Health Tourism Incentives in Türkiye | 2026 Application Guide

Health tourism incentives in Türkiye are government support schemes for businesses that operate, or plan to invest, in medical tourism, thermal tourism and elderly and disabled care. Used systematically, they let hospitals, clinics, thermal facilities and care centres draw on several state programmes at once. This guide covers the programmes in force in 2026, the eligibility conditions and how to manage the process.

Which businesses qualify for health tourism incentives?

To benefit from health tourism support in Türkiye, a business first has to be clear about which sub-category it falls into. The field is usually split into four groups:

• Medical tourism: hospitals, clinics and medical centres approved by JCI or the Ministry of Health that treat patients from abroad.
• Thermal and spa tourism: certified thermal spring facilities offering physiotherapy and spa services.
• Elderly and disabled care tourism: centres that combine care, rehabilitation and accommodation for foreign nationals.
• Alternative medicine and wellness: businesses that pair traditional and complementary medicine with a tourism package.

Investments in these categories can apply to programmes run by several ministries and institutions at the same time, and packages can be combined as long as they do not overlap.

The main support programmes in 2026

The table below compares the four programmes businesses apply for most often.

Key steps in the application process

How well you manage the application directly affects your chance of approval and the amount of support you can secure. The process has five stages:

• Pre-feasibility and programme matching: we decide which programme or programmes to apply for based on the investment size, region and activity code. The region class (Regions 1 to 6) sets how long social security premium support lasts and whether Target Investments can get interest support.
• Document preparation: an Investment Incentive Certificate application needs an investment project form, a capacity report, a title deed or lease, environmental permits and a Ministry of Health compliance certificate.
• Application and assessment: YTB applications go to the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Industry and Technology through the E-TUYS system; KOSGEB applications go through the KOSGEB Online Services Portal.
• Prior approval and start of investment: starting the investment before the incentive certificate is issued can cost you the right to support, so the order of steps is critical.
• Monitoring and entitlement reporting: throughout the support period, you must show through regular reports that you are meeting the investment timetable and employment commitments.

Do you need a health tourism authorisation certificate?

Ministry of Trade export support and some KOSGEB programmes require the International Health Tourism Authorisation Certificate issued by the Ministry of Health. It is issued separately for medical tourism, thermal tourism and elderly and disabled care, under the relevant Ministry of Health regulation. Applications without it are rejected on technical grounds.

Why the regional incentive class matters

Support intensity varies considerably across Türkiye’s 6 development regions. In Regions 5 and 6 (mainly Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia, including some border areas), support for the employer’s share of social security premiums runs longer, 8 years in Region 5 and 12 years in Region 6, and Target Investments can receive interest support; the tax reduction rate is 60% in every region. Region 1 investments, such as those in İstanbul, get narrower support. That makes the choice of region a strategic decision, especially for thermal and wellness projects.

Common mistakes and why applications are rejected

• The investment starts before the incentive certificate is issued.
• The business’s activity code (NACE) is outside health tourism and has not been updated.
• The authorisation certificate has expired or covers the wrong category.
• The capacity report attached is incomplete or inconsistent.
• Employment commitments are not calculated realistically and are later breached.