Izmir Airport (ADB) Arrival Guide: Terminals, Passport Control, SIM, Money and Transport

Most visitors need the same few things in the first half hour: the right exit, some cash, a working phone and a way into the city or onto the coast. This guide follows your arrival in order and flags what the airport does not publish, so you know where to ask rather than guess.

Two terminals: which one will you arrive at?

ADB has an International Terminal and a Domestic Terminal, side by side. The flight decides, not the airline: Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, AJet and SunExpress all use both. A flight from abroad lands at International, a flight within Turkey at Domestic, and your airline's booking or the airport's arrivals board shows which.

• Direct flight from abroad: passport control, baggage claim (6 carousels), customs, then the International Arrivals exit.
• Domestic flight: baggage claim (5 carousels), then the Domestic Arrivals exit. There is no passport or customs check.
• From abroad via Istanbul or another Turkish airport: you clear passport control at your first Turkish airport. If your bags were checked through, you land on the Domestic side but ground staff direct you to International Arrivals for baggage claim and customs, so you leave by the international exit. If you collected your bags at the first airport, you arrive like any domestic passenger.
• Walking between the buildings: older airport information gives about 5 minutes with moving walkways. The current website states no time, so allow 10 minutes.

Our meeting guide covers the exits in detail.

Step by step: from the aircraft to the arrivals exit

1. Passport control (international flights): the e-passport gates (four counters, two on Arrivals and two on Departures) are for Turkish citizens aged 18 and over only. Foreign visitors use the staffed booths, so follow the other signs.
2. Baggage claim: check the screens for your belt. If a bag is missing or damaged, report it to your airline's ground handler in the baggage hall before you leave. Baggage carts work on a refundable deposit.
3. Customs: with nothing to declare, take the green channel; if you carry more than the duty-free allowances or anything restricted, go through the red channel. Check the Ministry of Trade's current allowances before you bring large amounts.
4. Arrivals exit: walk out of the exit of your terminal. Taxis, Havaş buses and rental desks are all on the arrivals floor, and each arrivals floor opens onto its own greeters' hall.

Where to find it: the first 30 minutes

Food: Kantin, Simpark Cafe (both Domestic Arrivals) and Ekmekarası Café (International Arrivals) are landside. The airport publishes no opening hours for its cafés and restaurants, so do not count on one being open at night.

Passport, visa and e-Visa

Entry rules depend on your passport. Check yours on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa page before you travel. At the date of checking it lists the following for ordinary passports.

• Visa-free for tourism, 90 days in any 180: the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and the other EU states on the list.
• Russian Federation: 60 days. China: visa-free for 90 days in any 180, as of 2 January 2026.
• e-Visa: some nationalities, for example India, can get a one-month single-entry e-Visa at www.evisa.gov.tr if they hold a valid Schengen, US, UK or Irish visa or residence permit. Apply before you fly.
• Passport validity: under Turkish law the passport must be valid for at least 60 days beyond your permitted stay, so 150 days on entry for a 90-day stay. Some nationalities are exempt. The ministry also advises six months.

The airport's Primeclass Meet & Greet service includes visa assistance and fast track at passport control; TAV publishes no price.

SIM card, eSIM and your phone

TAV's own list of airport shops has no mobile-phone shop. Several travel blogs say Turkcell, Vodafone and Türk Telekom counters open in arrivals, but none gives a location or hours, and we could not confirm them. If they exist, expect higher prices than in town; you need your passport for any Turkish line. Do not rely on buying a SIM before you meet your driver.

• Easiest: a data-only travel eSIM installed before you fly, or roaming if your plan covers Turkey. Turkey is outside the EU roam-like-at-home area, so check your operator's rates.
• Turkish SIM in a foreign phone: the phone must be registered by IMEI within 120 days or it is blocked, and the registration fee is high. Reports differ on when the 120 days start, so ask the operator.
• WhatsApp for your driver: roaming, an eSIM or the airport Wi-Fi is enough. The Wi-Fi login is your phone number and an SMS code; without roaming, a free password with your passport is available at the kiosks (one is in the International baggage hall, between belts 4 and 5).

Money: exchange, ATMs and cards

Travelex runs two branches, open 24/7: one in the International Arrivals baggage claim hall and one in the International Departures check-in hall. We could not find which banks run the ATMs or whether the Domestic arrivals hall has one. We did not compare rates, but airport desks often pay less than banks in town, so change only what you need for the first hours. If an ATM offers to charge you in your home currency, choose lira.

Taxi card payment becomes mandatory on 16 November 2026 (the Revenue Administration extended the deadline from 1 September). Until then acceptance is not guaranteed, so keep some lira for the taxi or the İZBAN card top-up. For the flight home, the Global Blue tax-free refund office is on the International Departures second floor, open 24 hours; get the customs stamp first, at the customs office next to counter 34.

