Before you start

A residence, student or work permit application in progress — the permit unlocks SGK and an MHRS-eligible ID
A Yabancı Kimlik Numarası (YKN), issued with the permit — needed for e-Devlet, MHRS and e-Nabız
A Turkish address and phone number for insurer paperwork, e-Devlet SMS and hospital registration
Funds for a private policy before your first permit appointment — no policy means no permit

Step-by-step

1
Buy private health insurance (required for your first permit)
Every first-year resident must show a valid private policy at the residence-permit appointment; SGK does not count for the initial permit and it will not be issued or renewed without one. Since April 2025 the policy must meet raised minimums — roughly 15,000 TRY outpatient and 150,000 TRY inpatient cover — and must state explicitly that it is valid for residence-permit applications. Buy a 'yabancı ikamet' compliant plan from a Turkish insurer (Allianz, Axa, Anadolu, Aksigorta) online or through a broker.
OnlineWho: You (or a broker / relocation agent)Same day to one day~US$150-250/year for a basic compliant policy; more with age or comprehensive cover
2
Work out your SGK eligibility
If a Turkish company employs you on a work permit, your employer enrols you in SGK from your first working day with no waiting period, covering a spouse and children under 18. The self-employed pay in through Bağ-Kur. If you are not employed, you can only opt into SGK voluntarily after one continuous year on a residence permit — a rule that catches a lot of İzmir's retirees and lifestyle movers, who assume residency alone buys them into the system.
Via employerWho: Your employer's HR for employees; you, for voluntary or Bağ-Kur enrolmentImmediate for employees; eligibility opens after 12 months' residence otherwise
3
Register on MHRS and e-Nabız, and know where to go for what
With SGK you can use state hospitals and family health centres almost free, plus SGK-contracted private hospitals for a top-up. Book public appointments via MHRS (mhrs.gov.tr, the app, or ALO 182) and view records on e-Nabız, both reached with your foreigner ID through e-Devlet and both available in English. In practice: Ege or Dokuz Eylül university hospitals for anything complex, the Bayraklı city hospital and family health centres for routine care, and a private hospital when you want an English-speaking consultation this week rather than next month.
Mobile appWho: YouRegistration minutes; public appointment lead times vary from days to weeksPublic: free or nominal with SGK · Private specialist visit ~US$30-120 self-pay
4
Know emergencies (112), pharmacies, and the Aegean summer
Dial 112 for an ambulance; emergency care (acil) at state hospitals is provided to everyone regardless of insurance or status. Pharmacies (eczane) are everywhere, pharmacists advise on minor ailments, and many medicines are cheap and over the counter — a foreign prescription is not legally valid. Outside hours a rotating nöbetçi eczane is always open; search 'nöbetçi eczane' plus your district. The seasonal İzmir additions: heat illness in July and August, jellyfish stings on the peninsula, and wildfire smoke in bad summers, which matters if anyone in the household has asthma.
In personWho: YouImmediate112 emergency care free · many common medicines a few dollars
5
Optional: enrol in SGK once you're eligible
After one year of legal residence, and if you are not covered through work, you can join SGK voluntarily at a local Sosyal Güvenlik Kurumu office. The premium is a percentage of the minimum wage and modest in hard-currency terms, and one premium covers a spouse and children under 18. Many residents keep a private policy alongside it anyway, because permit renewals are still generally assessed against private cover.
In personWho: You, at a local SGK officeSame-day registration once eligible~US$30-60/month voluntary premium (covers dependents)

Documents you’ll need

Passport and residence/student/work permit (or in-progress application)
Yabancı Kimlik Numarası (foreigner ID number)
Private policy marked 'valid for residence-permit applications' (for the permit itself)
Proof of Turkish address and a Turkish mobile number, for e-Devlet/SGK and hospital registration

Things most newcomers don’t know

For your FIRST residence permit, SGK does not qualify — you must buy private insurance, even though SGK is cheaper long-term.

New permit applicants must present a private policy meeting the raised April-2025 minimums; SGK only becomes acceptable later. A policy that does not explicitly say it is valid for residence-permit applications will be refused at the counter, however good the cover.

Source: Presidency of Migration Management (goc.gov.tr) + Turkish immigration-law guides, 2026

The one-year SGK wait is the rule that catches İzmir's retirees hardest.

A lot of people move to the Aegean coast to retire, assume a residence permit brings them into the public health system, and discover they must fund a full year of private cover first — at an age when private premiums are highest. Budget the first year at the higher, age-loaded rate rather than the headline US$150-250.

Source: Sosyal Güvenlik Kurumu (SGK) rules; expat guidance for the Turkish coast, 2026

İzmir's university hospitals mean you are not automatically referred to Istanbul for serious care.

Ege Üniversitesi in Bornova and Dokuz Eylül in İnciraltı are two of Türkiye's strongest teaching hospitals and act as the regional referral centres for the whole Aegean. For a second city, that is unusual — most of the country's complex cases move to Istanbul or Ankara.

Source: Ege Üniversitesi and Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi hospital information, 2026

Summer here has its own medical profile, and the wildfire season is part of it.

The Aegean gets a genuine fire season from roughly June to September. In bad years smoke reaches the city and inland districts, which matters for anyone with asthma or a respiratory condition — worth factoring into which side of the bay you live on and how good the flat's windows are.

Source: Orman Genel Müdürlüğü fire-season reporting; regional health guidance, 2026

Common mistakes to avoid

Buying a cheap policy that isn't marked 'valid for residence-permit applications' or misses the April-2025 minimums.
Retiring to the coast and budgeting for SGK from month one — you cannot opt in voluntarily until you've held residence for a full year.
Letting the private policy lapse before a renewal — a gap can block the renewal even if you're otherwise compliant.
Trying to fill a foreign prescription as written; it is not legally valid, though a Turkish doctor's prescription is cheap.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.