbul.
What identification does Grey need from a UK sender?
A passport or BRP. Verification usually clears while you are still filling in the recipient's details, and the account itself is free.
What is the GBP to TRY rate on this route?
Grey shows it before you commit, not after, and fixes it at confirmation. The fee appears separately, so you can work out the total.
Who carries the risk if the pound moves before settlement?
Grey does. Once you confirm in London, the lira amount is done, and neither you nor your recipient absorbs the movement.
Is anything deducted when the lira reach a Turkish bank?
No. There is no receiving fee and no deduction at Ziraat Bankası or any other Turkish bank. What you see in London is what arrives.
What details do I need for the recipient in Türkiye?
Türkiye runs on IBANs. Paste the recipient's TR IBAN, confirm the rate Grey shows in London, and the lira credit their account.
Can I send to Türkiye from dollars I earned abroad?
Yes. A USD balance on Grey, held in an account provided by Lead Bank, converts to lira in one step and skips a conversion.
Does my recipient in Istanbul have to download anything?
No. They never download anything and need no Grey account. The lira show up like a domestic deposit at their own bank.
What if my recipient in Türkiye is also on Grey?
GreyTag skips the bank entirely and lands in seconds, free of charge, between Grey users.
Is Grey a bank in the UK?
No. Grey is a licensed financial services provider working with regulated partners in the UK. Every payment is encrypted and tracked to settlement.
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