İzmir Airport Guide

İzmirim Kart explained

Fares last verified: June 2026

One rechargeable card for every public transport mode in İzmir

İzmirim Kart is the contactless travel card used across İzmir — İZBAN, the Metro, trams, Eshot city buses and the ferries all take it. Getting one at the airport is the first thing a budget traveler should do, because it unlocks the cheapest fares and the free-transfer rule that single tickets don’t give you.

1. What it is

A rechargeable stored-value card. The physical card costs 200 TL — for either the standard bearer card or a personalised one — and that is a real cost, not a small refundable deposit. Load credit on top and tap on/off. Anti-passback is enabled across İZBAN, Metro, buses and ferries, so the same card can't tap in twice in a row for a second person — everyone in your group needs their own card.

2. Physical card vs the free digital card

Physical cardDigital İzmirim Kart (app)
Cost200 TL for the card, then load creditFree — no card fee
Best forFirst-timers, tourists, groupsAnyone comfortable with the app
Where to get itAirport İZBAN kiosk / machineİzmirim Kart mobile app
Works offlineYes — just tapNeeds a working phone / data

The Digital İzmirim Kart is free and more convenient for visitors, since it skips the 200 TL card cost entirely. The one thing to watch: make sure your balance shows as active/loaded in the app before you reach the gate — online top-ups can have a short activation delay, and you do not want to discover that at the turnstile.

3. Where to buy it at the airport

At the airport İZBAN station (below the terminal) there is a blue vending machine and/or staffed kiosk. Buy the card (200 TL) or set up the free digital card in the app beforehand, load credit, and head to the platform.

Photo — İzmirim Kart machine at ADB station

4. İZBAN's blocked-balance rule at the airport

⚠️ Keep at least 125 TL loaded before you tap in
İZBAN uses a blocked-balance system called Artı Para. When you tap in at the airport station, it reserves the fare for the longest possible journey from that station — not just the fare to your actual stop. For a full-fare passenger that minimum is about 122 TL, so keep at least 125 TL on the card. This applies even if you are only going a few stops into central İzmir: without that full amount loaded, you cannot pass the gate. Tap out at your destination and the unused blocked balance is returned to your card.

This blocked-balance minimum is specific to İZBAN at the airport. It is separate from the normal 35 TL full fare for ordinary city transport (bus, metro, tram, ferry) and the 77 TL full fare on the airport Eshot bus lines (200, 202, 204, 206) — don't mix the three up.

5. The 90-minute free-transfer rule

Your fare buys 90 minutes, not one ride — except on the airport buses
After you tap on, you get discounted or free transfers onto other public transport for about 90 minutes. So İZBAN into the city + a connecting bus or Metro to your street is usually one combined fare — as long as you use the İzmirim Kart, not a single ticket. The exception: airport Eshot lines 200, 202, 204 and 206 do not get this free transfer, so budget the full 77 TL fare for those specifically.

6. The Bilet35 single-ticket warning

⚠️ Avoid the single-use Bilet35 for a real journey
The single-use Bilet35 ticket costs more per ride and gives you no 90-minute transfer. If your trip needs a connection (most airport journeys do), you end up paying twice. Get the İzmirim Kart instead.

7. Topping up & refunds

  • Top up at any station machine, many kiosks and corner shops showing the logo.
  • Refunds: tap out at the exit/refund validator and any unused blocked balance (e.g. from the İZBAN airport minimum) is returned to your card automatically.
  • Card price & fares are date-stamped on this site; last verified June 2026.
Practical bottom line for a first-time visitor
Buying a new physical card and taking İZBAN from the airport costs roughly 200 TL (card) + ~125 TL (blocked balance) = around 325 TL as a starting minimum. Using the free Digital İzmirim Kart instead drops the card cost to zero, but you still need the ~125 TL balance loaded for İZBAN from the airport.
İZBAN train from the airport →

The main thing you’ll use the card for on arrival.

Landing at ADB →

Where the station, ATMs and SIM desks are in the terminal.