Cheap Travel Insurance Companies for Trips to Turkey
While no single travel insurance company or policy is the best for everyone, we've analyzed dozens of travel insurance plans for trips to Turkey to arrive at a selection of stand-out travel insurance policies, based on their features and prices. Read our research to help you find the best plan for you.
The guidance on this site is based on our own analysis and is meant to help you identify options and narrow down your choices. We do not advise or tell you which product to buy; undertake your own due diligence before entering into any agreement. Read our full disclosure here.
Find Cheap Travel Insurance to Turkey
Protect your holiday today. Quick quotes from 20 insurers.
-
Cheap Travel Insurance to Turkey
What to look for, and what it costs -
Premium Travel Insurance to Turkey
Add-ons and extras worth considering -
Do I Need Travel Insurance to Turkey?
Why it matters for UK travellers
-
Pre-Existing Medical Conditions
Travel Insurance to Turkey with Medical Conditions -
Travel Insurance for Families
What to look for when travelling with children -
Cost
How Much is Travel Insurance to Turkey?
The right policy for you will depend on your budget, the value of your trip, who you're travelling with, and any planned activities. Use the information in this guide to understand what to look for and what you should expect to pay.
Best Cheap Travel Insurance to Turkey
Turkey is one of the most affordable European travel insurance destinations to insure — prices are generally lower than long-haul destinations — but that doesn't mean you should skimp on cover. Neither your EHIC nor your GHIC card is valid in Turkey, which means any medical treatment you need will be paid for entirely out of pocket unless you have travel insurance. Private healthcare in Turkey, which tourists typically use, can be expensive.
Single trip policies for a healthy adult travelling to Turkey for a week start from around £8 to £13 for entry-level cover, rising to £20 or more for a solid Defaqto 5-star policy. Families of four typically pay around double the individual rate, with prices from around £30 for a basic policy.
One thing to be aware of when buying: Turkey is a transcontinental country, and insurers handle it differently. Most class Turkey under their European cover, which is cheaper, but some require worldwide cover. Always check your policy wording confirms Turkey is included before buying — especially if you're purchasing an annual multi-trip policy.
When comparing, use a comparison site to filter by Defaqto star rating alongside price. A 3-star policy can work for a low-cost beach holiday, but a 4- or 5-star plan offers meaningfully better cover across Medical, Cancellation and Baggage, and is worth the extra few pounds for most trips.
The key things to look for in any Turkey travel insurance policy are:
- Emergency Medical Expenses of at least £5 million, ideally £10 million or more. Your EHIC and GHIC cards are not valid in Turkey, so all private medical costs fall to you without cover. Private hospitals in Turkish resort areas can be expensive, and serious injuries requiring specialist treatment or repatriation will cost significantly more.
- Cancellation/Curtailment cover sufficient to match the total non-refundable cost of your trip, including flights, accommodation and any pre-booked excursions.
- Repatriation back to the UK if you suffer a serious illness or injury while in Turkey.
- Baggage/Personal Belongings cover for loss, theft or damage. Budget policies often set single-item limits at £200 to £300, which may not be enough to cover a smartphone or camera.
- Baggage Delay to reimburse you for essential items if your bags don't arrive with you.
- Travel Delay for disruption to your journey caused by adverse weather, strikes or mechanical breakdown.
- Catastrophe / Natural Disaster cover is worth specific attention for Turkey. The country sits on major seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes — the 2023 earthquake in southern Turkey caused widespread disruption to travellers. Check whether your policy covers additional accommodation and travel costs if a natural disaster affects your trip.
Also worth checking: personal liability cover, loss or theft of your passport, and Gadget cover if you're travelling with expensive devices, as mobile phones are commonly excluded from standard Baggage cover.
Premium Travel Insurance to Turkey
Those insuring higher-value Turkey trips — more expensive flights, luxury resorts, pre-booked excursions, or significant luggage—will benefit from the higher cover limits found on premium plans. Turkey is also a popular destination for adventure activities such as hot air ballooning in Cappadocia, jeep safaris, quad biking and water sports; the FCDO has specifically flagged injuries and deaths among British tourists from these activities, making activity cover worth checking carefully.
Premium single-trip policies for Turkey from a healthy adult typically cost in the range of £20 to £40, with higher limits across Cancellation, Baggage and Medical, and more features included as standard. The following are add-ons worth looking for at this price tier:
- Catastrophe / Natural Disaster cover is more likely to be included on mid-tier and premium plans than budget ones. Turkey's earthquake risk makes this worth specifically checking, as some policies exclude or cap it on lower tiers. Look for cover of at least £1,000, ideally £3,000 or more, for additional accommodation, transport and curtailment costs if a natural disaster affects your trip.
