Inbound foreign patients to Turkey from 20 May

Turkey will start accepting foreign patients from 31 countries from 20 May. The health ministry has set certain security conditions and isolation rules for foreign patients to enter the country, to be admitted to hospitals and to receive treatment. The measures will apply for both the patients and their attendants.

A maximum of two attendants per patient will be allowed into the country. The patients and the attendants will go through a COVID-19 PCR test or samples will be taken for the PCR test for a fee when entering Turkey from the airports or border gates.

If there are COVID-19 tests available in their home country, patients are required to take the test within 48 hours prior to their travel and bring the negative COVID-19 PCR test result paper along with them.

Only COVID-19 negative individuals will be accepted into the country.

After entering Turkey, the patients and their attendants will be directly taken to the hospital where they have an appointment and they will not be accommodated anywhere else.

One floor or corridor of the hospital will be allocated only for the patients coming from abroad.

The 31 countries include Iraq, Libya, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Greece, Ukraine, Russia, Djibouti, Algeria, Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Somalia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

The only allowed treatments are orthopaedics and traumatology, general surgery, paediatric surgery, urology, eyecare, cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, surgical oncology, gynaecologic oncology surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, brain and nerve surgery, haematology, intensive care, assisted-reproduction treatment applications, organ transplantation and bone marrow transplantation.

At present cosmetic surgery, dental services and hair transplants are not allowed.

Patients must register with International Health Services (USHAS) before travelling and following the pre-approval, their permission letter will be sent to the medical institution.

State-owned International Health Services (USHAS) seeks to promote the country’s health tourism abroad and to fully realise its potential by regulation.