Health-tourism authorisation in Türkiye: who needs it and how to apply
Published 19 October 2026Reviewed 19 October 20267 min read
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Who needs a certificate?
Two kinds of organisation need one: health facilities and intermediaries (Article 5). A hospital, medical centre, polyclinic or private practice that accepts foreigners, or Turkish citizens living abroad, who come to Türkiye temporarily for health reasons needs a certificate. One treating only residents of Türkiye does not.
An intermediary is a company that advises patients and companions and arranges facility organisation, accommodation, transport and transfers (Article 4). A facility may accept patients who come to it directly, but may not use unauthorised people or companies for an intermediary's work (Article 6).
Who applies where?
- Issued by
- Health facilityMinistry of Health
- IntermediaryUSHAŞ (International Health Services Inc.)
- How to apply
- Health facilityThrough EKİP; the provincial or district health directorate reviews the file
- IntermediaryOn the USHAŞ website, after joining the HealthTürkiye Portal
- Document list
- Health facilityAnnex EK-1/A of the regulation
- IntermediaryAnnex EK-1/B and the current USHAŞ list
- On-site inspection
- Health facilityBy the provincial or district health directorate
- IntermediaryBy USHAŞ
- Transfer and branches
- Health facilityCannot be transferred
- IntermediaryCannot be transferred; each branch needs its own
Which regulation applies?
The rules in force are the Regulation on International Health Tourism and the Health of Tourists, published in the Official Gazette (Resmî Gazete) No. 32882 on 26 April 2025, which replaced the 2017 regulation. The old text required an intermediary to be a group A travel agency. Now it is a company with health tourism among its registered activities that arranges stays, transport and transfers through a licensed travel agency.
Which documents does a health facility submit?
Documents available through EKİP are not requested again on paper.
- Proof that you have applied for membership of the HealthTürkiye Portal.
- A signed and stamped application letter with the facility's name, contact and bank details and its representative.
- A copy of the licence, temporary licence or operating permit, or for a private practice its certificate of suitability, approved by the health directorate.
- The registered diplomas and approved employment documents of the staff of the international health tourism unit.
- Proof of at least 85 points in the latest quality assessment; not needed while a TÜSKA accreditation or Ministry certificate is valid.
- Foreign-language proficiency of the unit's staff, for example a YDS score of at least 65, a B2 certificate or a degree in languages or translation.
- A declaration that you run an active website in at least one foreign language.
Which documents does an intermediary submit?
Check the latest version of the list on the USHAŞ website before you apply.
- Proof of your HealthTürkiye Portal membership application and an application letter with the company's, bank and representative's details.
- Your travel-agency licence or, if you are not an agency, a service contract with a licensed agency that takes effect once your certificate is issued.
- A Trade Registry Gazette copy showing your capital, shareholders and health tourism as a registered activity.
- A recent trade registry certificate, signature circular, representatives' ID copies and tax certificate.
- The previous year's balance sheet approved by a certified accountant.
- A contract with a call centre working 24/7 in at least two foreign languages or, for your own call centre, the registrations and language certificates of at least two staff and the responsible staff member.
- A consent form, a letter naming the responsible staff member and stamped screenshots of your foreign-language website.
How does the application proceed?
Portal membership
Join the HealthTürkiye Portal first: both applications ask for proof, and the USHAŞ screen only lists companies that have completed membership.
Application
Facilities apply through EKİP, intermediaries on the USHAŞ website, which wants legible PDF scans.
Document review
Gaps are notified within 15 working days; if they are not filled within 30 working days, the application is treated as rejected.
On-site inspection
The health directorate inspects the facility, USHAŞ the intermediary. USHAŞ asks for the original documents first.
Certificate
An approved facility file reaches the Ministry within 15 working days, and the certificate follows within a further 15. An intermediary's certificate follows payment of the fee.
What does the certificate commit you to?
The duties do not end with the certificate. An organisation that falls short can have it suspended and, in the end, cancelled.
