Do
you want to send a letter, document, postcard in Turkey? Doesn’t matter if you
want to send it locally or abroad, you can accomplish your goal using PTT (Posta
ve Telgraf Teskilati in Turkish, meaning “post and telegraph directorate”). You
can easily recognize post offices in Istanbul by their yellow and dark
colored PTT signs, which are all around in Istanbul. If you want to learn about
PTT in Istanbul, how they operate and how you can use it, without
further ado, let’s get into the details.
What
is PTT?
As
the national post and telegraph directorate of the country, PTT was founded in
1840. It was originally called the Ministry of Posts. After telegraph started
being used in the Ottoman Empire in 1854, Directorate of Telegraph was also
founded. These two were merged in 1871 and got the name “Ministry of Post and
Telegraph”. In 1909, telephones came to the country, so the ministry’s name was
changed to Posta Telgraf Telefon (Meaning "Posts, Telegraph and Telephone").
After
the Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923, PTT became the property of Turkish
government and kept operating. But in 1995, PTT’s telephone services were
transferred to Turk Telecom, so its name was, again, changed to Posta Telgraf
Teskilati, so its abbreviation was not changed.
In
2008, PTT Kargo (Cargo) was founded, which is a cargo transportation company owned
by PTT. Their services are available in all of Turkey, and they are one of the
cheapest options in the market, so they are preferred by a good portion of the
population. They also have options like PTT VIP Cargo and cash-on
delivery parcel. With these services, consumers can track their cargos with
various methods such as the Internet, e-mail or SMS. In 2012, PTT launched its
Kargomatik option which provides unmanned mail delivery service.
PTT
aims to provide an affordable, quality, fast and reliable option in postal and
mail delivery services. They carry a TS EN ISO 9001 Quality Certificate. Their
international mail delivery system makes sure that your mail or post arrives
the post office of the receiver country’s PTT center in 3 day at most. Most of
these mails are transported abroad by the famous Turkish Airlines.
Domestic
Services of PTT
-
Letter Delivery
-
APS Courier
-
PTT Cargo
-
Telegraph
-
Fax/Tele Post
International
Services of PTT
-
Letter Delivery
-
PTT International APG
-
PTT Parcel
-
Telegraph
-
International Bureaufax/Tele Post
-
TURPEX
Useful
Phrases in PTT Post Offices
While
post office personnel in Istanbul are helpful and understanding to tourists,
very few of them speak fluent English, so you can use some of these Turkish
phrases to communicate a bit better with the Turkish personnel.
I
need to send this mail to X: Bu postayı X adresine göndermek istiyorum.
I
want a parcel: Bir paket istiyorum.
I
want an envelope: Bir zarf istiyorum.
I
want a telephone card: Bir telefon kartı istiyorum.
How
long does the mail take to get there?: Postanın ulaşması kaç gün sürer?
Does
the mail have a tracking number?: Postanın takip numarası var mı?
What
is the tracking number of the mail?: Postanın takip numarası nedir?
Is
there a faster delivery option available?: Daha hızlı bir gönderim yolu var mı?
PTT
Working Hours
Post offices opening hours in Istanbul are the same for every single PTT
office in Turkey. All PTT branches are open from 8.30 AM to 12.30 PM in the
morning. After a 1-hour lunch break, it reopens at 1.30 PM and closes at 5.30
PM. PTT offices working days are also the same for every branch. They
work from Monday to Friday, and except for the central PTT branches, all PTTs
are closed on Saturday. On Saturday, central PTT branches in certain regions
serve until 1.30 PM. The central PTT office in Istanbul is the Grand Post
Office near the Sirkeci station.
Major
PTT Office Locations
There
are around 600 PTT offices in Istanbul, so you never have to worry about being
unable to find one if you have an urgent package to send or receive. However, bigger
offices that are in the tourist regions of Istanbul will be more experienced in
working with tourists, so going to one of these may make your experience a
little easier. Here are the major PTT offices in Istanbul:
1. Kapali Carsi PTT: In Fatih
district, in the Yorgancilar Street near the Grand
Bazaar and
the Beyazit State Library. Close to both M2 Yenikapi – Haciosman metro line’s
Vezneciler stop and Kabatas – Bagcilar tramway line’s Beyazit stop.
2. Sultan Ahmet: In the
Sultan Ahmet neighborhood of the Fatih district, close to the Blue Mosque and the Topkapi Palace. You can get there after
getting off at the Sultan Ahmet (Blue Mosque) station of the Kabatas – Bagcilar
tramway line.
3. Suleymaniye: Very close to
the historical Suleymaniye Mosque. The closest stop to it is the Vezneciler
stop of the M2 Yenikapi – Haciosman metro line.
4. Beyazit: It is in the
Laleli neighborhood, in the southwestern part of the Fatih district, among the
countless hotels. It is very close to Yenikapi metro station and Aksaray
tramway station.
5. Taksim: Taksim Central
Post Office is located on the south of the Taksim Square, in the Siraselviler
Street. You can go there easily by getting off at the Taksim stop of the M2
Yenikapi – Haciosman metro line.
6. Karakoy: Right next to the
Galata Bridge’s end on Karakoy. Also, the F2 Karakoy – Beyoglu funicular line
(Also known as “Tunel”) is right next to it. Can be reached by getting off at
the Karakoy station of the Kabatas – Bagcilar tramway line.
How
to Deliver Letters and Packages Using PTT
If
you want to mail a postcard, letter, or package in Turkey, you have to go to a
PTT branch office. PTT delivery prices are not affected by the distance
the cargo needs to travel, but it is affected by the package’s size and weight.
To mail more than a couple of postcards, you can get stamps from various points
in Istanbul. You can also buy them from PTT. Then, all you have to do is put
the postcards in the mailbox outside of the PTT office.