Health Tourism Authorisation Certificate in Turkey (2026 Guide)

To accept patients from abroad in Türkiye, or to act as a facilitator for them, you need a health tourism authorisation certificate. Its official name is the “international health tourism authorisation certificate”. The rules changed significantly in 2025. In this article we summarise, based on the legislation in force, who needs the certificate, the criteria, the required documents and the application steps.

The main legislation is the Regulation on International Health Tourism and Tourist Health, published in the Official Gazette No. 32882 of 26 April 2025. It repealed the previous regulation from 2017. On the promotion side, a new Regulation on Promotion and Information Activities in Health Services came into force on 12 November 2025.

Who needs a health tourism authorisation certificate?

The regulation defines two types of authorisation certificate. Which one you apply for depends on what you do.

Healthcare facilities

Hospitals, medical centres, polyclinics, laboratories, dialysis centres and private practices fall into this group. The certificate is issued by the Ministry of Health. Applications are made through EKİP (the Integrated Institutional Transaction Platform) and reviewed by the provincial or district health directorate.

A certified facility can accept foreign patients who apply directly without a facilitator. However, for work that must be carried out by a facilitator, it cannot use people or organisations that do not hold an authorisation certificate.

Facilitators

These are companies that provide consultancy, facility arrangements, accommodation, transport and transfer services to patients and their companions. Only legal entities can operate as facilitators. This certificate is issued by USHAŞ (International Health Services Inc.) on behalf of the Ministry.

Neither certificate can be transferred. If a facilitator opens a second branch, each branch needs its own authorisation certificate.

Health tourism authorisation certificate criteria

Key criteria for healthcare facilities

International health tourism unit: a separate unit is set up for patient admission, registration, invoicing, interpreting and coordination with facilitators. At least one staff member in this unit must document foreign language proficiency. Staff details are reported through EKİP.
Accreditation or certification: hospitals, medical centres, medical laboratories and dialysis centres must obtain TÜSKA accreditation. Other facilities must obtain the certificate issued by the Ministry. The deadline for existing facilities is 31 December 2026. According to the Health Tourism Department’s announcement, certificates for facilities such as private practices and polyclinics are issued by provincial health directorates. Those who have not completed this process by the deadline will not be able to accept international patients.
Quality score: the facility must have scored at least 85 points in its latest healthcare quality assessment. For facilities with TÜSKA accreditation or a Ministry certificate, this requirement does not apply while those documents are valid.
Complication insurance: the regulation makes complication insurance mandatory for surgical and interventional procedures performed in an operating theatre setting. Confirm the current implementation status of this provision with your provincial health directorate before applying.
Record system: a health information management system registered in the Ministry’s registration system must be used.
Website: a website with a foreign language option is mandatory. The name and title on the site must match the title and ownership name on the authorisation certificate.

Key criteria for facilitators

Travel services: accommodation, transport and transfers must be provided through travel agencies authorised under Law No. 1618. If the facilitator is itself a travel agency, it can provide these services directly.
Call centre: an infrastructure providing 24/7 service in at least two foreign languages must be set up, or this service must be purchased from a call centre. According to USHAŞ, the old requirement of “English plus one other language” has been removed, and languages can be chosen according to the target market.
Staff: USHAŞ requires at least 3 employees for facilitators that set up their own call centre. Staff cannot work for more than two facilitators at the same time.

Documents required for the health tourism authorisation certificate

Healthcare facility (Regulation Annex 1/A)

Document showing that an application for membership of the HealthTürkiye Portal has been made
Signed and stamped application letter including the facility’s name, contact and bank details, and the name and contact details of its representative
Copy of the licence, temporary licence or operating permit (or certificate of conformity for private practices) approved by the provincial or district health directorate
Registered diploma and approved employment record of the staff who will work in the international health tourism unit
Document showing a score of at least 85 points in the latest healthcare quality assessment (not required if TÜSKA accreditation or a Ministry certificate is held)
Document showing the foreign language proficiency of staff who will work in the unit
Declaration that there is an active website serving in at least one foreign language

No separate physical documents are required for documents that can be obtained via EKİP.

Facilitator (Regulation Annex 1/B)

Document showing that an application for membership of the HealthTürkiye Portal has been made
Application letter including details of the organisation and its representative
For travel agencies, an approved travel agency operating licence; for others, a service contract with a travel agency
Trade Registry Gazette showing capital, shareholders and health tourism as a business activity
Trade registry certificate and signature circular showing those authorised to represent the company
Previous year’s year-end balance sheet approved by a certified public accountant (according to USHAŞ, newly established companies submit a letter approved by an accountant stating that no balance sheet exists yet)
For those not setting up their own call centre, a call centre service contract
For those setting up their own call centre, employment registration records for at least two staff members and the health tourism staff
Foreign language proficiency certificates for call centre staff and responsible staff

Accepted language certificates

For both groups, staff must meet one of the following conditions:

At least 65 out of 100 in a YÖK or ÖSYM exam (such as YDS), or an international certificate accepted as equivalent by ÖSYM
A document showing B2 level according to the European Language Portfolio
An academic title of at least associate professor
A degree from an undergraduate programme taught in a foreign language, or from programmes such as language, literature, teaching or translation and interpreting

Application steps

Healthcare facility

Apply for membership of the HealthTürkiye Portal and obtain the confirmation document.
Apply through EKİP with the Annex 1/A documents.
The provincial or district health directorate reviews the documents and notifies you of any missing items or non-conformities within 15 working days. If you do not complete them within 30 working days, the application is deemed rejected.
If the documents are in order, the directorate’s team carries out an on-site inspection. Applications found suitable are sent to the Ministry within 15 working days.
If the Ministry approves, the authorisation certificate is issued within 15 working days.