- Run an international health tourism unit for admission, billing and interpreting, and record a responsible staff member for each patient on the portal (Article 7).
- Insure surgical and interventional procedures in the operating theatre against complications, and keep treatment records in a Ministry-registered health information system (Articles 6 and 8).
- Keep a website with a foreign-language option; as an intermediary, answer calls 24/7 in at least two foreign languages (Article 13).
- Be ready for USHAŞ's yearly assessment of patient satisfaction, response time to requests, appointment waiting times, complaints and turnover (Article 9 and annex EK-2).
- Stay active: a certificate is cancelled after a year without health tourism activity (Article 16).
What happens if you work without one?
Under the regulation's inspection forms (annexes EK-4 and EK-5):
- Health tourism services without a certificate
- ConsequenceActivity stopped, an administrative fine and a report to the prosecutor
- A facility using an unauthorised intermediary, first finding
- ConsequenceHealth tourism activity suspended for three months
- A repeat
- ConsequenceActivity suspended for six months
- A third finding
- ConsequenceThe certificate is cancelled
How do you keep track of licences in Klinikbook?
Klinikbook is software: it does not obtain the certificate for you, refer patients or act as an intermediary. It keeps your own and your partners' documents in order.
Record your licences
In the compliance centre, enter the documents the Türkiye pack lists: facility licence, health tourism authorisation, USHAŞ authorisation and travel-agency licence, each with its number, expiry date and file.
Hear about expiry in time
Your workspace is told 30 days before a recorded expiry date. If you like, Klinikbook verifies a licence and your workspace gets the “verified” mark.
Mark your partners' licences as checked
Enter an intermediary's, hotel's or transfer company's licences on its partner record and mark that you checked them against the public register. A facility in Türkiye can make a partner its intermediary only once its USHAŞ authorisation is checked.
See the warning on the trip
A trip warns you when it came through an intermediary with an unchecked authorisation, or when a company with an unchecked travel-agency licence carries the travellers. It warns; it does not block.
Frequently asked questions
Does a clinic that only treats patients living in Türkiye need a certificate?
No. The certificate is for facilities that treat foreigners and citizens living abroad who come to Türkiye for health reasons. If you plan to accept patients from abroad, get the certificate first.
Can a private practice get a certificate?
Yes. The EK-1/A list names the certificate of suitability issued to private practices. According to the Ministry, authorised practices must also hold the health directorate's certificate by 31 December 2026.
Does an intermediary have to be a group A travel agency?
Not under the 2025 regulation. An intermediary provides accommodation, transport and transfers through a licensed travel agency, or directly if it is one itself.
How much does the certificate cost?
Application and certificate fees change. Check the current amounts in the announcements of the Ministry's Health Tourism Department and USHAŞ.
Do I need a certificate to use Klinikbook?
No. Klinikbook is software for running your own patients and operations. If you accept patients from abroad, your certificate duty applies whatever software you use.
Sources
- Regulation on International Health Tourism and the Health of Tourists (No. 32882, in Turkish) — Resmî Gazete, 26 April 2025
- Annexes to the regulation: EK-1/A, EK-1/B, EK-2, EK-4 and EK-5 (in Turkish) — Resmî Gazete, 26 April 2025
- Consolidated text of the regulation with the Council of State's stay (in Turkish) — Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi
- Notice to health facilities holding a health tourism authorisation (in Turkish) — Ministry of Health, Health Tourism Department, 13 May 2026
- Lists of authorised facilities and intermediaries updated (in Turkish) — Ministry of Health, Health Tourism Department, 5 October 2026
- Points to note when applying (in Turkish) — USHAŞ
- Documents to be submitted by an intermediary (in Turkish) — USHAŞ
- Intermediary applications: frequently asked questions (in Turkish) — USHAŞ
- The repealed 2017 regulation (in Turkish) — Resmî Gazete, 13 July 2017
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