Is Turkey in Europe for Travel Insurance?

Turkey is one of the most popular destinations for holidaymakers in the world. Statistics released in 2024 by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism showed that in 2023 alone, 49 million people visited the country. Travellers from Russia (6.3m), Germany (6.2m), and the UK (3.8m) make up the highest numbers, with Bulgaria and Iran rounding off the top five.

Tens of thousands of British expats now also call Turkey home. They cite affordable property, good healthcare, a nicer climate and welcoming locals as part of the reason they never returned home.

So, if you plan to visit Turkey, whether for a holiday or to relocate, how does it work with travel insurance? Is Turkey in Europe for travel insurance, or does it fall under Asia? The simple answer is both. Some insurers will classify Turkey as being in Europe, while others will list it as being in Asia.

Turkey sits southeast of the UK, bordering Bulgaria, Syria, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Iraq. This geography means that 95% of the country is located in Asia, with the remaining 5% in Europe.

It may therefore sound odd that with such minimal European occupancy, the country is still deemed as Europe by some insurers. For this reason, you should always check your travel insurance policy before you travel. A European policy with one provider may include Turkey, but with another, it may not. This could prove costly should something happen during your time there and you find out later that you aren’t actually covered.

International travel insurance for a trip to Turkey isn’t a legal requirement, but it is advised. If there are delays, if you fall ill, have items stolen, or part of your stay gets cancelled, you’ll want to be covered as much as possible.

With an appropriate level of cover, your financial loss will be minimal, and you’ll be able to replace stolen items, cover medical expenses and more without it making a huge dent in your finances.

There is a lot to do in Turkey, and some of it can be quite exhilarating. It may be a good idea to seek out a policy that covers the kinds of activities you might engage in. For example, some insurers may see horse riding or mountain climbing as a risk and not offer cover, while others may include it as standard.

No, unfortunately not. The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or the Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) are not valid in Turkey. This is because, at present, there is no shared health agreement between the UK and Turkey or the EU as a whole. As a result, sourcing a suitable insurance policy is even more important.

The small percentage of Turkey that sits within Europe is enough for some to warrant classing it as a European country for travel insurance purposes. This is despite it not being in the EU and only 3-5% of its land actually being within the continent. At Expatriate Healthcare, we class Turkey as Europe, meaning you can take a European travel insurance policy with us rather than a global one.

It depends on who you choose as your insurer. Providers that list Turkey under worldwide cover rather than European cover might charge you more. You should also consider whether single- or multi-trip coverage would be better. If you are visiting just once, a single-trip plan would of course be best. If you plan to go more than once, you could make a considerable saving by taking out a multi-trip plan, as you won’t need to keep paying for a new policy.

If you are an expat, you can join the public health system after spending a year in Turkey, but many people prefer to stick with a private plan for the comprehensive coverage it offers.

If you are not an expat but plan to stay in Turkey for longer than 90 days and therefore hold a visa, it is a requirement of the Turkish government that you have a health insurance policy in place.

Public healthcare is free in Turkey for residents after one year, but for tourists and those on short-term visas, it is not. Costs for private hospitals, doctor appointments and more can all run into thousands of pounds, making it even more imperative that you have the best coverage in place.

Securing travel insurance for Turkey with Expatriate Healthcare allows you to take advantage of our classification of it as a European country. This saves you money when compared to insurers that list the country under their worldwide coverage. Give us a call or complete an online enquiry to get your free quote.