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In short

What is this account, and why do you need it?

Albaraka Türk Katılım Bankası is a Turkish participation bank (interest-free banking). To hold capital-market products there, including investment fund units, you need a separate investment account (Yatırım Hesabı). The bank says it can be opened in Albaraka Mobil, in Internet Banking or at any branch.

In the app the path is İşlem › Yatırım İşlemleri › Yatırım Hesabı Açma: you pass a short suitability test (Uygunluk Testi), confirm the contracts, and the account opens. Foreign investors on the citizenship route also need the bank’s Döviz Alım Belgesi.

Steps 1–9 follow a walkthrough of the Albaraka Mobil screens recorded with the app set to Arabic (2023). The screens below are simplified redrawings, not screenshots, and contain no personal data. The bank may change its screens at any time.

Before you start

What you need first

You can only open an investment account once you are an Albaraka Türk customer who can log in to Albaraka Mobil. Have these ready:

  • A valid passport. Banks identify foreign customers by identity document and check the Tax ID number and Foreign ID number (Albaraka AML policy). SPK also asks for a passport copy for the citizenship application.
  • A Turkish tax number (Vergi Kimlik Numarası). Albaraka explains that foreigners need one for financial transactions and can get it with their passport details on the GİB “potential tax number for foreigners” screen or at a tax office (Albaraka blog).
  • Your address and contact details. The bank records them when it accepts a customer.
  • A customer relationship with the bank. Opening an account by video call in the app needs a new chip Turkish ID card (albaraka.com.tr). For expats the bank offers account opening at its branches (Expat Banking; Alo Albaraka 0850 222 5 666).
  • The Albaraka Mobil app (iOS 12+ / Android 6+, per the bank) with your customer number or ID number and password.

The bank may ask for more documents in your case. Confirm the current list with the branch before your visit. Massar Vadi arranges and accompanies the whole process — contact us.

The steps

10 steps: from login to an open account

Steps 1–9 open the investment account in the app. Step 10 is the Döviz Alım Belgesi for foreign investors.

  1. Part 1 · Open the investment account

  2. 1

    Log in to Albaraka Mobil

    Open the app, stay on the Personal tab, enter your customer number or Turkish ID number and your password, and tap Log in. If you are not yet a customer, the login screen offers “Müşteri Olmak İstiyorum”, but for foreigners see “What you need first” above.

    Menu in Turkish: Müşteri Olmak İstiyorum · “I want to become a customer”

    Source: app walkthrough (2023) · albaraka.com.tr

    Albaraka Mobil
    • Personal | Corporate
    • Customer no. / Turkish ID no.
    • Password
    Log in
    Simplified redrawing, not a screenshot
  3. 2

    Tap the Transactions tab

    On the home screen, tap the second tab in the bottom bar: Transactions.

    Menu in Turkish: İşlem · Transaction(s)

    Source: app walkthrough (2023) · Albaraka Mobil

    Home
    • Assets · Debtsbalances shown here
    • Quick transactions
    HomeİşlemAssistantAccountsOffers
    Simplified redrawing, not a screenshot
  4. 3

    Choose “Investment transactions”

    The Transactions page lists every menu (accounts, cards, financing, foreign currency / precious metals…). Scroll down and tap Investment transactions.

    Menu in Turkish: Yatırım İşlemleri · Investment transactions

    Source: app walkthrough (2023) · Albaraka Mobil

    İşlem
    • Finansman İşlemleriFinancing transactions
    • Döviz / Kıymetli Maden İşlemleriForeign currency / precious metals
    • Yatırım İşlemleriInvestment transactions
    Simplified redrawing, not a screenshot
  5. 4

    Tap “Open investment account”

    The first item on the Investment transactions page is Open investment account. The same page later gives you the fund menu (Fon İşlemleri) and your portfolio.

    Menu in Turkish: Yatırım Hesabı Açma · Open investment account

    Source: app walkthrough (2023) · Albaraka Mobil

    Yatırım İşlemleri
    • Yatırım Hesabı AçmaOpen investment account
    • Yatırım Portföy BilgileriInvestment portfolio info
    • Kira Sertifikası İşlemleriLease certificate (sukuk)
    • Fon İşlemleriInvestment fund transactions
    • Yatırım Hesabı TransferleriInvestment account transfers
    Simplified redrawing, not a screenshot
  6. 5

    Start the suitability test

    The app tells you that you have no investment account yet and that you must first complete the suitability test. Tap Start test.

    Menu in Turkish: Uygunluk Testi · Suitability test

    Source: app walkthrough (2023) · Albaraka: Yatırım Hesabı

    Open investment account

    No investment account yet. Complete the suitability test first.

    Start test
    Simplified redrawing, not a screenshot
  7. 6

    Fill in the test and tap Continue

    Answer every field: age, education, occupation, line of business, professional experience and investment preference, then tap Continue. The app warns that if your answers are incomplete or out of date, it cannot determine which products suit you, so answer accurately.

    Source: app walkthrough (2023) · Albaraka: Yatırım Hesabı

    Suitability test
    • Age
    • Education
    • Occupation
    • Line of business
    • Professional experience
    • Investment preference
    Continue
    Simplified redrawing, not a screenshot
  8. 7

    Read your result and confirm

    You get a score out of 100 and, for each risk level (very low, low, medium, high, very high), whether products are suitable for you. Read the notes below the result, then tap Confirm, or Retake test if you made a mistake.

