09.01.2022
There are two options for Turkish citizens and foreign nationals living in Turkey to benefit from health services.
General health insurance or private health insurance. General health insurance is covered by the state. Private health insurance is obtained by paying a certain monthly fee to an insurance company. There are also physicians who have their own practice. These physicians do not work under insurance and have their own fee schedules.
In this article, we will discuss how foreign nationals living in Turkey can benefit from health services.
Foreigners who have obtained a residence permit in Turkey,
Foreigners who do not have insurance in a country other than Turkey,
Foreign nationals living in Turkey for more than one year and applying after this period can benefit from general health insurance.
Foreign nationals can apply for general health insurance at their own request.
Foreign nationals should personally apply to the nearest social security centre to benefit from general health insurance. There are more than 600 social security centres across Turkey to make this application.
The following documents must be submitted when applying for general health insurance:
The insurance premium rate that foreign nationals must pay is 24% of the minimum wage. This rate is 4% of the minimum wage for foreign students. As of January 2022, the minimum wage in Turkey is expected to be around 3500 Turkish Liras.
Above all, foreign nationals must have private insurance to obtain a residence permit in Turkey. In other words, one of the most basic conditions for obtaining a residence permit is to have private health insurance.
Private health insurance is provided by various insurance companies operating in the country. There may be some differences between the coverages offered by insurance companies.
Just like in general health insurance, a monthly premium is paid to the insurance company in private health insurance. In return, health services are used free of charge.
It is worth mentioning: After obtaining a residence permit, foreign nationals can apply for general health insurance by cancelling their private insurance policy.
Insurance companies operating in Turkey have agencies in almost every city. They may specialize in topics such as home insurance, travel insurance, vehicle insurance, earthquake insurance and health insurance.
For this reason, you can obtain the necessary information from the websites of insurance companies that offer private health insurance, and you can get private health insurance by visiting insurance agencies in person.
Private health insurance covers many health services just like general health insurance.
Is healthcare good in Turkey for foreigners?
In addition to physicians working in state and university hospitals and private hospitals, there are also physicians who have their own practice. These physicians do not work under any insurance. They have their own fee schedules. Therefore, patients do not have the opportunity to benefit from insurance for the treatment they will receive in private practice. For this reason, it can be financially challenging to benefit from physicians with private practice.
When it comes to dental health, Turkey is among the leading countries in the world in terms of both service quality and patient satisfaction. Turkey, which hosts patients from all over the world, especially European countries, for dental health services, stands out with its quality service, low cost and high-level workmanship.
Those who want to benefit from dental health services in Turkey have three options:
Is healthcare cheap for foreigners in Turkey?
Oral and dental health services in Turkey are provided in the "Oral and Dental Health" clinics, which are the widespread network of state hospitals throughout the country. Appointments can be made from these centres by telephone, internet, or individual application method.
Turkish and foreign nationals who have general health insurance can benefit from oral and dental health services at state and university hospitals free of charge. In addition, with the latest legal regulation, people covered by general health insurance can also benefit from the services provided by private hospitals under certain conditions.
Individuals with private insurance can also benefit from oral and dental health services in public and private hospitals with which their insurance is contracted. However, the extent to which private health insurance covers dental health services should be taken into consideration while taking out private insurance.
As a third option, dentists operating in their own practice can be shown. These dentists work independently and have their own fee schedule. They do not operate within the scope of general health insurance and private insurance.
Now let's take a closer look at how foreign nationals can benefit from dental health services through these three options.
1) Foreigners who have obtained a residence permit in Turkey,
2) Foreigners who do not have insurance in a country other than Turkey,
3) Foreign nationals living in Turkey for more than one year and applying after this period can benefit from general health insurance.
Foreign nationals who want to benefit from dental health services in Turkey should personally apply to the nearest social security centre to apply for general health insurance. The applicant must submit the following documents to the social security centre:
Now let's look at the oral and dental health services provided under the general health insurance:
Oral and dental examination, clinical examinations required for the diagnosis of oral and dental diseases upon the need of the dentist, tooth extraction, conservative dental treatment and root canal treatment, emergency health services related to oral and dental diseases, orthodontic dental treatments for persons under 18 years of age. The general health insurance covers 50% of the dental prosthesis of people who have not completed their full or have reached the age of 45.
According to the regulation of the Social Security Institution, dental implant treatment can only be met on the condition that "its application is compulsory, and it is decided by the health committee to be formed with the participation of at least one faculty member from the departments of surgery, prosthesis and periodontology from the faculties of dentistry".
