Turkey’s insurance market can be confusing for newcomers. Policies are usually in Turkish, agents don’t always speak English, and the rules are different from what you’re used to at home. This guide explains every policy type you need to know about as an expat.
Compulsory insurance in Turkey
These are required by law. You must have them.
1. Health insurance — required for residence permit
If you’re applying for a Turkish residence permit, you must hold a valid Turkish health insurance policy. A policy from your home country is not accepted. Cost: ₺3,000–₺30,000/year depending on age.
2. Foreign plate insurance — required if you drove here
If your car has a foreign plate (UK, EU, Russian, Georgian etc.), you need Turkish foreign plate insurance to drive legally. Green card included. Cost: varies by vehicle and nationality.
3. DASK earthquake insurance — required for property owners
Compulsory for all residential properties in Turkey. Required to sell, buy or maintain utilities. Cost: ₺500–₺3,000/year for a typical apartment.
4. Traffic insurance (trafik sigortası) — required for Turkish-plate vehicles
Third-party liability is mandatory for all Turkish-registered cars, vans and motorbikes. Without it you cannot renew your vehicle registration. Cost: varies by vehicle.
Strongly recommended insurance
Not legally required, but highly advisable for expats.
5. Kasko (casco) — comprehensive car insurance
Covers your own vehicle against accident, theft, fire, natural disaster and vandalism. Without kasko, you pay all repair costs yourself. Especially important for newer vehicles.
6. Home insurance
DASK only covers earthquake structural damage. Home insurance (konut sigortası) covers fire, flood, storm, theft, contents and liability. Most expat homeowners need both DASK and home insurance.
7. TSS — complementary health insurance
If you’re enrolled in SGK (Turkish state health insurance), TSS tops up your cover for private hospitals and specialist care. It significantly reduces out-of-pocket costs.
8. Travel health insurance
If you travel outside Turkey regularly — especially to Schengen countries — you need travel insurance. Required for Schengen visa applications (minimum €30,000 cover).
Optional but worth considering
9. Pet insurance
Vet costs in Turkey have risen significantly. Pet insurance covers vet bills, surgery and annual check-ups for dogs and cats.
10. Business insurance
If you run a business in Turkey — even as a freelancer or consultant — consider property, liability and professional indemnity cover.
The typical “expat starter pack”
For most new arrivals, the minimum setup is:
- ✅ Health insurance (for permit)
- ✅ Foreign plate insurance (if you have a foreign car)
- ✅ DASK (if you own property)
Then add as your situation develops:
- Traffic/kasko (when you get a Turkish-plate vehicle)
- Home insurance (alongside DASK)
- TSS (when you enrol in SGK)
Getting all your insurance in one place
Rather than dealing with multiple Turkish brokers who may not speak English, we handle everything in English from one team. One contact. Multiple policies. One renewal reminder system.
