Treatment in Turkey or Germany: how the routes differ and when each one makes sense

Turkey and Germany in one table

The table sums up the criteria on which families most often base their decision. We break each row down separately below. We deliberately do not quote prices or outcome rates: both depend on the diagnosis, the clinic and the specific plan, and a general figure would only mislead you.

The table shows the general picture for both countries, not the quality of any particular clinic. You will find strong and weak clinics in each, so the checks described below are equally essential in both directions. The detailed route for each country is in the Turkey and Germany guides.

How do you enter the country, and what happens after 90 days?

Both countries are open for short treatment. According to the list published by Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, holders of ordinary and official Georgian passports are exempt from a visa for travel of up to 90 days. The same ministry warns that the passport must be valid for a sufficient period from the date of arrival, and that anyone wishing to stay beyond the visa-free period must obtain a residence permit locally.

Entry to Germany is governed by the common Schengen rules. The website of the German Embassy in Tbilisi states that since 28 March 2017 no visa is required for a short, non-work visit on a biometric passport. For treatment lasting more than 90 days, a national visa is obtained by paper application, with an advance appointment at the embassy. There is one practical difference here: Schengen days are counted together across all member states, so recent travel to Italy or France also reduces the time you have left in Germany.

• If the course is likely to fit within 90 days, you travel to either country without a visa in advance, but you should carry the clinic's invitation letter and a return ticket.
• If the course is long, for example prolonged chemotherapy or complex rehabilitation, the visa process for Germany becomes part of treatment planning and is started early. In Turkey the matter is settled locally, although obtaining the permit still takes time and documents.
• The same rules apply to anyone accompanying you, so count their days separately.

When treatment requires a visa and how the embassy file is prepared is described on the medical visa page.

How do you check a clinic in each country?

In both countries, international accreditation such as JCI is a useful but insufficient guide. What the country's own system checks tells you far more.

Turkey: a licence for international patients

The Turkish Ministry of Health regulation on international health tourism, published in the Official Gazette on 26 April 2025, provides that both clinics and intermediary organisations may work with foreign patients only under a special licence. The ministry issues the licence for clinics, and the state company USHAŞ issues it for intermediaries. The same regulation requires clinics to hold complications insurance for surgical and interventional procedures performed in the operating theatre, and requires participants to integrate with the HealthTürkiye portal.

Three practical questions follow from this, which you should put to the clinic or intermediary in writing: does it hold a licence for international patients; who is your intermediary, and does it hold its own licence; and what does the complications insurance cover in your case, and who pays for whatever it does not cover.

Germany: the quality report and the department's experience

In Germany there is no separate licence for foreign patients: the same hospital standard applies to everyone. The main source is the clinic's annual quality report and, in oncology, a specialised centre certificate. How to read these documents is explained in the Germany guide.

In both countries one question is decisive: how many similar cases the specific department treats, and who draws up your plan. You should get this answer in writing, not from an advertising brochure. You can request a remote assessment from both countries at the same time, and the procedure for obtaining an independent opinion is described in the second opinion guide.

How is the price built: a package or the actual bill?

Comparing prices between the two countries is fair only when you compare figures built the same way. This is where the most common mistake happens: a Turkish package and a German cost estimate are drawn up according to different logic.

Turkey: one figure and its limits

A Turkish private clinic usually sends you a single package amount covering the procedure, anaesthesia, a set number of bed-days and standard tests. The figure is attractive, but its value depends on what has been left out of the package. That is why the key word when reading a Turkish offer is "except": what is not included, what an extra day costs, and how the cost of a complication is split between the clinic's insurance and your own pocket.

Germany: a single rule and a final invoice

Germany's Hospital Remuneration Act provides that charges for general hospital services must be calculated in the same way for all patients. This means that a clinic cannot freely raise this part of the price for a foreign self-paying patient. On top of this come optional services, such as personal treatment by the head of department or a single room, which are arranged under a separate agreement. A German clinic asks for a deposit based on the cost estimate and issues a final invoice after treatment, which settles the difference in either direction.

