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Applying for a family residence may be a daunting process for many, especially when important information in terms of using many unknown rights and procedures is missing. If you are married to a Turkish citizen and want to apply for family residence, there are simple ways for you to leverage your spouse's social security.
The Health Provision and Activation System of Türkiye (The Saglik Provizyon Aktivasyon Sistemi - SPAS) constitutes a fundamental pillar of the country’s national social security infrastructure.
Administered by the Social Security Institution (SGK), SPAS governs the eligibility and activation processes through which insured individuals and their dependents gain access to state-funded health care services.
In the context of family residence permit applications based on marriage to a Turkish citizen, an active and valid SPAS registration under the name of the sponsoring spouse is a non-negotiable prerequisite, particularly if the intention is to avoid purchasing private health insurance for the foreign spouse.
This mechanism ensures that the foreign spouse can benefit from Türkiye’s public healthcare system under the sponsorship of their Turkish partner.
To satisfy this requirement, the Turkish spouse must be formally registered with SGK under the 4/a category (designated for employees or employers under a service contract) and must maintain an uninterrupted record of premium payments—i.e., no outstanding debts or lapses in contributions.
In situations where the Turkish spouse lacks active SGK coverage, they are legally precluded from extending public health insurance benefits to their foreign spouse.
In such cases, the Turkish partner may still act as a sponsor solely for housing purposes.
However, if the foreign spouse possesses a valid health insurance policy issued in their country of origin, or a bilateral agreement recognized by the Turkish government, they may, under certain conditions, register this policy for use in Türkiye.
This requires prior verification and approval in accordance with the country's international social security agreements.
Crucially, only the foreign residence permit applicant is required to obtain a private health insurance policy that meets the criteria set by the Directorate General of Migration Management (Goc Idaresi).
The Turkish spouse, despite being the sponsor, is under no legal obligation to hold private insurance themselves for the purposes of the application.
For Turkish citizens who are unable to meet the SPAS activation criteria, the most pragmatic and cost-effective alternative is to secure a low-premium, but private health insurance policy for the foreign spouse registered in the Turkish Insurance Database at the Directorate of Migration.
These policies are widely available and often tailored specifically for residence permit applications at low costs.
About the author: Kagan Orhan is a human resource and immigration consultancy expert at Expat Solutions Turkey, dedicated to facilitating the adaptation processes of foreigners in Türkiye with the expertise and knowledge in managing legal procedures such as residence permit applications, work permits, business establishment, real estate and citizenship processes for foreigners settling in Türkiye with their team of lawyers and consultants.
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