Does a travel eSIM work in Turkey and China?
Yes, when you buy and install it before you leave. What some countries block is the shop, not the eSIM on your phone.
Turkey
Since July 2025 the websites and apps of many travel eSIM sellers cannot be opened from inside Turkey. An eSIM that is already on your phone connects as usual. Buy and install it at home, and choose a plan large enough for the stay, because adding data after you arrive may not work.
China
Install a travel eSIM for mainland China before you arrive, for the same reason. The plan card says where its traffic reaches the internet, when the network tells us.
A layover counts too
A few hours in Istanbul between flights follows the same rule: install the eSIM before you take off. It connects when you land.
If you are already there
If our site does not open, you cannot buy from where you are. Airport and hotel Wi-Fi reach the same blocked sites, so they do not help. A local SIM from an operator's shop is the way to get data in that case.
Other countries
Rules change. Each destination page carries a notice when buying from inside the country is known not to work.