Medisinsk turisme i Tyrkia 2027: Slik planlegges en behandlingsreise

A treatment trip to Turkey in 2027 is planned in a fixed order: the medical decision first (you, your own doctor and a clinic authorised by the Turkish Ministry of Health), then the dates the clinic gives you in writing, and only after that the flights, hotel and transfers. Turkey received 1,506,442 international health tourists in 2024, according to USHAŞ, the state company that runs the official HealthTürkiye portal. This page explains how the system works, what home governments advise, and which 2027 dates to plan around. If you need to be met at the airport, our private Istanbul airport transfer starts from $60 per group.

First, what we are and are not. Get Turkey Tours is a licensed Turkish travel agency (TÜRSAB A-15751). We are not a clinic, a hospital or an authorised health-tourism intermediary. We do not book, sell or recommend treatment, and nothing here is medical advice. Our part is the travel around it.

Health tourism in Turkey in numbers

USHAŞ publishes yearly figures for international health tourists and the revenue they bring. The latest full year on its site is 2024.

Two things stand out. Numbers roughly doubled between 2021 and 2023 as travel recovered, and 2024 was close to 2023 in patients but slightly higher in revenue. A large sector also means a wide range of providers, which is why the checks later on this page matter more than any advertising.

The UK government's travel advice for Turkey lists cosmetic surgery, dental treatment and cardiac surgery as the most common procedures for medical tourists.

How the official system works

Turkey regulates health tourism through the Regulation on International Health Tourism and Tourist Health, published in the Official Gazette on 13 July 2017 (No. 30123). Three parts of it matter to a patient planning a trip.

Authorisation certificates. Health facilities that treat international patients, and the intermediary companies that arrange treatment for them, need an international health tourism authorisation certificate from the Ministry of Health. HealthTürkiye describes this as a legal requirement for both.

Published lists. The Ministry's Health Tourism Department publishes two lists: authorised health facilities and authorised intermediary organisations. Both were last updated on 5 October 2026. Being on the list is a legal minimum. It is not a quality grade, and it is not a recommendation.

USHAŞ and HealthTürkiye. USHAŞ (International Health Services Inc.) is a state company that works with the Ministry of Health. Since 13 May 2024, it has handled the authorisation of intermediaries. It runs HealthTürkiye (healthturkiye.gov.tr), the Ministry's official portal for foreign patients, which has a 24-hour support line on +90 850 288 38 38 and pages on arrival, departure and medical visas.

What this means in practice. If a company is selling you a treatment package, ask for its intermediary authorisation, then check it on the list. Ask the clinic for its facility authorisation as well. A travel agency that only books your hotel and transfers, as we do, is not acting as a health-tourism intermediary.

The planning sequence, step by step

The order matters more than the details: book flights only after the clinic has confirmed the dates in writing and your own doctor has said you are fit to travel.

On price. Treatment prices come only from the clinic, in writing. What makes them differ: the procedure and its extent, who performs it, what is included (consultations, tests, medicines, follow-up visits, hotel nights), the facility, and how complications or revisions are handled. Compare what is included, not just the headline figure. Our tour prices have nothing to do with treatment prices.

What home governments tell their citizens

Most patients come from countries whose governments publish advice on treatment abroad. They agree on the basics, and each adds something.

United Kingdom. GOV.UK's travel advice says the FCDO is aware of 7 British nationals who died in Turkey in 2025 following medical procedures, and that others needed further treatment after complications. It advises discussing plans with your UK doctor, doing your own research because private companies have a financial interest in booking treatment, and it points to the Ministry of Health's approved provider list on HealthTürkiye. The NHS adds: consult the surgeon who will treat you, ideally twice before surgery; do not pay for a hospital you have never seen; and remember that travel insurance does not normally cover things going wrong in surgery.

United States. The CDC's medical tourism guidance advises seeing your US doctor well in advance and considering a travel health consultation 4 to 6 weeks before going, checking insurance and considering medical evacuation cover, agreeing a plan for complications with both doctors, and getting copies of your records in English. It also notes that you may not have the same legal recourse abroad as at home.

