People living abroad can eliminate debts from the general health insurance (GSS) system through certain procedures. Because the general health insurance applied to access health rights is not valid while residing outside Turkey, it is possible to be removed from the system when living abroad.
Situation for Those Living Abroad under General Health Insurance
The primary requirement for general health insurance is residence in Turkey, and therefore this insurance does not apply in other countries. Turkish citizens who live abroad and cannot benefit from this insurance often want to know how to terminate their general health insurance status.
Individuals who have moved their residence abroad but have not submitted an address change to the civil registry still appear as resident in Turkey in the address-based population registration system.
Consequently, unless they receive a pension or survivor’s benefit (widow/widower or orphan’s pension), they may incur general health insurance debts for the periods they spend abroad. If they ever return to Turkey, those unpaid debts could be required to be settled.
Within SGK, these individuals accumulate a monthly GSS premium and the premium debt increases each month. This can create future problems. Therefore, people who have moved their residence abroad should promptly apply to the civil registry to update or delete their address in the system. Those who have left Turkey and cannot return can apply for an address change via the Turkish consulate in their country of residence.
How Can People Living Abroad Escape GSS Debt?
General health insurance is applied automatically for persons who are not insured through an employer and who are not dependent on others. SGK provides detailed rules about how the GSS status of individuals who have moved their residence abroad can be terminated.
Under the relevant law, a person must reside in Turkey to be subject to general health insurance. Therefore, people living abroad may face GSS debt obligations. However, as noted, if they have not officially changed their residence in the registry, GSS premium debts continue to accrue each month.
Those who realize this and are living abroad can prove the date they left Turkey to request deletion of debts for the period they were abroad. For people whose GSS debts were assessed, if they can prove they were abroad up to April 18, 2014, with documents such as study certificates, employment records, passports or similar evidence of travel and stay, their insured status can be terminated for those periods.
Not only those currently living abroad, but also people who lived abroad for certain periods and later returned to Turkey can apply to exclude those foreign residence periods from their GSS debt calculation.
Terminating GSS Registration
To terminate GSS registration for cases after April 18, 2014, individuals who moved abroad can have their registration ended by presenting evidence of the date they relocated. Based on the information in the address declaration form, GSS registration can be closed when the date of moving abroad is submitted.
Supporting documents such as an employment certificate or consular documents showing the period of residence abroad, or verification by SGK personnel via online records that confirm the person’s time abroad, will be used to finalize the termination of GSS registration for the relevant foreign residence period.
The date the address declaration form is submitted is important and should be noted by applicants. For example, if someone began living abroad in 2016 but submitted the declaration in 2017, premium debts for the intervening period may be requested. Once these debts are paid, new debts will not accrue. If the person can officially prove their start date of residence abroad with valid documents, their insurance liability will end as of that date.