In other words, dental implants are only covered by general health insurance in certain cases. If the dental implant treatment is not of vital importance for the physical health of the person, the general health insurance will not cover the dental implant. In this case, it is necessary to go to dentists operating in private practice.
In the case of dental prosthesis, a patient can be fitted with a dental prosthesis every 4 years in accordance with the general health insurance regulation. In other words, a person can benefit from dental prosthesis services free of charge at most once in 4 years.
Braces are also covered by general health insurance. Braces are treated in the oral and dental health centres of state hospitals, oral and dental health hospitals, oral and dental health training and research hospitals, dentistry departments of universities, and clinics.
First of all, it is necessary to have a private insurance in order to obtain a residence permit in Turkey. Foreign nationals who want to stay in Turkey longer than the period granted by the visa or visa exemption or 90 days are required to take out private health insurance from insurance companies operating in the country to obtain a residence permit.
Private insurance includes services such as dental examination, panoramic x-ray, calculus cleaning, tooth extraction and teeth whitening. However, dental implants are optionally available under insurance. In other words, having private insurance does not automatically enable you to benefit from implant services. If you want your private health insurance to cover the dental implant, you must specify this when taking out private insurance.
There is a third option for oral and dental health treatments in Turkey, apart from state hospitals and private hospitals. Dentists can also open their own private practice and provide oral and dental health services. These dentists do not operate under any insurance. You can also make an appointment with private examinations, which have their own price tariffs, by phone, online or in person.
However, since private practices are not covered by any insurance, treatment fees are high. It may be necessary to pay serious amounts for treatments such as dental implants and dental prosthesis.
In order to provide health services under the guarantee of the state, it is necessary to be subject to insurance. Citizens of the Republic of Turkey can receive state-guaranteed health services within the scope of their professional insurance or through family ties. However, there are some applications and procedures that foreigners have to do in order to benefit from health services. Health insurances; It consists of two main headings within the scope of general health insurance and private health insurance.
In order to benefit from health services within the borders of Turkey, foreign nationals must fulfill the procedures related to foreigners, apart from the health insurances in their own country. Foreigners who have a residence permit in Turkey, foreigners who do not have health insurance in their own country or in another country, and people who apply after being in Turkey for a long time can benefit from health services.
General health insurance; It is the system that ensures that the health services received from state-affiliated hospitals, health institutions, medical centers and family health centers are provided within the scope of insurance. In order for foreigners to benefit from health services, they must be subject to general health insurance. In addition, those who have general health insurance are deemed necessary for treatment; There is government support for drugs, medical supplies and medical equipment.
Foreigners who want to benefit from general health insurance should apply to the Social Security Directorate of the region they are in.
The requirements for application and the documents that foreign nationals must fulfill in order to be covered by health insurance and the documents that must be declared are as follows:
It is obligatory to attach the form and the petition, in which the application information is completely filled, to the file.
If the applicant has the right to reside in Turkey, he/she must present the residence permit document.
In order for foreigners to benefit from health services, the applicant must prove that they do not have health insurance in their own country or in another country.
The applicant's statement of the document showing the status of the general health insurance obtained from the institutions of his own country is required.
The original document of the document containing the information about the general health insurance from the attaché is also accepted in the application.
The undertaking form given by the Social Security Directorate must be filled in and signed personally.
The person applying for general health insurance has to submit their identity cards to the relevant authority so that their dependent family members can also benefit from this right.
Foreigners who are entitled to general health insurance must be family members who do not have any insurance and who submit their identity cards in order to benefit from health services.
If foreign nationals benefit from general health insurance rights; spouse, children under the age of 18, children under 20 years of age if continuing high school education, children with disabilities without age limit, and parents who are determined to earn their living from this person, can also benefit from the same rights.
One of the ways foreigners can apply to benefit from health services is private health insurance. Private health insurance; As a result of agreements with insurance companies; It is the type of insurance that covers the costs required for the treatment of health problems caused by an accident or illness, limited to the coverage information in the policy.
In private health insurance, unlike general health insurance, the policy determines the scope of health services. For this reason, it is important for foreigners to take out insurance by examining the provisions included in the policy in terms of the content of the health services they will benefit from. It is useful to carry out detailed investigations in order to avoid policy-related coverage problems, especially in the procurement of certain medical interventions and equipment.
Obtaining private health insurance for foreigners to benefit from health services; It is the obligation of those who enter the country for a period of time without a residence permit. In order to benefit from health services, foreigners who have been in Turkey for a short or long term without obtaining a residence permit are required to have private health insurance.
Foreigners who want to benefit from health services should know the details and obligations regarding the procedures. You can benefit from our consultancy service to progress in a controlled manner in the application and admission processes, and to obtain information about health services and insurance.
