Health & Healthcare
In Turkey, there are state-run hospitals which are funded by the equivalent of National Insurance, private clinics and hospitals. There are also teaching hospitals attached to universities in the main cities such as Ege University in Izmir, Akdeniz University in Antalya. If you fall ill in Turkey, private clinics and hospitals offer very high standards of treatment and care where the state hospitals vary greatly, but are often poorly funded, crowded and may not have up-to-date equipment.
An increasing number of "medical tourist" are actually travelling from Europe to take advantage of the excellent medical treatment and lower costs in Turkey. The cost of treatment is far lower than in the UK but before starting any treatment, you should check with your insurance company.
Government clinics are often the providers of healthcare in small town and rural areas. Standards are vary greatly but are normally adequate for minor injuries and ailments.
About health insurance;
Private health insurance for people living abroad is available from companies such as BUPA. Like normal health insurance, international policies have varying level of cover, with the option of repatriation to the UK if you should fall seriously ill. Treatment can be undertaken in any recognised hospital or clinics, but check with your insurer that your policy covers the proposed treatment before you get underway.
If you travel to Turkey to look for property, do not forget to buy travel insurance with sufficient medical cover. Medical insurance scheme are also available from Turkish companies. Such as Axa Oyak.
For medical emergencies dial 122
Mortgages & Finance
Mortgage at a glance; 7% pound, 6% Euro
Maximum Loan; Euro 200.000
Maximum LTV; 75%
Maximum Tern; 20 years
Typical Fee; 0,5% -1,5%
For a Turkish property, you have two options for raising finance; re-mortgaging or securing a new mortgage against a property in the UK in this case you can use this loan to buy in cash or borrow against your Turkish property. The first choice is often the cheapest as you can re-mortgage with few additional charges and interest rates and interest rates for overseas mortgages tend to be higher.
Because of recent changes to Turkish legislation, Turkish and European banks start to offering foreign nationals pound and euro mortgages secured against Turkish property.
Turkish mortgage can be arranged directly with the banks but the Turkish lenders are not really set up yet to deal with foreign clients effectively. In this case, the best thing to do is to contact a specialist overseas mortgage broker.
The application process can be quite different than UK. You may need a power of attorney in place to sort out property insurance and other legal requirements.
No matter how and what the sales agent say, until you are confident you can get a mortgage of raise sufficient cash don't agree to purchase a property or part with any non-refundable fees, and such as deposit.
Services & Utilities
Water; tap water is chlorinated in Turkey so it is good for brushing teeth
but not good for drinking. For that reason, people in Turkey buy their
drinking water from shops or supermarkets. But buying water from a local
water supplier who delivers in large refillable containers is more economical
and environmentally. Mains water is metered and bills are issued on a
monthly or quarterly. There is a penalty for not paying on time so most
of the people pay their bills in person at the company offices, at some
banks or direct debit from their bank accounts.
Huge increases in demand have stretched water supplies and cuts are common during the summer in some areas. Storage tanks are recommended.
Electricity; Electricity in Turkey is mostly supplied by the company called TEDAŞ. The supply is 220 volts and two-pin plugs, like those in European countries are used. Like water, demand on electricity is growing day by day and this causes the frequent black outs and fluctuating supplies. In this case voltage regulator is recommended to protect computer and other sensitive equipments.
Natural Gas; Istanbul, Ankara, and some other cities with main supplies, natural gas for cooking and heating water comes in metal canisters. They are ordered by a local supplier and delivered to your door.
Note: In a new and release property water and electricity are already connected. If you are having a house built or renovating the old property, new connections must be applied. If a property is far from the nearest water main and electricity supply, then this can be costly. In order to get connections, iskan raporu is a must and can be obtained from the local authority and is granted only if all the taxes and permit fees are paid and that the building meets planning and building regulations.
Communications
Telephone: Turk Telekom is the owner of telephone network in
Turkey.
The needed documents for the new line for the foreigners;
- Proof of address
- Your passport
- Bank details at your local office.
Bills are issued monthly and can be paid directly from your bank account by direct debit. International calls are expensive but you can solve this by buying a discount calling card.
Mobile Phones: so many rival mobile phone networks. You
can open an account at any mobile phone dealer;
Needed documents as follows;
- Proof of address
- Your passport
- Bank details at your local office.
British mobile can be used in Turkey if international roaming enabled. Without registering your British Handset can no longer used with a Turkish SIM card. Registration can be done with Turk Telekom.
Required documents for registration are;
-proof of purchase, including the handset serial number
-the passport.
The Internet: The internet revolution is in full swing
in Turkey. Dial up packages are available at branches of Turk Telekom
or computer and electronics shops. There is a connection fee and modem
is required.
The Post & Couriers; The Turkish postal service, or PTT,
operates post offices across the country and delivered mail. The service
is slow with domestic mail. Within the borders it takes 4-5 days and 7-14
days for UK. Urgent Letters must be sent by APS (express service). And
if it is international UPS, DHL are the required express mail services.
Televisions: Even there are so many TV stations and TRT
channels have some English programs. Turk Telekom offers cable-TV includes
BBC world, CNN, NBC, and other European channels. There is another alternative
for the cable network Digiturk which has many more foreign, entertainment,
news and sport channels.
Getting Around Turkey
In large countries, flying is the best and the easiest way of travelling long distance. Turkey is one of these countries and Turkish Airlines operate an extensive domestic network with flights from Istanbul and Ankara. Services to the main cities like Izmir depart regularly throughout the day.