A fee is paid to the Ministry for the certificate. As the fee is updated every year, check the Health Tourism Department’s latest announcement before applying.

Facilitator

Complete your HealthTürkiye Portal membership. Only companies with completed portal membership appear on USHAŞ’s application screen.
Create a new application at aracikurulus.ushas.gov.tr. Documents must be legible, complete and uploaded in PDF format.
USHAŞ first carries out a digital review and notifies you of missing items by email. It then requests the original documents; the main review is carried out on the originals.
An on-site inspection is carried out at the premises of applicants whose documents are complete.
If the inspection is positive, the certificate fee is paid and the certificate is issued. It is handed over in person at the Ankara office.

A pre-application fee and a certificate fee are paid during the process. Confirm the current amounts with USHAŞ before applying.

Common mistakes

Skipping portal membership: HealthTürkiye membership is the first document for both applications.
Title mismatch: problems arise if the name and title on the website do not match the authorisation certificate.
Unsuitable language certificate: only the four options above are accepted.
Missing the 30-working-day deadline: if missing items are not completed in time, the application lapses and you must reapply.
Working with unlicensed facilitators: facilities are prohibited from using facilitation services from people or organisations without an authorisation certificate.
Overlooking 31 December 2026: certified facilities must complete their accreditation or certification process by this date.
Getting the certificate and staying inactive: the certificate of an organisation with no health tourism activity in the past year is cancelled, and no new certificate is issued for one year after cancellation.

Supervision continues after the certificate is granted. At least once a year, USHAŞ evaluates facilities and facilitators against five performance criteria: patient satisfaction, response time to patient requests, appointment waiting time, patient complaints, and turnover and financial performance. If the requirements are not met, the certificate may be suspended for 3 or 6 months, and cancelled if they are still not met at the second check.

Advertising and promotion after the certificate

In Türkiye, open or covert advertising of healthcare services is prohibited. As a general rule, sponsored promotion is not allowed and prices and campaigns cannot be communicated. Article 8 of the 2025 Regulation on Promotion and Information Activities gives facilities and facilitators operating under an authorisation certificate certain flexibilities for audiences abroad. Those without a certificate cannot benefit from these flexibilities.

Sponsored promotion can only be carried out through a separate website or social media account aimed at audiences abroad, and in languages other than Turkish. The account must clearly state that health tourism services are offered.
Promotion aimed at people living in Türkiye is prohibited. Domestic audiences cannot be selected on advertising platforms, and automatic audience options must be switched off.
The authorisation certificate must be published on the website or social media account. Facilities are obliged to use the HealthTürkiye logo on all channels.
On these international channels, facilities may feature patient stories and reviews, provided explicit consent is documented.
Within this scope, discounts, campaigns and competitive prices may be announced.
A facilitator cannot give the impression of being a healthcare facility. The facilitator’s website address must carry its trade name, business name or abbreviation.
Treatments that are prohibited in Türkiye or have no approval for use cannot be promoted.

Promotions relating to unauthorised services are reported to the Advertising Board and may lead to a criminal complaint.

Frequently asked questions

Can private practices obtain a health tourism authorisation certificate?

Yes. For private practices, Annex 1/A accepts a certificate of conformity instead of a licence. Private practices must obtain the certificate issued by the provincial health directorate instead of TÜSKA accreditation.

Does the authorisation certificate expire?

The regulation does not state a specific validity period. However, it includes provisions on annual performance evaluation, inspections and cancellation after one year of inactivity.

Can a travel agency obtain a facilitator certificate?

Yes. According to USHAŞ, companies holding a travel agency operating licence can apply. In that case, the operating licence is requested instead of a service contract with an agency.

Can foreign patients be treated without an authorisation certificate?

Yes, for emergencies and sudden illnesses within the scope of tourist health. Follow-up services of that kind and planned health tourism services cannot be provided at a facility without an authorisation certificate.

After the certificate: winning patients from abroad

The certificate starts the process; on its own it does not bring patients. Once you have it, you need to plan an international website and accounts, choose target markets and run compliant Meta and Google ads. At Crow Dijital we run this process together with hospitals, clinics and facilitators. For details, see our health tourism marketing services .

Note: This article is based on official sources as of October 2026 and does not constitute legal advice. Fees and implementation details may change, so check the latest announcements from the Ministry and USHAŞ before applying.

How to get a health tourism authorisation certificate in Türkiye: documents and criteria (2026)