Turkey is a fascinating country with a rich history, stunning landscapes, and vibrant culture. As a popular tourist destination, millions flock to Turkey every year to explore ancient sites, relax on beautiful beaches, and experience Turkish hospitality.
But before you embark on your Turkish adventure, it’s important to consider getting travel insurance Here’s what you need to know about whether or not you need insurance for your trip to Turkey
Why You Should Get Insurance for Turkey
Turkey does not legally require visitors to have travel insurance. However, there are several compelling reasons to purchase a policy anyway:
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Medical care: Your normal health insurance likely won’t cover you abroad. Turkish hospitals can be expensive for foreigners. Insurance gives you funds to pay for treatment if you get sick or injured.
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Evacuation coverage: If you suffer a major medical emergency, insurance can pay to transport you home for care. Evacuations can cost tens of thousands without coverage.
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Trip cancellation: Turkey is prone to terrorism and political unrest. Insurance reimburses you if such an event forces you to cancel your trip.
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Adventure activities: Turkey offers hot air ballooning, scuba diving, and more. Insurance covers search and rescue, treatment for decompression illness, and other risks.
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Natural disasters: As a seismically active country, earthquakes and their impacts are a real danger. Insurance protects your trip investment if quakes or other disasters strike.
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Lost baggage: Airports and transport hubs are prime targets for thieves. Baggage coverage replaces items if your luggage gets lost, damaged, or stolen.
What Does Turkey Travel Insurance Typically Cover?
A standard Turkey travel insurance policy includes a range of important coverages:
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Emergency medical treatment – Up to $50,000 or more to pay hospital, doctor, and prescription drug costs if you get injured or sick during your trip.
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Emergency medical evacuation – Covers medical transport back home if local facilities can’t provide proper care. Policies offer $100,000 or more in evacuation benefits.
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Trip cancellation/interruption – Reimburses prepaid, non-refundable trip expenses if you must cancel for covered reasons like illness or terrorism. Also covers cost to fly home early if your trip is interrupted.
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Baggage loss/damage/theft – Pays to replace luggage and personal items if they are lost, damaged, or stolen during your travels. Coverage up to $1,000 or $2,000 is common.
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Travel delay – Provides reimbursement for accommodations, meals, and other costs (often $100-200 per day) if your trip is delayed for a covered reason.
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24/7 travel assistance – Insurance includes access to emergency travel assistance services that can help with medical and travel emergencies.
What Does Travel Insurance for Turkey Cost?
Travel insurance for Turkey typically costs between 4% to 8% of your total insured trip cost. The exact rate depends on the policy, your travel dates, traveler age, and trip length.
For example, a 30 year old traveling to Turkey for 10 days could pay about $60 to $120 for a policy insuring $1,500 in prepaid, non-refundable trip expenses.
For a $5,000 two week trip, insurance could range from $200 to $400 based on the same factors. Always compare plans from multiple insurers to find the best rate.
When Should I Buy Insurance for My Trip to Turkey?
It’s smart to purchase your Turkey travel insurance policy as soon as you put down deposits on flights, hotels, tours, or other trip bookings.
This ensures you’ll have cancellation coverage in case you need to cancel your trip for a covered reason before departure. It also provides time to review policy details and benefits.
Many insurers let you buy right up until the day before your scheduled departure. But its best to secure coverage sooner. Pre-existing medical conditions may not be covered if you wait until the last minute.
Tips for Finding the Best Turkey Travel Insurance
Follow these tips when comparing plans to find coverage that fits your trip:
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Review policy details carefully and look for higher benefit limits where needed.
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Make sure the insurer has strong financial ratings from agencies like A.M. Best.
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Consider upgrades like cancel for any reason or adventure sports coverage if doing risky activities.
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Look for COVID-19 coverage if you want trip cancellation/interruption protection related to the pandemic.
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Check if pre-existing medical conditions can be covered if you have health issues.
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Read policy exclusions so you know what circumstances or events aren’t covered.
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Compare premiums across multiple insurers to find the best rate for your ideal coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need travel insurance for a short trip or quick stopover in Turkey?
Even a quick trip comes with risks like flight delays, lost luggage, or medical emergencies. Insurance can protect you on short Turkey visits too.
What if I already have health insurance at home?
Your normal health plan likely won’t cover you internationally. Turkish hospitals may require upfront payment too. Travel insurance fills these gaps when away from home.
Can I buy insurance after arriving in Turkey?
Most insurers only sell policies to U.S. residents before departure. Buying insurance after you arrive usually isn’t possible. Get coverage ahead of your trip.
What if I’m just transiting through Turkey to another country?
Even if just passing through Turkey, it’s smart to get insured. Baggage, flight delays, or a medical issue during your layover could disrupt onward travel plans without coverage.
Does travel insurance cover terrorism or civil unrest?
Many policies do offer coverage if terrorism or civil/political unrest impacts your trip. Just check that the peril is included under the policy’s trip cancellation/interruption benefits.
The Bottom Line
While Turkey doesn’t mandate visitors have travel insurance, it’s highly recommended you purchase coverage. For less than 10% of trip costs, insurance can provide vital financial protection from medical emergencies, terrorism events, natural disasters, and other unexpected circumstances that could strike during your Turkey vacation.
Carefully compare plans, limits, and pricing to find the right policy for your trip budget and needs. And consider upgrade options like cancel for any reason to maximize your protection. This ensures you can focus on creating amazing Turkey memories, without worrying about worst-case scenarios.
Turkey Travel Insurance Requirements
As tourism has increased in Turkey, so has the total medical costs for treating visitors. This has parlayed into more medical bills being left unpaid.
Therefore, it is now a requirement for travelers from outside countries to purchase medical travel insurance in order to be granted access to Turkey. The only specific requirement in place is that the policy must cover travelers for their entire trip, from start to finish.
Squaremouth’s Turkey Travel Insurance Recommendations
Medical travel insurance benefits are the most important pieces to look for when buying travel insurance for a trip to Turkey. While these benefits are required to gain entry into the country, there is not a set amount that is needed.
However, due to the potential for high medical coverage during an international trip, Squaremouth recommends travelers visiting Turkey buy a policy that meets our recommended medical coverage for international travel. This means travelers should purchase a policy with at least $50,000 in Emergency Medical coverage, and at least $100,000 in Medical Evacuation coverage.
Emergency Medical and Medical Evacuation are separate benefits. Emergency Medical can reimburse travelers for the cost of treatment during their trip, such as hospital fees and physician services. Medical Evacuation can cover the cost of an evacuation to the nearest hospital in the event of an emergency.
In addition to these required benefits, Squaremouth recommends a comprehensive travel insurance policy that includes other benefits for the most common travel insurance concerns. Primarily, this includes Trip Cancellation coverage and Medical Evacuation coverage.
For travelers who are concerned about losing their prepaid trip expenses if they need to cancel their trip to Turkey, Squaremouth recommends insuring these costs through the Trip Cancellation benefit. This benefit can reimburse 100% of a traveler’s prepaid and non-refundable trip costs if they need to cancel for a covered reason, such as not being able to travel because they are sick with Covid-19 or another illness.
Click here to begin your search for Turkey Travel Insurance.