Today, you'll learn about the most important steps following enrollment at Turkish universities: obtaining student health insurance in Turkey. This is an important legal procedure for students seeking to obtain a student residency permit.
In this article, you'll learn everything you need to know about student health insurance in Turkey, including its types, the services each type covers, how to obtain insurance, when to renew it, and many other questions you're looking for detailed answers to.
Health insurance is a system that provides students with financial coverage for medical and health services. This is achieved by paying a monthly or annual subscription to an insurance company in exchange for healthcare services such as medical examinations, treatments, surgeries, and medications.
Its goal is to alleviate the financial burden on individuals in the event of a sudden health problem.
There are two types of student health insurance in Turkey: private insurance, and the other is the General Health Insurance (GHS), which is administered by the Republic of Türkiye.
This type is called the General health insurance(GSS) (Turkish: Genel Sağlık Sigortası’dır) as it is provided by the Turkish government.
A student enrolled at a Turkish university can obtain health insurance three months after enrolling. This type of insurance entitles you to free treatment at all public hospitals. This way, you can obtain prescribed medications with a very low co-payment.
However, in some private hospitals, the patient pays the non-covered portion of the health insurance, sometimes paying a total of 20% of the prescription price at the pharmacy.
Students with private insurance cannot receive treatment in government hospitals. However, some private hospitals offer discounts based on agreements they have with the authorities responsible for student health insurance in Türkiye.
If you wish, you can go to any private health insurance agency and take advantage of policies specifically designed for foreigners. Note that coverage for these policies is limited and valid only at hospitals that have a contract with the insurance company!
Some popular private health insurance companies in Turkey include:
The importance of student health insurance in Turkey can be summarized in several key points, which we will briefly explain.
There are some basic points that international students should know about health insurance, the most important of which are:
If international students in Turkey wish to benefit from public health insurance, they must accurately and completely submit certain documents to the relevant institution.
The documents required by relevant institutions for international students to obtain health insurance are as follows:
Foreigners wishing to apply must first ensure they meet the conditions set by the relevant institution.
Perhaps the most important conditions set by the relevant institution and expected to be met by international students are as follows:
All Turkish universities have their own health centers. These centers, commonly known as mediko, provide students with easy access to basic health checkups and doctor visits. For detailed information about the health center at the university you will be attending, contact the relevant units at the university.
To obtain student health insurance in Turkey (GSS), you need to:
There is your a step-by-step guide about how to apply for GSS health insurance:
There are some cases that require the termination of health insurance for international students within Turkey. For example:
1. Inpatient Treatment
The insurance covers expenses incurred during inpatient care (minor surgical procedures and emergency medical assistance).
2. Outpatient Treatment
Outpatient treatment expenses, such as doctor visits, tests, x-rays, diagnostics, and physical therapy, are covered by insurance companies up to certain limits.
3. Medications
Health insurance covers the costs of medications for both outpatient and inpatient care.
Health insurance costs in Turkey vary each year, but are roughly as follows:
Government health insurance fees: range between 500 and 700 liras per year.
Private health insurance fees: range between 1,300 and 3,900 liras per year, depending on age.
This was the complete information about student health insurance in Turkey. We explained everything students might ask, from the requirements, paperwork, and steps to the types and which one is best.
If you need assistance with any of the above steps, don't hesitate to contact us and receive your full, free support.
No, student health insurance in Türkiye only covers student expenses.
Government health insurance is obtained from the Social Security Institutions (SGK), located in various Turkish cities. For private health insurance, you can search for and apply through private insurance companies.
Yes, health insurance in Türkiye is mandatory for international university students only.
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