Your people, in every city you land in.
Meet people, join local communities, and make real plans in the cities you call home.
For expats, nomads, travelers, students and locals — dinners, hikes, sailing and language nights.
No membership fee · Applications reviewed by hand within 24–48 hours · Pay only for events you attend
Happening this week
Real plans, real people — members walk into any of them.
Read before you go
Stories, guides and words from the Smileys community.
Story · Arts & Culture
Beyoğlu Jazz Festival 2026: International Artists, Free Concerts and Hidden Stages in Istanbul
Discover Beyoğlu Jazz Festival 2026, 13–15 November. Explore international jazz artists, free concerts, workshops and cultural events across Istanbul.
7 min read
Story · Heritage & Traditions
10 Culture Shocks Expats Experience in Türkiye (And Why You’ll Love Them)
Endless tea, personal questions over small talk, and neighborhood cats with their own social lives. Here are 10 culture shocks many expats notice in Türkiye, and why they often become the best parts of living here.
5 min read
Handbook · Healthcare
Health Insurance for Your Residence Permit: What Is Accepted in Türkiye
Which health insurance the migration authority accepts for a residence permit — Turkish private policies, social security agreements, SGK — the circular a private policy must meet, and who is exempt.
4 min read
Handbook · Safety & Emergencies
Lost or Stolen Passport, Residence Permit or Phone in Türkiye: What to Do
Step by step: the police loss report, your embassy, replacing a lost residence permit card, telling the migration office about a new passport, and blocking a lost phone and bank cards.
3 min read
How are you coming to Istanbul?
A page for each way of arriving, with the practical side and the people.
Visiting
In town for a few days or weeks. See who else is visiting, what is on during your stay, and locals happy to meet.
Plan your visitWorking remotely
Here for a while with a laptop. Your first 72 hours: SIM and internet, a neighborhood, coworking sessions, and people.
Your first 72 hoursMoving here
Building a life here. Residence permits, housing, banking, healthcare, neighborhoods — and people who have already figured it out.
Start your moveStudying here
Meet people beyond your campus, discover the city, and make your semester more than lectures.
Your first weekFind your Smileys city
Every Smileys city is its own local community — its own members, clubs, events and hosts. One account gets you into all of them.
Founding now
Open to join — the first members shape what each one becomes.
Coming soon
Athens
GreeceRooftops under the Acropolis, squares that never close, and an island before lunch.
New York City
United StatesFive boroughs, a hundred neighborhoods, and a city that assumes you just arrived.
Sofia
BulgariaVitosha on the skyline, a centre you cross on foot, and the Balkans' easiest base for a year abroad.
Tbilisi
GeorgiaSulphur baths, natural wine and a city that lets you stay a year — the Caucasus capital where nomads become locals.
More cities are coming. Somewhere you'd like to see Smileys? Tell us where.
Everything a new city should come with.
Moving somewhere new shouldn't mean starting your social life from zero every time.
How membership works
No subscription, no membership fee. Here's the whole deal.
Visiting a Smileys city?
Members announce their trips before they land, see what's on during their stay and join the city's events and clubs while they're there — one account, every Smileys city.
Plan a visitHow it works
- 1. Join Smileys — a short application, reviewed by hand.
- 2. Post your dates and the city you're heading to.
- 3. Members there can see you're coming; join their events and club nights while you're in town.
Gets better with every city we launch — one account, every community.
Get to know your city
Neighborhoods, where to go, things to do, coworking, nightlife, day trips and the local knowledge that normally takes a year to pick up.
Life happens offline
In members' own words.
One community. Growing city by city.
Smileys started in Istanbul. We're building a global network of local communities where international people can meet, connect and build a social life together.
1,800+ members and counting.
Ready to find your people?
Join Smileys and start building your social life, wherever you are.