- Adventure Sports / Activities cover is essential if you plan to go quad biking, take part in jeep safaris, go scuba diving, paraglide or take part in any activity beyond standard beach and sightseeing tourism. The FCDO has highlighted that British tourists have been seriously injured or killed in Turkey during adventure activities — check your policy covers what you plan to do before you travel.
- Gadget cover protects phones, tablets, cameras and laptops for loss, theft or accidental damage, with limits typically ranging from £1,000 to £3,000. Standard Baggage cover usually excludes mobile phones entirely or applies a low single-item limit. Turkey's busy resort areas and markets carry a risk of pickpocketing, making gadget cover particularly relevant.
- Cruise cover is worth considering if your Turkey trip involves a cruise departing from Istanbul or calling at Turkish ports. Cruise-specific cover typically includes Cabin Confinement, Missed Port Departure and Itinerary Change, which standard travel insurance doesn't cover.
- Scheduled Airline Failure (SAFI) and End Supplier Failure (ESF) cover protects you if your airline or a pre-booked travel supplier goes out of business before or during your trip. Limits typically range from £1,000 to £5,000; ESF is rarer but more comprehensive than SAFI alone.
- £0 excess on Cancellation or medical claims means no out-of-pocket contribution if you need to claim, and is available on some premium plans.
Do I Need Travel Insurance to Turkey? Why it's Important
Travel insurance is not a legal requirement for visiting Turkey, but it is strongly recommended — and the FCDO explicitly advises UK travellers to ensure they have adequate cover before they go.
The key reason is that neither the EHIC nor the GHIC card is valid in Turkey. Unlike EU destinations where your GHIC provides access to state healthcare, Turkey has no reciprocal healthcare agreement with the UK. Any medical costs you incur as a tourist must be paid privately. Turkey's private hospitals, which serve most tourists, can charge significant amounts for emergency treatment, and repatriation back to the UK in a serious case could add tens of thousands of pounds more.
Beyond medical cover, Turkey has a few specific risk factors worth being aware of:
- Earthquake risk: Turkey sits on major seismic fault lines. The 2023 earthquake centred on Kahramanmaraş caused widespread disruption and illustrates why Catastrophe cover is worth having.
- Adventure activities: Quad biking, jeep safaris and other activities in resort areas have led to serious injuries among British tourists. Make sure your policy explicitly covers the activities you plan to do.
- Syria border region: The FCDO advises against all travel within 10km of Turkey's border with Syria. Travel against FCDO advice will typically invalidate your policy entirely, so always check current FCDO guidance before you travel.
- Petty crime: Pickpocketing is relatively common in crowded areas such as Istanbul's Grand Bazaar and busy resort strips. Baggage and Gadget cover provides a safety net if valuables are stolen.
See the latest FCDO Foreign Travel Advice for Turkey for up-to-date guidance on health, safety and entry requirements before you travel.
If you'd like more detailed information on the ins and outs of travel insurance plans, you can read more in our Travel Insurance Guide.
How To Pick a Good Travel Insurance Plan for You
Here are the key features to look for when choosing a travel insurance plan for Turkey:
- Cancellation/Curtailment cover at least equal to the total non-refundable value of your trip, including flights, accommodation and pre-booked excursions and activities.
- Emergency Medical Expenses of at least £5 million — your GHIC is not valid in Turkey and private hospital treatment can be expensive.
- Repatriation back to the UK, ideally including medically supervised repatriation for serious cases.
- Baggage/Personal Belongings with a single-item limit sufficient to cover your most valuable items.
- Baggage Delay to cover essential purchases if your luggage doesn't arrive.
- Travel Delay/Missed Departure for journey disruption.
- Catastrophe/Natural Disaster cover given Turkey's earthquake risk.
- Activity cover if you plan to do anything beyond beach and sightseeing tourism.
- 24-hour emergency assistance so you can reach your insurer at any time — Turkey is two to three hours ahead of the UK.
Use the Defaqto star rating as a quick guide to how comprehensive a policy is. For a typical Turkey holiday, 4-star cover is a reasonable minimum; 5-star if your trip involves adventure activities or a higher total value.
Single Trip or Multi Trip Cover
You'll need to decide between a Single Trip or Annual, Multi-Trip plan. If Turkey is your only holiday this year, a single-trip policy will almost always be cheaper. If you travel abroad twice or more a year, an annual policy is often better value overall — but with an important caveat for Turkey specifically.