Left luggage and car hire

The 24-hour left-luggage office is on the Domestic Terminal arrivals floor (+90 532 277 84 36). It charges per item for 24 hours.

Rent-a-car desks work 24/7 in the greeters' halls on the arrivals floors, and 24 companies are listed. Most, including Sixt, Europcar, Hertz, Avis and Budget, have their desk in the Domestic Terminal, a short walk from International; Anadolu, Payless and Boycar are International only. Cars are collected and returned on the ground floor (floor 0) of the Domestic multi-storey car park.

Leaving the airport: where each option starts

There is no metro at the airport. "Metro" on the signs means the bridge to the station. İZBAN and ESHOT times were checked on 18 October 2026, Havaş on 19 October; all can change. Fares are per person, except the transfer, which is per vehicle.

Getting to the İZBAN station

From Domestic Arrivals, take the lifts or escalators opposite the exit. From International Arrivals, follow the "Metro–İZBAN" signs and the moving walkway. İZBAN takes only the İzmirim Kart (≈€3.50 / ₺200 for the anonymous card), not bank cards. The fare to the end of the line is held on entry, so tap the orange refund validator at your exit station within 3 hours to release the difference.

The İZBAN ticket office sells the card daily 07:00–14:40 and 15:00–22:40. Simpark Cafe (Domestic Arrivals), Ak Ege Buffet (on the İZBAN–Metro bridge) and Ekmekarası Café (International Arrivals) also sell it, but their hours are not published, so after 22:40 a card may be hard to find. See the İzmirim Kart guide for how it works.

Havaş for the coast

Havaş is the only direct public bus to the resorts: ≈€6.50 (₺360) to Urla, ≈€11 (₺600) to Alaçatı or Çeşme, and ≈€11 (₺600) on the Kuşadası line, which stops at Selçuk and Davutlar. Buy a ticket in advance at havas.net: card sales are only to the cardholder, and we could not confirm that drivers take cash. Details are in our bus and train guide, and the Çeşme and Alaçatı and Kuşadası and Ephesus guides cover those trips in full.

Taxi

Taxis must run the meter on every trip. For out-of-town destinations the airport's price list (dated 1 May 2026) applies as an alternative: you may pay the meter amount or the list price. The list has no city districts. Examples: ≈€65 (₺3,600) to Selçuk centre, ≈€68 (₺3,800) to Kuşadası, ≈€87 (₺4,850) to Alaçatı and ≈€97 (₺5,400) to Çeşme; ask whether motorway tolls are included. If no car is waiting, call the Airport Taxi Drivers Association on +90 232 274 20 75. More in Izmir Airport taxi prices.

Landing at night

After the last train at 00:54, ESHOT night buses and a few Havaş departures cover the small hours; see arriving in Izmir at night.

Meeting your pre-booked transfer driver

Your driver waits just outside the arrivals exit of your terminal, International or Domestic. Once you land and have mobile data or Wi-Fi, the driver messages you on WhatsApp with the exact meeting point and a short video showing the way. Drivers speak English. Your flight is tracked, so an early or late landing moves the pickup, with no extra charge for traffic or flight delays.

If someone approaches you offering a ride, go only with the driver who contacted you on WhatsApp. If you cannot find them, call or message the number they wrote from, or our 24/7 line on +90 544 102 1414.

A Mercedes Vito for up to 6 passengers costs from €35 per vehicle to Alsancak or Konak, from €55 to Karşıyaka, from €60 to Selçuk, from €70 to Kuşadası, from €95 to Alaçatı and from €100 to Çeşme. Prices are per vehicle, not per person, and the exact price for your date and pickup time is shown before you pay. Child seats are available on request, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours before pickup.

Useful numbers

• Emergency (police, ambulance, fire): 112
• Airport Taxi Drivers Association: +90 232 274 20 75
• Havaş (İzmir lines): 0850 222 0 487
• Travelex at the airport: +90 232 274 6277
• Left luggage: +90 532 277 84 36
• Our 24/7 transfer line: +90 544 102 1414

Sources — checked on 19 October 2026: Izmir Airport (TAV): transport · Izmir Airport (TAV): arrival guide, facilities and services · Ministry of Foreign Affairs (visas) · Havaş · İZBAN timetable · İzmirim Kart tariff · Airport taxi price list · Taxi card payment deadline (GİB)
Euro amounts at €1 = ₺55.6.

Related guides: Izmir Airport (ADB) · Meeting your driver at Izmir Airport · Arriving in Izmir at night · Izmir Airport bus and train · Izmir Airport taxi prices · Getting to Izmir Airport

Frequently asked questions