Turkey
Digital Nomad Visa (Identification Certificate): health insurance requirements
Yes: health insurance is required
Yes, and uniquely it wants a local policy. Turkey's digital nomad route (launched 2024 via the official goturkiye portal) leads to a short-term residence permit, and Turkish residence permits require a Turkish-licensed private health insurance policy meeting the regulator's minimum cover, not just any international plan. It is for remote workers aged 21 to 55 with a university degree, earning at least US$3,000 a month from a company outside Turkey.
The requirements at a glance
| Local-licensed insurer required | Yes: international IPMI alone is usually rejected |
|---|---|
| Accepted proof | A Turkish-licensed private health insurance policy ('yabancı sağlık sigortası') meeting the regulator's minimum cover for the full permit duration. International-only policies are generally not accepted on their own for the residence permit. |
Apply online at goturkiye for a Digital Nomad Identification Certificate, then obtain the visa and a short-term residence permit (Article 31, Law 6458). Eligibility: age 21–55, university degree, remote work for a company outside Turkey, income of at least US$3,000/month. Minimum insurance cover levels are set in Turkish lira and adjusted over time (a regulated outpatient/inpatient minimum has applied since April 2025); confirm the current figures when you buy.
Turkey's digital nomad route leads to a short-term residence permit that requires a Turkish-licensed private health insurance policy (not just an international plan), for remote workers aged 21–55 with a degree earning at least US$3,000/month.
Our take
Turkey is the exception to the usual nomad-visa pattern: your existing international plan probably will not satisfy the permit on its own, you will need a compliant Turkish policy.
Budget for that local policy, and keep your international cover for medical evacuation and care outside Turkey, which the local policy may not handle.
What happens if you get it wrong
Submitting an international-only policy can stall the residence-permit step, since the regulator expects a Turkish-licensed policy.
Because the lira-denominated minimums change, a policy bought to an old figure can fall short, so check the current minimum at purchase.
Interactive
Verified pricesWhat would it cost in Turkey without insurance?
Gravel on a bend outside town. Road rash, a broken forearm, and a night or two before they discharge you.
| Ambulance | $17–$32 |
| Emergency room, on arrival | $50–$150 |
| X-ray on the forearm | $34–$228 |
| Two nights on the ward | $700–$1,600 |
| You pay, out of pocket | $801–$2,010 |
Priced as one lump instead of itemised, a serious admission in Turkey runs $1,500 to $6,000.
That is the bill you carry alone. Insurance exists for exactly this.
See what cover costsTypical private-care estimates for illustration, not a quote. Actual bills vary by hospital, city and severity.
FAQ
A Turkish-licensed private health insurance policy meeting the regulator's minimum cover, for the full permit duration. An international-only policy is generally not enough on its own.
Usually not on its own for the residence permit. Plan to buy a compliant Turkish policy, and keep international cover for evacuation and care elsewhere.
Age 21 to 55, a university degree, remote work for a company outside Turkey, and income of at least US$3,000 a month.
Turkey sets minimum outpatient and inpatient cover levels in lira, adjusted over time. Confirm the current figures with a Turkish insurer when you apply.
Apply online at the official goturkiye portal for a Digital Nomad Identification Certificate, then convert it to a visa and a short-term residence permit.
How to apply
- Government fee
- Not fixed. The Identification Certificate portal lists no fee, and the consular visa and residence-permit fees vary by nationality and permit length.
- Where to apply
- Stage 1 online at digitalnomads.goturkiye.com. Stage 2 at a Turkish consulate or visa centre if abroad, or online at e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr followed by a Provincial Migration Management appointment if already in Turkey.
- 1
Stage 1: confirm eligibility, aged 21 to 55, a national of an eligible country, a university graduate, working remotely for a non-Turkish company or self-employed, earning at least US$3,000 a month.
- 2
Stage 1: sign up at the online portal digitalnomads.goturkiye.com and upload your documents (passport valid at least six months, degree, employment or self-employment proof, biometric photo, income proof). If approved you receive the Digital Nomad Identification Certificate, a barcoded PDF.
- 3
Stage 2 if abroad: take the certificate and supporting documents to a Turkish consulate or visa centre and apply for the Digital Nomad Visa.
- 4
Stage 2 if already in Turkey: instead apply online for a short-term residence permit at e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr, then attend an appointment at the local Provincial Migration Management office with your printed application and documents.
- 5
Once the visa or residence permit is granted, you may live in Turkey; the residence permit is typically issued for up to one year.
Fees and processing times move, sometimes without announcement, and a consulate can add a document the published checklist does not mention. Treat the above as the shape of the process rather than a guarantee, and check the current requirement with the mission handling your application before you book anything.
What policy actually satisfies this visa
Turkey does not publish a minimum figure, which sounds permissive and is not. It means you are judged against somebody's unwritten idea of adequate, and the safe reading of adequate is enough to cover a serious hospital admission in Turkey, not the cheapest policy that technically exists.
The hard constraint here is the insurer. This visa is only satisfied by a policy from an insurer licensed in Turkey, which disqualifies international plans outright, however comprehensive they are. Check this before you buy rather than after, because it invalidates the whole purchase rather than requiring a top-up.
Repatriation is not named as a condition, though it is the benefit you would most want to have if the worst happened, and it costs very little to add.
And the dates. The policy has to run for the whole permit, which a standard travel policy cannot do because it stops at around 90 days. An officer comparing your policy period with your permit period does not have to look hard to see it expire in the middle.
Ask your insurer for a certificate of cover that states your full name as it appears on your passport, the exact policy period, the territory covered, and the benefit amounts. That is a normal request and any decent insurer issues it without fuss. The insurance being real and the paperwork still failing is a more common way to lose an application than being uninsured.
The visa tells you the minimum. It does not tell you what to actually carry. Those are different questions, and the paperwork minimum is nearly always the smaller of the two answers.
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