Health Insurance for Your Residence Permit: What Is Accepted in Türkiye

Most residence permit applications need valid health insurance. The wrong kind can hold an application up, so it's worth knowing exactly what the Presidency of Migration Management (Göç İdaresi) accepts.

This guide summarises the migration authority's published document requirements. It is practical information, not legal or insurance advice — requirements can change, and so go by your own e-İkamet application checklist, and by anything extra your provincial migration directorate asks for.

The basic rule

Your health insurance must cover the whole residence permit period you are applying for. A policy that runs out earlier than the permit you're asking for won't do.

For a long-term residence permit, you ordinarily need health insurance of at least one year (applicants over 65 have an alternative — see below).

What counts

A private health insurance policy

• A policy from an insurer in Türkiye is the usual route. Brokers (acente) sell policies written for residence-permit applications.

• If you apply from inside Türkiye, a policy from a foreign insurer only counts if it was issued through that insurer's licensed operation in Türkiye. If you apply from abroad, a foreign insurer's policy is accepted as long as it provides the circular's minimum cover in Türkiye. A travel insurance policy from home generally won't meet the requirement.

• The policy must meet the minimum cover set by the insurance regulator's Circular 2016/16 on health insurance for visa and residence permit applications, as amended since (most recently by Circular 2024/34), and say so on the policy. Some official guidance still quotes an older 2014 circular — that one was repealed in 2016, so don't go looking for its wording. Ask the insurer or broker to confirm the policy is issued under the current circular before you pay.

• How to submit it depends on your form: older guidance asks for the original policy (e-signed, or signed and stamped) at a first application and a certified copy for an extension, while the current short-term renewal form asks for the policy's first page showing the policy number. Follow your own checklist, and bring the full policy in case the directorate asks for more.

Social security agreements

If you're covered under a bilateral social security agreement between your country and Türkiye, have your status confirmed by the provincial social security (SGK) office and add that signed and stamped document to your application.

SGK (general health insurance)

If you're covered by Türkiye's general health insurance through SGK, the provision document you bring must be stamped and signed — and for a family permit, it must cover the family members too. If you've applied to SGK for general health insurance but aren't covered yet, the current application forms also accept a properly authenticated document confirming that application. For how and when foreign residents can join SGK, see our healthcare guide.

Family permits

For a family residence permit, the supporting family member's health insurance must cover every family member on the application.

Who doesn't need it

• Under 18 or over 65 — short-term and student permits only: the health insurance requirement doesn't apply, but if you already have a valid policy, you must submit it. This does not extend to a family permit, where the sponsor's insurance must still cover every family member, including children and anyone over 65.

• Over 65, long-term permit: instead of a policy, you can submit a document showing that you can't obtain health insurance.

• Students: students can ask to join general health insurance (GSS) within three months of registering at their university. If they do, health insurance isn't requested for the application — but they must join GSS within those three months and notify the migration office.

• Public coverage: if your health costs during your stay are covered by the relevant public institutions, the requirement doesn't apply — though you may be asked for evidence of it.

What the circular gives you

• Cancelling: you can only cancel a permit policy early if you show the insurer a new policy covering your permit period, if your permit is cancelled, or if you've joined SGK general health insurance. You get the unused premium back, pro rata by day — worth claiming when a job puts you on SGK and you'd otherwise be paying twice.

• Instalments: you can pay the premium in one go or in instalments. If the insurer accepted instalments, it can't cancel the policy because a payment was late.

• English documents: the insurer must give you the policy documents in English as well as Turkish. If there's ever a dispute, the Turkish text is the one that counts.

• It's checked online: permit policies are issued in real time and the migration authority checks each one against the insurance industry's central database. A fake or cancelled policy will be caught, so buy from a licensed insurer or broker.

Before you buy

• Match the policy's dates to the permit period you're requesting.

• Confirm it's issued under Circular 2016/16 (as amended), not the repealed 2014 one.

• Make sure the name and passport number match your application exactly.

• Keep the original and digital copies — you'll need the policy again at renewal.

If you're unsure which applies to you, ask the Foreigners Communication Centre, YİMER 157, or your provincial migration directorate before you buy.