    Source: app walkthrough (2023)

    Suitability test
    98 / 100
    • Very low risksuitable
    • Low risksuitable
    • Medium risksuitable
    • High risksuitable
    • Very high risksuitable
    Retake testConfirm
    Simplified redrawing, not a screenshot
  9. 8

    Confirm all the contracts

    The Contracts screen says every contract must be confirmed to open the account. Open and confirm each one (general risk disclosure, investment services framework agreement, lease certificate risk disclosure, fee and commission tariff, mutual fund risk disclosure, custody information and others), then tap Continue.

    Source: app walkthrough (2023)

    Contracts
    • General risk disclosure
    • Investment services framework
    • Lease certificate risks
    • Fees & commissions
    • Mutual fund risks
    • Custody & transfer terms
    Continue
    Simplified redrawing, not a screenshot
  10. 9

    Done: your investment account is open

    The result screen confirms the transaction is complete. From here you can open Investment portfolio info or go back to the home page. Your account can now hold fund units.

    Menu in Turkish: Yatırım Portföy Bilgileri · Investment portfolio info

    Source: app walkthrough (2023)

    Result

    Your transaction is complete

    • Yatırım Portföy BilgileriInvestment portfolio info
    • Back to home page
    Simplified redrawing, not a screenshot

  11. Then · Döviz Alım Belgesi

  12. 10

    Deposit USD and get the Döviz Alım Belgesi (DAB)

    For the citizenship route, you deposit US dollars into your Albaraka account and the bank converts them to Turkish lira. Ask the bank for the Foreign Exchange Purchase Certificate (Döviz Alım Belgesi, DAB): it is mandatory for foreign investors and goes into the citizenship file. Keep the original.

    Menu in Turkish: Döviz Alım Belgesi · Foreign Exchange Purchase Certificate

    Source: Massar Vadi (fund process) · SPK

    USD → TL

    Keep the DAB for your file

    • USD accountincoming transfer
    • USD → TLsold to the bank (and the Central Bank)
    • Döviz Alım BelgesiForeign Exchange Purchase Certificate
    Simplified redrawing, not a screenshot

Bank screens change. If a label differs from what you see, look for the Turkish name given in each step, or ask the branch. Massar Vadi arranges and accompanies the whole process — contact us.

Citizenship route

What comes next

With the TL from the conversion, the fund units for the citizenship route (at least USD 500,000 in total, held for 3 years, per SPK) are bought in this investment account and blocked for the citizenship file.

Massar Vadi arranges and accompanies the whole process — contact us.

FAQ

Questions about the Albaraka Türk investment account and fund units

Can a foreigner open an investment account at Albaraka Türk?

Yes, once they are a customer of the bank. Albaraka Türk says the investment account can be opened in Albaraka Mobil, Internet Banking or any branch. App video onboarding needs a new chip Turkish ID card, so foreigners usually become customers at a branch (the bank’s Expat Banking service).

Where is “open investment account” in the Albaraka Mobil app?

İşlem (Transactions) › Yatırım İşlemleri (Investment transactions) › Yatırım Hesabı Açma (Open investment account). It is the first item in the investment menu.

What documents does a foreigner need?

A valid passport and a Turkish tax number (Vergi Kimlik Numarası), which foreigners can get with passport details from GİB or a tax office. The bank also records your address and contact details and may ask for more documents.

What is the suitability test (Uygunluk Testi)?

A short questionnaire required before the account opens: age, education, occupation, line of business, professional experience and investment preference. The result shows a score out of 100 and which risk levels suit you. You confirm it or retake it.

Which contracts do I confirm?

The app requires all of them to be confirmed, including the general risk disclosure, the investment services framework agreement, the lease certificate risk disclosure, the fee and commission tariff, the mutual fund risk disclosure and the custody and transfer terms.

What happens after the account opens?

The result screen says your transaction is complete and offers Yatırım Portföy Bilgileri (investment portfolio info). The account can now hold fund units. Massar Vadi arranges and accompanies the whole process from here; contact us.

What is the Döviz Alım Belgesi (DAB) and is it required?

It is the Foreign Exchange Purchase Certificate the bank issues when it buys your foreign currency and converts it to TL. For foreign investors on the citizenship route it is mandatory and goes into the citizenship file.

Do I buy the fund units in USD or TL?

In TL. You deposit USD, the bank converts it to TL and issues the DAB, and the units are bought with that TL.

How much is needed for citizenship through fund units?

At least USD 500,000 or the equivalent in foreign currency in GYF or GSYF fund units, held for at least 3 years, per SPK. Massar Vadi arranges and accompanies the whole process; contact us.

Is Albaraka Türk an interest-free bank?

It is a participation bank (katılım bankası); the bank describes its products as compliant with interest-free principles.

Is Massar Vadi linked to Albaraka Türk, and is citizenship guaranteed?

No to both. Massar Vadi is a real estate agency and is not affiliated with the bank. We arrange and accompany each step; the final citizenship decision rests with the Turkish authorities.

Sources (checked 22 October 2026)

Disclaimer: this page is general information, not financial, investment, tax or legal advice. Bank screens, menus, limits and fees can change at any time; check them with Albaraka Türk. Massar Vadi Real Estate is not affiliated with Albaraka Türk Katılım Bankası or with SPK. No return or citizenship outcome is guaranteed.

Massar Vadi team helps you through every step

From the bank appointment to the Döviz Alım Belgesi, the fund units and the citizenship file: Massar Vadi arranges and accompanies the whole process. Contact us.

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