If somebody intends to fly to a smaller city like Dalaman and Bodrum, booked ticket must be bought twenty-four hours before the flight.
There is a number of growing flights from Istanbul. Pegasus and Flyair have flights to Antalya, Bodrum and Izmir. Onur Air has flights to Kayseri (Cappadocia), Antalya, Bodrum, and Izmir.
Sun Express fly directly from Izmir to Antalya.
Driving In Turkey
Driving through Turkey is a great way to travel independently with the utmost of freedom. The road conditions have improves dramatically in recent years. But needless to say, the country's accident rate is very high. But being away from cities and towns will protect and give you driving pleasure and the traffic will be very light.
The History of Anatolia,
One of the great crossroads of ancient civilizations is a broad peninsula that lies between the Black and Mediterranean Seas has a great and very colorful past. More than 10,000 years ago, Anatolia was the settlement of many civilizations. The best evidence of these claims is in Catal Hoyuk, near the city of Konya, archeologists have found a Neolithic town. Anatolia was held sway by The Hittites, the ancient Greeks, the Persians, and The Romans and each civilization has left archeological and architectural treasures.
In 1453 Byzantine Constantinople which was the wealthiest city in all of Christendom, fell to the Turkish army. This was the fall of Constantinople and the birth of Istanbul. For 600 years, Ottoman Empire was the bridge of the east and the west cultures.
In 1923, The Turkish Republic was established by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
Who is Mustafa Kemal Ataturk?
The father of the Turks, the national hero, the founder of Turkish Republic.
He wanted to turn the new Turkey into a modern European country by getting rid of the last sultan, replacing the Arabic with the Latin alphabet and so many things.
Ataturk is everywhere.
Climate and Landscape of Turkey
AT A GLANCE,
Highest Peak; Mt. Ararat 5166 meters
Coastline; +8000 km on the Mediterranean, Aegean and
Black Sea
Average winter temp; 13C - Minus 30C
Average Summer Temp; 25C - 40 C
Climate:
The climate and landscape in Turkey is extremely diverse as it bridges two continents, Europe and Asia. Vast areas of the country are covered by mountains and this causes the temperature difference from West to East. In winter, in the central region the temperature can be -30 C where it is very mild in the West part of Turkey. Temperatures climb into the high 30s in July but there are often cooling sea breezes. This is the reason for most of the foreigners to buy a property or holiday in Mediterranean or Aegean cost of Turkey.
Landscape:
Turkey is a very unspoilt country. There are so many pine trees, olive
trees, and citrus orchards. Turkey's most beautiful beaches lie along
to the Mediterranean and Aegean Coast line. Mainly Marmaris and Bodrum
have deep bays and peninsulas and are very appropriate for sailing.
Altinkum and Cesme are the pearl of the Aegean Coast but the sea is colder.
The Black Sea Coast is the wettest region of Turkey. There are so many thickly forested mountains with dairy farms, tea-plantations and hazelnut orchards on the lower slops. Anatolia is made up rolling fields of wheat and grazing land. The strangely eroded landscape and fascinating historical sites of Cappadocia attract tourists.
Turkey is self-sufficient in most agricultural produce, exporting fruit, vegetables, dairy products and meat to the EU and the Middle East. Fishing is also another important industry.
GETTING THERE
From UK, after three and a half hour flight by British Airways or Turkish
Airlines, you arrive in Istanbul's Ataturk airport with onward domestic
connections with Turkish Airlines or other domestic carries to regional
centers such as Izmir, Bodrum, Dalaman and Antalya.
There is a direct flight from Gatwick to Izmir once a week.
There is another alternative which is to pick up a flight ticket from Cyprus Turkish Airlines to fly directly from Gatwick, Heathrow, Glasgow, Stansted and Belfast.
Easyjet is another alternative to travel to Turkey with a low-cost from Luton to Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport which is in the Asian part of Turkey. But onward domestic flights are more limited than Ataturk Airport.
During summer season My Travel, First Choice, Thomas Cook and Thomson have charter flights to Bodrum, Dalaman, and Antalya from regional airports in UK.
In winter Holiday 4U have a weekly flight from Gatwick or Manchester to Dalaman and Bodrum.
Driving to Turkey
Depending on the route you take, it is about 3000 km from London to Istanbul.
The northern option starts from Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania,
Bulgaria, and Istanbul.
If you look for an alternative, you can go though the France and Italy where there are car ferries from the southern ports of Ancona and Brindisi. Early booking is strongly recommended.
Useful Information
- 3-month tourist visa issued on arrival
Which airport is closest?
Three and a half our flight from UK to Istanbul
- Alanya: Antalya
- Altinkum: Bodrum/Milas
- Ayvalik & North Aegean: Izmir Adnan Menderes
- Bodrum: Bodrum/Milas
- Cesme: Izmir Adnan Menderes
- Datca: Dalaman
- Fethiye: Dalaman
- Gocek: Dalaman
- Kas: Dalaman
- Kalkan: Dalaman
- Kemer: Antalya
- Kusadasi: Izmir Adnan Menderes
- Marmaris: Dalaman
- Side: Antalya
- Cappadocia: Kayseri or Nevsehir
If you would like to bring your car into the country
- Valid passport
- Photo-card or international driving license
- Vehicle registration documents
- International green card (insurance)
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