Because Turkey is treated as a European destination by most (but not all) insurers, annual policies covering Europe will typically include it. However, some annual policies exclude Turkey from their European tier or list it as requiring worldwide cover, which costs more. Check the policy wording carefully before buying an annual plan if Turkey is one of the trips you need to cover.
As with all annual policies, also check the Maximum Trip Length: most annual plans cap individual trips at 30 to 45 days, which is fine for a typical Turkish holiday but worth verifying. If you're planning an extended stay, a single-trip policy is usually the better option.
Travel Insurance with Pre-Existing Conditions to Turkey
With no EHIC or GHIC cover available in Turkey, travel insurance becomes especially important for those with pre-existing medical conditions. Without cover, any treatment costs related to a known condition would be paid entirely out of pocket.
Always declare your condition in full and accurately when getting a quote. Any undisclosed condition that later gives rise to a claim will typically result in that claim being rejected entirely, regardless of whether the condition directly caused the problem. When reviewing options, also check:
- Whether your condition is covered or excluded. Some policies will cover declared conditions automatically; others add a premium or decline cover for more serious conditions. Specialist providers are generally more willing to cover complex medical histories.
- The medical expenses limit — for conditions that carry any risk of a flare-up or medical episode abroad, a higher limit of £10 million or more is worth the extra premium.
- Repatriation cover — make sure it explicitly includes bringing you home in a medically supervised capacity if needed.
Travel insurance companies that specialise in medical conditions include goodtogoinsurance.com, JustTravelcover.com, OK To Travel, Saga, AllClear and Virgin Money. In particular, Fit2Travel and Free Spirit are known to offer cover when other providers may decline. You are also likely to pay more for travel insurance if you have a medical condition.
Travel Insurance to Turkey for Families
Turkey is one of the UK's most popular family holiday destinations, with a wide range of all-inclusive resorts, reliable warm weather and easy direct flights from regional airports. Travel insurance is particularly important for families — children are more prone to minor injuries and stomach bugs on holiday, and the absence of GHIC cover means all medical costs fall to you without insurance in place.
A few features are especially worth prioritising for families:
- Baggage Delay cover to reimburse essentials like nappies, clothing and toiletries if your bags don't arrive. Not all budget policies include this, so check before buying.
- Travel Delay cover to help with food, drinks and entertainment costs if your flight is delayed for several hours — particularly welcome when travelling with young children.
- Adequate Medical cover for all family members, including children. A stomach illness or a minor injury at a waterpark can quickly result in a private clinic visit in Turkey.
- Activity cover if your family plans any excursions — boat trips, horse riding, water sports, buggy or quad rides. Check that activities are covered for all travellers on the policy, including children.
On cost, most family policies price at roughly double the individual adult rate, as dependent children (typically under 18) are included at no extra charge. A single-trip family policy covering two adults and two children typically starts from around £30 for basic cover.
Average Cost of Travel Insurance to Turkey
Turkey is one of the cheaper destinations to insure from the UK, partly because most insurers classify it under European cover rather than worldwide. Single trip policies for a healthy adult on a week's holiday start from around £8 to £13 for entry-level cover, rising to £20 or more for comprehensive 5-star Defaqto cover. Annual multi-trip policies covering Europe (including Turkey) start from around £25 to £30 for a young adult. For a family of four, expect to pay from around £30 for basic cover.
Key factors that affect what you pay:
- Your age — premiums increase with age, with a significant step up at 65 and again at 70.
- Trip length — the longer you're away, the higher the premium.
- Level of cover — a 5-star Defaqto policy costs more than a 3-star one but comes with higher cover limits and a lower excess.
- Excess — choosing a higher excess reduces your premium but increases your out-of-pocket contribution if you claim.
- Add-ons — adventure activity cover, gadget cover and catastrophe cover add to the base price if not included as standard.
- Pre-existing conditions — declaring a condition increases your premium, with the amount varying by condition and severity.
- European vs worldwide tier — check whether your chosen policy includes Turkey under its European tier; a small number require worldwide cover, which costs more.
FAQs
If you're interested in comparing the cost of travel insurance to other countries, see our other country-specific travel insurance studies:
If you'd like to get quotes for some of the plans mentioned on this page, and more, please click on the link below.
Find Cheap Travel Insurance to Turkey
Protect your holiday today. Quick quotes from 20 insurers.