Healthcare for Expats in Türkiye: State and Private Hospitals, Family Doctors and Pharmacies

Türkiye has a two-track health system. The public side runs through family health centres, state hospitals and university hospitals, and it is paid for by the Social Security Institution (SGK). The private side has its own hospitals and clinics, which you pay for yourself or through private insurance. As a foreign resident you can use both. What you pay depends on whether you are covered by SGK’s general health insurance (genel sağlık sigortası, GSS), by a private policy, or by nothing at all. This guide explains how it all fits together, as of November 2026.

Key points

• Foreign nationals who have lived in Türkiye continuously for one year and are not insured under another country’s system can ask SGK to cover them under GSS.
• Until then, and for most permit applications, you need private health insurance.
• With a foreigner identity number you can find your family doctor (aile hekimi) on e-Devlet and book hospital appointments through MHRS (mhrs.gov.tr or by phone on 182).
• In an emergency, call 112.
• Every district has an on-duty pharmacy (nöbetçi eczane) open at night and on public holidays.

This is general information, not medical or legal advice.

Step 1: Get your identity number and e-Devlet password

Almost everything in the public system is keyed to your foreigner identity number (yabancı kimlik numarası, YKN). You get it with your residence permit, and it starts with 99 or 98. Use it to get an e-Devlet password, which gives you online access to your family doctor details, e-Nabız and MHRS. See our guide to getting an e-Devlet password as a foreigner.

Before you have a YKN you will often need a passport-based tax number, for example to buy insurance. See our guide to the Turkish tax number for foreigners.

Step 2: Arrange health insurance

Private health insurance. Most foreigners start here. Residence permit applications generally ask for valid health insurance, and new arrivals cannot yet join GSS. Policies range from basic "residence permit" plans to full cover. Check what they actually pay for, especially exclusions and limits for pre-existing conditions. Our explainer on health insurance for foreign residents compares the options. If you are renewing, see our guide to renewing a residence permit.

SGK general health insurance (GSS). SGK lists among those who can be covered "foreign nationals who have been resident in our country continuously for one year and who make a request". Its GSS handbook adds two conditions:

• You must not be insured under a foreign country’s legislation. The handbook refers to residence-permit holders who are not insured abroad.
• Cover is not automatic. Once the one-year condition is met, cover starts the day after you apply.

People whose residence is shorter than one year are listed among those who are not covered.

Apply at the SGK provincial directorate or a social security centre in your area. SGK says GSS matters are handled in its health social security centres, and by the provincial directorate where no such centre exists. Ask the office which documents it wants. As a minimum, bring your residence permit card and passport.

How the GSS premium is calculated. According to SGK’s GSS handbook, the premium base for foreigners resident in Türkiye with no insurance abroad is twice the gross minimum wage. The GSS premium is 12 percent of that base. The minimum wage is reset by the government, usually once a year, so the monthly premium changes with it. SGK’s 2026 announcement gives figures only for Turkish income-tested groups, not for foreign residents. Check the current amount with your SGK office or your e-Devlet SGK account rather than relying on figures quoted online. Pay on time: premiums are due by the end of the month after the month they cover.

If you have no cover, you can still use public and private facilities, but you pay as a private patient.

Step 3: Register with a family doctor

Family medicine is the front door of the public system. Family doctors work in family health centres (aile sağlığı merkezi, ASM). They handle check-ups, prescriptions, referral papers, health reports, vaccinations and cancer screening. Istanbul’s Provincial Health Directorate states plainly that foreign nationals can receive services at family health centres. It also says no fee is charged for cancer screening at primary care facilities.

Find your family doctor. Log in to e-Devlet (turkiye.gov.tr) and open "Aile Hekim Bilgisi Sorgulama" (Family Physician Information Inquiry), a Ministry of Health service. It shows the family doctor assigned to you, with the practice’s name and address.

Register or change your doctor. You can do this in three places:

• At the family health centre of the doctor you want.
• At the district health directorate (ilçe sağlık müdürlüğü), with a written request.
• Online, through e-Devlet or the Ministry’s e-Nabız system.

Rules from Ministry of Health pages:

• Three-month limit. Except in compulsory cases, you cannot change a doctor you chose yourself within three months.
• Full lists. Doctors whose list has reached 4,000 people cannot take new registrations.
• Moving house. Your doctor is not changed automatically, so request a new one near your new address.
• Short stays. People staying in Türkiye only temporarily can be seen as a "guest patient" (misafir hasta), and the family doctor cannot charge them a fee.

Step 4: Set up e-Nabız

e-Nabız (enabiz.gov.tr and the mobile app) is the Ministry of Health’s personal health record. It shows:

• Test results and visits, with your hospital visit history.
• Prescriptions, listed by date under "Reçetelerim", with drug details.
• Appointments. The "Randevu al" button takes you to MHRS to book.

There are two ways to log in. You can use e-Devlet. Or you can register your mobile number with your family doctor and receive a one-time SMS code.

Step 5: Book hospital appointments through MHRS

State hospitals, training and research hospitals and family doctors take appointments through the Central Physician Appointment System (MHRS). There are three ways in:

• Online: at mhrs.gov.tr, or through the MHRS mobile app.
• By phone: call ALO 182 from any phone. An operator checks your identity, asks which clinic you need and offers you dates and times.
• Through e-Nabız: with the "Randevu al" button.

You choose the hospital, the clinic (for example dermatology or orthopaedics) and, where available, the doctor. Our step-by-step MHRS explainer covers the screens in detail.

