Patient rights in Türkiye: a guide for international patients

How these rights work in practice can vary with the type of facility and the case. This page gives general information and is not legal advice.

Where your rights come from

Patient Rights Regulation

Published in the Official Gazette on 1 August 1998 (no. 23420). It is the main source of patient rights. A 2014 amendment added a definition of consent, required information to be given orally by the health professional carrying out the procedure, and allowed a second opinion from another doctor for the same complaint.

Patient Rights Implementation Directive

Dated 2005. It governs how institutions apply the rules, including patient rights units and boards.

International Health Tourism Regulation

Published 26 April 2025, with the authorisation criteria in Annex 1. It adds duties for facilities and agencies that serve foreign patients.

Data protection and consumer law

The Personal Data Protection Law (KVKK) covers health data. Payment and contract disputes are assessed separately under contract and consumer law.

Your core rights, and how to use them

• Ask for information

  You can ask how to use health services.

  Ask for written details on the process, number of sessions, price items and a contact person.
• Know who treats you

  The identity, role and title of your dentist and other staff are given on request.

  Ask for the dentist's name and professional registration.
• Understand your health and the procedures

  You are told about your condition, the procedures, their benefits, risks and alternatives, and the likely results of refusing. An interpreter should be used when needed so that you understand.

  Ask for the plan to be explained with its alternatives. If you did not understand, ask again and request an interpreter.
• Give or withhold consent

  Medical intervention rests on consent that you give freely and with information.

  Read the consent form before signing. Do not sign anything you do not understand.
• Refuse or stop

  You can refuse a planned procedure or ask for one in progress to be stopped. The consequences of that choice may be yours to bear.

  Ask what refusing would mean before you decide, and have the decision recorded in writing.
• Get a second opinion

  You can ask another doctor for an opinion on the same complaint.

  Before accepting a large treatment, speak to a dentist in your home country too.
• See your records

  You can review your file and records, take copies and ask for corrections.

  Make a written request for X-rays, a treatment summary and details of the materials used.
• Keep your information private

  Your health information is confidential. It can be shared only with your clear permission or when the law requires it.

  Ask where records, photos and videos will be kept and who will see them. Ask for written permission before any use in marketing.
• Receive careful, up-to-date care

  Staff must show the care your condition needs, and you can expect diagnosis, treatment and care in line with current medical knowledge.

  If the plan differs from common practice, ask for the reason.
• Apply, complain and go to court

  If a right is violated you can use the application, complaint and legal routes the rules provide.

  See the guide on how to make a complaint.

Extra protections in health tourism

Authorised facilities and agencies serving foreign patients are expected to meet the following (2025 Regulation and Annex 1 criteria):

• Hold an international health tourism authorisation certificate: from the Ministry for the facility, from USHAŞ for the agency.
• Publish the treating dentist's professional background on the facility website and inform you before you travel.
• Use a consent form in your language, signed by you and the dentist.
• Give you a discharge summary (epicrisis) at the end of treatment.
• Employ foreign-language staff, and, for agencies, run a call centre 24/7 in at least two languages.
• Keep the certificate valid through performance criteria such as complaint rate, satisfaction and response time.

If one of these is missing, treat it as a signal to take care. The Ministry has the power to check whether a duty is met. You can ask for documents and information, and you can file a complaint.

The limits of your rights

• Consent does not replace medical necessity. A dentist does not have to carry out a procedure that is not medically suitable.
• A guarantee is not the same as a right. A guarantee depends on the contract. How long it lasts and under which conditions should be in writing.
• Patients have responsibilities too. The regulation includes duties such as following the facility's procedures and giving accurate health information. The full list is in the regulation's current text on mevzuat.gov.tr.
• Scope. The official HealthTürkiye FAQ says the patient rights rules apply to all public and private institutions and to anyone entitled to use the service. For a private clinic, ask the clinic itself or the provincial health directorate how to apply.
• Jurisdiction and applicable law vary. A contract may name a competent court or arbitration clause.

Phrases you can use

Tap a phrase to copy it, then paste it into a message or an email.

• Could you please give me the treatment plan in writing, including the alternatives and the risks?
• Which procedure exactly will be done on each tooth, and how much tooth structure will be removed?
• I would like the consent form in a language I understand, and time to read it before signing.
• Please give me copies of my X-rays, treatment summary and the details of the materials used.
• I would like to take time to decide and get a second opinion.
• Is any change to the plan or the price confirmed in writing before it is carried out?

If you think your rights were violated

1. Document it.Keep dates, conversations, messages, invoices and photos.
2. Ask in writing.Request your treatment records and an explanation in writing.
3. Tell the facility.Write to its patient rights or contact unit and to the agency.
4. Use the official channels.International Patient Support Unit and Call Center +90 850 288 38 38, SABİM Alo 184, and the Patient Rights Unit in Ministry hospitals. A separate guide covers the details.
5. Get support at home.Your consumer body and professional regulator, and a lawyer if needed.
6. Treat the health problem first.A complaint does not replace treatment. See a local dentist or go to an emergency department.

Secondary sources say a Patient Rights Board begins review of an application within 10 days and decides within 30 days. We have not confirmed those periods from an official source, so do not rely on them.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Patient Rights Regulation (Official Gazette 1.8.1998, no. 23420), text
• Regulation PDF, Ministry of Justice human rights site
• Patient rights lecture notes, Ankara University
• Legal article on rights and article numbers
• NTV: the 2014 amendment (oral information, second opinion)
• Regulation annexes, 2025 (Official Gazette PDF)
• Ministry of Health: International Patient Support Unit