Insurance is today considered something that must be arranged when working. However, there are also situations where insurance is not required. In this article we examine who is not obliged to be insured.
First, let’s clarify what insurance means and when it should be taken out. Insurance is an agreement with institutions to cover losses to a person or property in return for previously paid premiums. Examples include accident insurance and life insurance.
General Health Insurance (GHI) is provided when a person works, or can be accessed through a spouse or a caregiver. GHI is a mandatory insurance, and those who are required to have it cannot opt out. The law also specifies certain groups who do not fall under the scope of general health insurance. The following people are excluded from GHI coverage:
- Members of parliament (deputies) are excluded from the insurance scope.
- Foreigners who are already insured in their home country but are present in Turkey are not covered.
- Conscripts performing mandatory military service as privates are excluded from GHI. In addition, students attending reserve officer schools are also outside the scope.
- Persons detained or serving sentences in penal institutions are excluded from the coverage.
- Foreigners with residence permits who stay in Turkey for less than one year are not covered.
- Those receiving pensions based on foreign service contributions who do not reside in Turkey are excluded.
- People working under and receiving income from bank or mutual funds (bank funds), and their dependents, are excluded.
- Members of the Turkish Grand National Assembly who receive pensions and their dependents are not covered.
- Members of the Constitutional Court who receive pensions and their dependents are excluded from GHI.
All other workers—employees, self-employed individuals, public sector employees, those insured voluntarily, unemployed persons, homemakers, and foreigners living in Turkey—are within the scope of general health insurance.
Unemployment Insurance and Those Excluded from Its Scope
Another type of mandatory coverage is unemployment insurance. Unemployment insurance is a compulsory scheme provided by the state for employees who lose their jobs involuntarily despite having the required qualifications during their employment.
The state also defines groups that are not covered by unemployment insurance. The following categories are excluded:
- Those who do not work under an employment contract are excluded from unemployment insurance.
- Insured persons for whom other specific insurance branches are applied are outside the scope of unemployment insurance.
- Trainees participating in vocational training courses organized by the Employment Agency are excluded.
- Persons classified as “not considered insured” under Law No. 5510—for example, an employer’s spouse working without pay at the employer’s workplace, those performing military service as privates, students at reserve officer schools, and patients or disabled persons undergoing rehabilitation and being gradually introduced to work—are not covered by unemployment insurance.
- Personnel covered by the Turkish Armed Forces Personnel Law are excluded from unemployment insurance.
- Persons covered by the Specialist Non-Commissioned Officer Law are excluded.
- Persons covered by the Specialist Gendarmerie Law are excluded.
- Persons covered under the Judges and Prosecutors Law are excluded.
- Persons governed by the Higher Education Law are outside the scope of unemployment insurance.
- Persons governed by the Higher Education Personnel Law are excluded.
- Civil servants covered by the Civil Servants Law are not within the scope of unemployment insurance.
- Those employed as temporary staff under the Civil Servants Law are also excluded from unemployment insurance.
The people listed above are not covered by unemployment insurance, and therefore no contributions are collected for them under this insurance scheme.