Step 6: Choose the right kind of hospital

• State hospitals (devlet hastanesi) are run by the Ministry of Health. They are the backbone of care in most provincial towns.
• Training and research hospitals (eğitim ve araştırma hastanesi) are larger Ministry hospitals in the cities. They offer more specialist departments.
• University hospitals (üniversite hastanesi) are attached to medical faculties. People often go there for complex cases and senior specialists.
• Private hospitals (özel hastane) have shorter waits and, often, more English-speaking staff. Many have contracts with SGK.

Extra fees at private hospitals. If you have GSS and use an SGK-contracted private hospital, the hospital may charge an additional fee (ilave ücret) on top of the SGK tariff. This is allowed under Article 73 of Law 5510, and the ceiling is set by presidential decision. SGK says the hospital must get your written consent first. It also says no additional fee may be charged for services given within 24 hours in an emergency observation unit. If you are privately insured, check before treatment whether the hospital is in your insurer’s network.

Step 7: Emergencies: call 112

For an ambulance or any medical emergency, call 112, Türkiye’s single emergency number. Hospital emergency departments (acil servis) are open around the clock.

The Ministry of Health defines an emergency (acil hal) as a sudden illness, accident or injury that needs medical treatment within the first 24 hours. It also covers cases where any delay, or transfer to another facility, risks your life or health. If you think you were wrongly charged after emergency treatment, the Istanbul health directorate says to file a complaint with the Social Security Provincial Directorate. Bring the original detailed invoice and your patient file.

Step 8: Pharmacies, prescriptions and the nöbetçi eczane

Prescriptions are issued electronically and appear in e-Nabız. Take your residence permit card or passport when you collect medicine. If you have GSS, medicines covered by SGK cost less than if you pay as a private customer.

At night and on public holidays, one pharmacy in each area stays open as the nöbetçi eczane (on-duty pharmacy). Closed pharmacies usually post the address of the nearest on-duty pharmacy in their window. You can also check e-Devlet’s "Nöbetçi Eczane Sorgulama" service, run by the Medicines and Medical Devices Agency (TİTCK). Pick a province and district to see today’s or tomorrow’s on-duty pharmacies.

Bottom line

1. Get your YKN and e-Devlet password.
2. Keep private health insurance until you qualify for GSS.
3. After one year of continuous residence, apply to SGK if you want public cover.
4. Learn the tools. Find your family doctor on e-Devlet, book through MHRS or 182, and keep e-Nabız on your phone.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Can foreigners join Türkiye’s state health insurance (SGK)?

A: Yes, on request. SGK covers foreign nationals who have lived in Türkiye continuously for one year and are not insured under another country’s legislation. Cover starts the day after you apply at your SGK office.

Q: How much does SGK health insurance cost for a foreigner?

A: SGK’s GSS handbook puts the premium at 12 percent of twice the gross minimum wage. The minimum wage is updated by the government, usually every year, so ask your SGK office for the current monthly amount.

Q: How do I find out who my family doctor is?

A: Log in to e-Devlet with your foreigner identity number and use "Aile Hekim Bilgisi Sorgulama". It shows your assigned family doctor and the practice address. You can change doctor online through e-Devlet or e-Nabız, or in person, but not within three months of your last change.

Q: How do I find a pharmacy open at night?

A: Look for the on-duty (nöbetçi) pharmacy notice in any pharmacy window, or use the "Nöbetçi Eczane Sorgulama" service on e-Devlet, which lists on-duty pharmacies by province and district.

Q: Can private hospitals charge me extra if I have SGK cover?

A: SGK-contracted private hospitals may charge an additional fee within a legal ceiling, but only with your written consent beforehand. No additional fee may be charged for services in the emergency observation unit within 24 hours.

Buying a home in Türkiye? Download our free property guide for a step-by-step checklist.

Sources

• Genel Sağlık Sigortası nedir?: foreign nationals resident continuously for one year who make a request are covered by GSS (Social Security Institution, SGK)
• GSS system handbook: residence-permit holders not insured abroad covered after one year of residence from the day after the request; residence under one year not covered; premium base twice the gross minimum wage; GSS rate 12 percent; GSS handled at health social security centres or provincial directorates; premiums due by end of following month (SGK)
• 2026 GSS premium for income-tested groups (no foreigner-specific amount given) (SGK, 6 Jan 2026)
• İlave ücret: Law 5510 Art. 73, ceiling up to double the tariff set by the President, written consent required, no extra fee for services within 24 hours in emergency observation units (SGK)
• Aile Hekim Bilgisi Sorgulama: Ministry of Health e-Devlet service showing your assigned family doctor (e-Devlet Kapısı)
• Family doctor lookup on turkiye.gov.tr shows doctor name, unit and address (Kınık State Hospital, Ministry of Health)
• Registration and change of family doctor: not changed automatically on moving, three-month rule, 4,000 limit, change via e-Devlet and e-Nabız, guest patients (Genç State Hospital, Ministry of Health)
• FAQ: foreign nationals can use family health centres, no fee for cancer screening, guest patients not charged, definition of emergency (acil hal), fee complaints to SGK provincial directorate (Istanbul Provincial Health Directorate)
• MHRS booking via ALO 182 with live operator and online (Akhisar District Health Directorate, Ministry of Health)
• e-Nabız help: login via e-Devlet or SMS code via family doctor, Reçetelerim, Randevu al redirects to MHRS (Ministry of Health)
• Nöbetçi Eczane Sorgulama: on-duty pharmacies by province and district, today and tomorrow (TİTCK, e-Devlet)

Photo: Dosseman / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons