How Foreign Doctors Obtain a Medical License to Practise in Turkey

A foreign doctor can be licensed to practise medicine in Turkey, but in practice only inside a private health institution and only after clearing a layered process: diploma equivalence, a preliminary permit from the Ministry of Health, a work and residence permit, and registration with the local Medical Chamber. The old Turkish-citizenship barrier was removed in 2011, so a recognised medical diploma is now the core requirement rather than a Turkish passport. This guide walks through each stage in the order you will actually face it, with the current statutes, deadlines, and the points where applications most often fail.

Can Foreign Doctors Legally Practise Medicine in Turkey?

Yes, a foreign doctor can be licensed to practise in Turkey, but the realistic scope is narrower than the headline suggests: foreign physicians are authorised to work in private health institutions, not freely across the state hospital system. The legal door opened in two steps.

For decades, Article 1 of Law No. 1219 on the Practice of Medicine and its Branches reserved the practice of medicine in Turkey for Turkish citizens. That citizenship barrier was removed by Decree Law No. 663 (in force 2 November 2011), which amended Article 1 and left a recognised medical-faculty diploma as the core requirement. The principle today: holding a recognised medical diploma, not a Turkish passport, is what lets you practise.

Having the right to practise is not the same as being able to start work. A foreign doctor must convert a foreign qualification into a Turkish-recognised one and obtain the correct permits before treating a single patient. The 22 February 2012 Regulation is the instrument that lets private hospitals and clinics employ foreign doctors, dentists, nurses and other staff, subject to Ministry of Health approval. For the wider statutory backdrop, see our overview of Turkish healthcare legislation.

Public vs Private Practice: Where Foreign Doctors Can Actually Work

This distinction trips up most applicants, so it is worth stating plainly. The 22 February 2012 Regulation governs foreign professionals working in private health institutions: private hospitals, polyclinics, and medical centres. Posts in the public system (state hospitals, university hospitals as civil servants) are generally filled through routes reserved for Turkish citizens, so a foreign doctor should plan around private-sector employment.

There are narrow exceptions. The most prominent is the carve-out for Syrian nationals serving people under temporary protection in designated centres, covered further below. Outside such targeted provisions, treat private-institution employment as the practical path.

Core Eligibility Requirements

Under the 22 February 2012 Regulation, a foreign medical professional must satisfy each of the following before being authorised to work. The conditions are cumulative — missing even one stops the file.

• Diploma equivalence and registration — equivalency of the diploma and any specialty (proficiency) certificate in the relevant branch, recognised and registered by the competent authority.
• No legal impediment — no bar to practising medicine in the doctor's home country or in Turkey.
• Turkish language competency — a certificate at CEFR level B or above (see the language section below).
• Work and residence permits — valid permits obtained under the applicable Turkish legislation.
• Compulsory professional liability insurance — mandatory medical malpractice (indemnity) cover for doctors.

In our experience the file most often stalls on two documents: the diploma-equivalence certificate and the Turkish-language certificate. Both take time and sit outside the employer's control, so start them early.

Diploma Equivalence and the STS Exam

Equivalence is the gateway step, and the issuing authority depends on the doctor's level of training:

• General practitioners (basic medical diploma) obtain their equivalency certificate from the Council of Higher Education (YÖK).
• Specialist doctors obtain specialty (uzmanlık) equivalence from the General Directorate of Health Services of the Ministry of Health.

A doctor who graduated from a medical faculty inside Turkey does not need an equivalence certificate but still completes the permit process below.

Will you have to sit an exam?

For many foreign-trained doctors, equivalence is not automatic. Where the foreign medical school or the diploma cannot be recognised directly, YÖK can require an academic-equivalence assessment, commonly known as the STS (Seviye Tespit Sınavı) — a level-determination exam for foreign-qualified doctors. Whether you must sit it depends on your university, your country, and YÖK's current recognition lists. If your medical school is not on YÖK's recognised list, expect additional scrutiny and, often, the exam route.

The Turkish-Language Requirement

Turkish proficiency is a hard requirement, not a formality. Under the current rules, you must show Turkish at CEFR level B or above, proven with a certificate from a university Turkish Language Teaching Application and Research Centre (TÖMER).

There is a practical concession worth knowing: the language certificate can be submitted within one year of the application date rather than up front, which lets some doctors begin specialty training while completing the language requirement. Do not treat this as open-ended — an expired or missing TÖMER certificate at the deadline will derail the file.

The Preliminary Permit (Ön İzin) Application

Foreigners who will work in services requiring professional competence must obtain prior authorisation — the preliminary permit (ön izin) — from the Ministry of Health. It is evaluated alongside the work permit and is effectively the Ministry's confirmation that the foreign professional is qualified to practise.

Documents for doctors who graduated in Turkey

• Photocopy of the passport, translated into Turkish
• Photocopy of the residence permit card
• Certificate of domicile (place of residence)
• Photocopy of the medical school diploma
• Two passport-size photographs
• Letter from the institution's responsible manager requesting the preliminary permit
• Application letter written by the foreign doctor
• Service contract signed between the private hospital or medical centre and the doctor

Additional documents for doctors who graduated abroad

• Equivalency certificate from YÖK (or the Ministry of Health for specialists)
• Turkish proficiency certificate (B level or above) from a TÖMER
• A document confirming there is no obstacle to the doctor practising medicine, from the Ministry of Health or the home-country authorities

Once the file is complete, the labour authority issues the work permit on the strength of the Ministry's preliminary permit, allowing the doctor to practise in private institutions.

The Work Application Step by Step

For a foreign professional joining a private health organisation, the route runs as follows:

1. The foreign professional applies to the private healthcare organisation where they intend to work.
2. The responsible manager forwards the application and supporting documents to the Provincial Health Directorate.
3. If the file has no deficiencies, the Directorate sends it to the Ministry for evaluation.
4. The Ministry assesses the file against the staffing plan and document list. If approved, the doctor's diploma is registered and a document is issued confirming authorisation to practise.
5. After the work permit and residence permit are granted, an application is made to the Directorate for a personnel work certificate. Once approved, the professional may begin work.

Documents required for the work application

• A document proving equivalency of the diploma and/or specialty certificate
• A certificate demonstrating Turkish-language proficiency
• A document from the country of nationality evidencing no legal impediment to practising medicine
• A labour agreement between the foreigner and the employing private medical organisation, stating the monthly salary

Work and Residence Permits

Medical licensing sits on top of Turkey's general immigration and labour framework. The work permit is issued under the International Labour Force Law (Law No. 6735), and a valid work permit generally also serves as a residence permit for its duration. Where separate residence status is needed, it is governed by the Law on Foreigners and International Protection (Law No. 6458).

The labour ministry evaluates applications after consulting the relevant authorities. A complete application is assessed within thirty (30) days of receipt. If documents are missing, the process is different from a fresh restart:

For applications made from abroad, the decision is communicated through the Turkish foreign representation via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For applications made inside Turkey, the employer is notified. If your immigration status is unresolved while the permit is pending, take advice early — our team handles work and residence permit matters for foreign professionals.

Registration with the Turkish Medical Chamber

Authorisation to practise is not the final step. Under Article 7 of the Law on the Turkish Medical Association (Law No. 6023), doctors who practise their profession in private practice must register with the local Chamber of Medical Doctors (Tabip Odası) within one month of starting work.

Foreign doctors who have obtained equivalence are equally required to register. For those who hold a permanent post in a public institution and do not practise privately, chamber membership is voluntary. To register, the chamber typically requires the equivalency certificate, the Ministry of Health approval, the residence certificate, and the work permit.

Compulsory Medical Malpractice Insurance

Every doctor practising in Turkey — Turkish or foreign, private or public — must hold compulsory medical malpractice insurance (Tıbbi Kötü Uygulamaya İlişkin Zorunlu Mali Sorumluluk Sigortası). This is not a discretionary professional indemnity policy; it is mandated by statute.

The insurance covers civil liability arising from professional activity. It does not eliminate exposure — it backstops it — and it is separate from any criminal or disciplinary dimension of a complaint. If you want to understand how exposure actually plays out, read our overview of a doctor's legal liability in Turkey and how malpractice claims work in Turkey. If you are facing a claim, our medical malpractice team can advise on the legal exposure involved.

Other Health Professionals: Dentists, Nurses, Pharmacists and Midwives

The title says doctors, but the 22 February 2012 Regulation and the search demand both cover allied health professionals. The architecture is similar — equivalence, language, permits, private-sector scope — but the licensing authority and the foundational law differ by profession.

The table is a starting orientation, not a substitute for checking the rule that applies to your exact qualification — pharmacy in particular carries its own ownership and operating restrictions.

Exemptions for Syrian Health Professionals

A targeted exemption exists for Syrian nationals. A provisional (Geçici) article of the 22 February 2012 Regulation — later widened by a 16 June 2016 amendment — exempts Syrian nationals from certain criteria so they may serve foreigners under temporary protection. The exemption applies where they work in accommodation/asylum centres run by the disaster-management authority (AFAD) or in migrant health centres coordinated and approved by the Ministry of Health. The 2016 amendment also broadened access for certain foreign or Turkish-origin midwives.

This is a narrow, population-specific carve-out tied to serving people under temporary protection. It does not extend to general private practice for the wider patient population.

Realistic Timeline and Common Reasons Applications Fail

Anxious applicants want a sense of how long this takes. No two files are identical, but the stages run roughly in this order, and equivalence dominates the timeline.

• Diploma equivalence (YÖK or Ministry of Health): usually the longest stage; budget several months, longer if an STS exam is required.
• Preliminary permit (Ministry of Health): processed alongside the work permit once your file is complete.
• Work permit (Law No. 6735): a complete application is assessed within 30 days; missing documents add up to a 30-day deferral, then rejection.
• Chamber registration (Law No. 6023): within one month of starting work.

Where files most often fail

• No diploma-equivalence certificate, or a medical school not on YÖK's recognised list.
• Documents not apostilled or not translated by a sworn translator.
• An expired or missing TÖMER (B-level) certificate at the one-year deadline.
• Incomplete work-permit files left unfixed during the 30-day deferral, leading to rejection.
• Assuming a public-hospital post is available when the realistic route is a private institution.

Frequently asked questions