Visas, documents and entry rules for medical visitors
Most European citizens enter visa-free for 90 days. The document that actually matters is a passport with six months of validity.
Visa-free entry
Citizens of most EU countries, the UK and many others enter Turkey without a visa for stays up to 90 days within 180. Rules change; check your own foreign ministry's page a fortnight before travelling rather than relying on a clinic's website.
The six-month passport rule
Turkey generally requires a passport valid for at least 150 days beyond entry. Airlines enforce this at check-in, and it is the single most common reason patients miss their surgery date.
e-Visa where required
Nationals who do need a visa can apply online through the official e-Visa portal in minutes. Use only the government site, the commercial lookalikes charge several times the fee for the same document.
Documents worth carrying
Passport, travel insurance, your clinic appointment confirmation, hotel address and return ticket. Border officers occasionally ask the purpose of travel; 'medical treatment' with a clinic address is a straightforward answer.
The Ones People Actually Ask.
Do I need a special medical visa?
No. Treatment is possible on a standard tourist entry for the vast majority of patients.
More On Istanbul & travel.
Four thousand shops, no air conditioning and a lot of elbows, here is when it is safe to go after surgery, and how…
Turkish hammam after surgery: when each procedure is clearedForty-five degrees, an abrasive scrub and a pressure massage, here are the waiting periods we give for dental, hair,…
Istanbul pharmacies: prescriptions, night duty and what to bringAntibiotics need a prescription, every district keeps one pharmacy open all night, and brand names do not travel, …
Travel insurance for a medical trip: what it will not coverAlmost every standard policy excludes planned treatment abroad and its complications, here is what to buy instead,…
What Stands Behind The Plan.