To compare, put both offers into one table with the same rows: procedure, bed-days, intensive care, implants and medicines, doctor's fee, interpreter, accommodation for anyone accompanying you, and transfers. Wherever a cell is left empty in one of the columns, write to the clinic with a follow-up question. In both countries, money is paid only into the clinic's official account. If you are seeking part of the cost from a state source in Georgia, the documents you will need are listed in the guide to funding treatment abroad.

Language, translation and certification of documents

At a Turkish clinic the medical history is usually read in English or Turkish, and the coordinator of the international department often speaks Russian too. In Germany the international office often accepts an English translation for the preliminary assessment, although a German text requires less clarification when an operation is being planned. If you are writing to clinics in both countries at once, the most economical route is one high-quality English translation, with a German one only when a clinic asks for it directly.

Notarisation is rarely needed for a clinic in either country. The situation changes when the document goes to a state authority: an embassy, the migration service or a court. Both countries are parties to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, Turkey since 1985 and Germany since 1966, so an official Georgian document does not need consular legalisation and an apostille is enough. That said, German authorities often prefer a translation by a local sworn translator, while a Turkish authority may require a translation made and certified in Turkey. So before translating, ask the recipient whose translation they accept.

The difference between notarisation and an apostille is explained in a separate guide. Translation options are on the medical translation page, and on site, during consultations and when signing the consent form, a Georgian interpreter can be arranged through the interpreter service.

How long does preparation take?

Three things determine how long preparation takes: how complete the medical history is, how quickly the clinic replies and whether the trip requires a visa. We cannot give exact timelines, but the pace in the two countries clearly differs.

1. Collecting the documents

   The same for both countries: discharge summary, laboratory test results, reports and images in DICOM format. The full list is in the documents guide.

2. The first reply

   A Turkish private clinic often sends a plan and price within days. In Germany, especially at a university clinic, the doctor's opinion and the cost estimate may take weeks.

3. Clarification and agreement

   Follow-up questions, requests for a new test, the deposit and written confirmation of the admission date. In both countries this stage depends on how precisely you answer the clinic.

4. Travel

   For a course of up to 90 days, tickets and accommodation are bought after confirmation. For a long course in Germany, you also need to allow for the national visa processing time, which is set by the embassy.

If the diagnosis calls for quick action, time itself becomes a criterion. In that case, ask your treating doctor how long a wait is medically acceptable, and tell the clinics about this limit in your very first letter.

What happens after you return?

Follow-up works remotely in both countries: the results of tests done in Georgia are translated and sent to the clinic. The difference lies in distance and paperwork. Going back to Turkey for a follow-up visit is relatively easy because of the short flight, while in Germany they often try to carry out follow-up through translated results and video consultations.

Discharge documents face the same requirement in both countries: a Georgian doctor and pharmacy must be able to understand them. A Turkish discharge summary is usually handed over on the day of discharge, whereas the final German letter sometimes arrives later by email, when the final histology is awaited. In both cases the document needs to be translated into Georgian, with the medicines written under their international non-proprietary names, which is what the discharge summary translation service does.

Before you leave, ask the clinics in both countries who your contact person will be after discharge, how quickly they answer questions and whether remote consultations are charged. Their answer often tells you more about the clinic than its website does.

Which to choose: Turkey, Germany or an assessment from both?

Where and how you are treated is ultimately decided by your treating doctor: this page is not medical advice and only compares the organisational differences between the two countries. Within that framework, families' experience points to a few typical situations:

• A standard, well-studied procedure and a limited budget: Turkey is often practical, provided the clinic holds the licence for international patients and has real volume for your diagnosis.
• A rare or unclear diagnosis, complex neurosurgery or a complex case in a child: a German university clinic is often the natural choice, despite the price and slower communication.
• A long course: in both countries, calculate the length of stay and its legal basis in advance, and in Germany build the visa time into the treatment plan.
• Uncertainty: send the same translated file to two clinics in each country and assess the replies together with your treating doctor.

The last option most often pays off: four written plans side by side show whether the doctors' views agree and where a difference is hidden in the price. The clinic search service does this work for you, and the calculator shows an indicative cost of translation.

Frequently asked questions about Turkey and Germany compared