HEALTH INSURANCE & ISTANBULKART
1. Choose Your Insurance
Welcome to Türkiye! As an international student, it’s important to get your health insurance sorted early. Here’s a clear and simple guide to your options so you can stay covered and stress-free!
Option 1: SGK (Sosyal Güvenlik Kurumu) is Türkiye’s public health insurance system, offering affordable access to healthcare for students.
📌 How to Apply:
a. Apply within the first 3 months of university registration.
b. Prepare: Passport, Tax Number, Student Verification, (optional) Residence Permit.
c. Visit Sarıyer SGK office and say: “Öğrenci olarak sigorta yaptırmak istiyorum”.
d. After getting your Residence Permit, visit SGK again to finalize it.
📞 Need Help? Call 170 (English available) or email [email protected]
Option 2: Private Health Insurance. It’s quicker to get and valid for residence permit applications.
🏢 Suggested Provider: Kollektif Sigorta (+90507 387 44 44)(kollektifsigorta.com)
2. Transportation Card for Istanbul
To use most public transportation in Istanbul (except dolmuş/minibus), you need an İstanbulkart – a refillable transportation card.
You can buy a regular İstanbulkart at Biletmatik machines or newsstands with signs like “İstanbulkart Bayii” or “İstanbulkart Dolum Merkezi”.
Before you get a physical card, you can use a digital İstanbulkart. Just download the app, create an account, and top it up with your credit card (make sure it’s open for international use).
You can use apps like Google Maps to find your way around the city.
💳 Refilling Your İstanbulkart:
1. Use the İstanbulkart mobile app and choose the “TL top-up” option.
– If your phone doesn’t have NFC, scan your card on your next trip to load the balance.
2. Use a Biletmatik machine or go to newsstands marked with “İstanbulkart Bayii” or “İstanbulkart Dolum Merkezi”.
🚖 Taxis in Istanbul:
1. Yellow taxis (Taksi) are available 24/7. You can:
– Call a taxi by phone
– Use a mobile app
– Flag one on the street
To avoid confusion or overcharging, we recommend using these taxi apps:
• Uber
• BiTaksi
Usefull Links:
Want to estimate the fare? Use this calculator: https://taksiyle.com/en