Canada. The Government of Canada says your provincial or territorial plan may not cover complications, that most travel insurance won't cover planned procedures abroad, and that you should tell any health care provider you see for at least 12 months after your return that you had treatment outside Canada.

Entry rules. Citizens of the US, the UK and Canada can visit Türkiye without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180 days, with a passport valid for at least 150 days from entry. Other nationalities should check our Turkey visa requirements update and the HealthTürkiye medical visa pages.

Flying, recovery and how long to stay

The length of the stay is set by the treatment and by your clinic, never by the travel plan. Still, it helps to know why official bodies take flying after surgery seriously.

• The NHS says air travel and major surgery both increase the risk of a blood clot, which can be life-threatening. For cosmetic surgery it advises avoiding flights for 5 to 7 days after procedures such as breast surgery and liposuction, and 7 to 10 days after facial cosmetic procedures or tummy tucks.
• The CDC advises against flying for 10 days after chest or abdominal surgery, and cites the American Society of Plastic Surgeons' advice to wait 7 to 10 days after laser treatment or cosmetic procedures on the face, eyelids or nose.
• The NHS also calls planning a holiday straight after surgery "unrealistic", because it can raise the risk of complications.

These are general figures from public health bodies. Your own clinic and doctor decide when you are fit to fly, and their written instruction is the one to book against. Build in at least one spare day before the flight home, in case a check-up is moved.

Hotel and transport. Choose a hotel close to the clinic rather than close to the sights; traffic in Istanbul can be slow at rush hour. Our guide to where to stay in Istanbul explains the districts. On treatment days, a fixed pickup by a private car with driver is easier than hailing taxis.

Dates to plan around in 2027

Clinics set their own working days, so ask yours about holiday opening. These are the national dates that most affect travel in 2027:

• Ramadan is expected to run from about 8 February to 8 March 2027 in Turkey.
• Eid al-Fitr (Ramazan Bayramı): 9 to 11 March 2027, with the eve on 8 March.
• Eid al-Adha (Kurban Bayramı): 16 to 19 May 2027, with the eve on 15 May. This is also a busy domestic travel period, so flights and hotels fill early.
• Fixed public holidays: 1 January, 23 April, 1 May, 19 May, 15 July, 30 August and 29 October. In 2027, 19 May falls inside the Eid al-Adha holiday.

Season. Spring and autumn usually bring milder weather for companions and short outings. Summer brings heat and crowds; ask your clinic about sun exposure if your procedure is sensitive to it. Our best time to visit Istanbul page goes through the year.

Where a travel agency fits, and where it doesn't

A treatment trip has a medical side and a travel side. They should stay separate, so that the people who profit from travel do not influence the medical decision.

What we do. Airport transfers at Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gökçen; a hotel booked near the address your clinic gives you; a private car with driver for clinic days; calm sightseeing on days your clinic allows; and full sightseeing days for companions, who often have more free time than the patient.

What we do not do. We do not choose, recommend, rank or book clinics, doctors or hospitals. We do not quote treatment prices or pass on medical information. If you need help with the treatment itself, HealthTürkiye's support line is the official starting point.

For companions. While the patient rests, a partner or friend can see the Old City with a guide, take a Bosphorus lunch cruise, visit Ortaköy and the Dolmabahçe Palace, or spend an evening at a whirling dervish ceremony. Our Istanbul tours with hotel pickup page lists options that start from the hotel door.

Tours that cover this

These are travel services only. None of them include, arrange or connect to medical treatment.

• VIP private airport transfer in a Mercedes Vito: from $60 per group.
• Private Mercedes Vito city tour with driver: from $299 per group, up to 8 hours; useful for clinic days or a seated tour.
• Bosphorus lunch cruise with hotel pickup: from $75 per person, about 3 hours.
• Whirling dervish Sema ceremony: from $60 per person, about an hour.

For a holiday after the treatment trip, or on a later visit, see Turkey tour packages from the USA, from the UK or from Canada, and the Istanbul destination guide.

Frequently Asked Questions