Checking a Turkish clinic’s licence: a worked example

Most UK patients never check whether the clinic they are flying to is authorised. That is understandable: the clinic’s website usually says so, and the coordinator on WhatsApp sounds confident. But GOV.UK’s travel advice for Turkey points British travellers to the Ministry of Health’s own list for a reason. It is the one source that does not come from the clinic.

This guide walks through the search as if you were checking a clinic for the first time. We use our own clinic, Precious Dental in Antalya, as the example, because we know exactly what its entry should show.

Step 1: find the list

Go to healthturkiye.gov.tr and open “Health Facility List”. HealthTürkiye is the Ministry’s portal for international patients. It lists hospitals, clinics and doctors’ offices that hold the authorisation needed to treat patients from abroad. On the day we checked, it held 1,117 private oral and dental health clinics.

Do not search Google for “HealthTürkiye” and click the first advert. Type the address yourself.

Step 2: narrow it down

The list has filters for city and facility type. Pick the city first. Then pick the facility type: almost every dental clinic appears as “Private Oral and Dental Health Clinic”. A few larger ones appear as “Private Oral and Dental Health Center”, and some hospitals have dental departments.

Filtering first matters because many clinics share words in their names. There are dozens of “Smile”, “Dent” and “Estetik” clinics across Turkey.

Step 3: search the right name

This is where most people get stuck. Clinics market themselves under a short brand, such as “Precious Dental”. The Ministry lists the legal name, which for us is “Özel Precıous Ağız Ve Diş Sağlığı Polikliniği”. “Özel” means private; “Ağız ve Diş Sağlığı Polikliniği” means oral and dental health clinic.

Search tips that work:

• Type only the distinctive word, such as “Precious”, not the whole name.
• Try it with and without Turkish letters: “Dis” and “Diş”, “Ozel” and “Özel”.
• If the brand finds nothing, look at the bottom of the clinic’s website or on a quote for its legal name, and search that.
• Some groups trade under a brand that is quite different from the registered name. If you cannot connect the two, ask the clinic for a link to its own entry.

Step 4: read the entry

Open the clinic’s page. Our entry shows:

• The legal name and address in Muratpaşa, Antalya.
• The facility type: Private Oral and Dental Health Clinic.
• The authorisation number: ST-4647.
• The year founded: 2022.
• The number of health professionals: 4.
• Declared equipment and featured treatments.

Write down the number and the address. You will use them in the next step.

Step 5: compare with what you were told

Now compare the entry with the clinic’s own details: the address on its website and Google Maps, the address your transfer will take you to, and the company name on any invoice or deposit request. They should match.

A mismatch is not always sinister. Clinics move, open branches and change legal entities. But it is always a question to ask before you pay. A good clinic will answer it in one message.

When the clinic is not on the list

If you have tried the brand, the legal name and part-words and still find nothing, ask the clinic directly: “Please send me the link to your HealthTürkiye entry.” Possible answers:

• A link that works. Fine. Check the details.
• “We are registered under our parent company.” Ask for that entry, and check the address is the place you will be treated.
• “We don’t need it” or no reply. Treat that as a reason to look elsewhere. Every clinic in our register is on the list, because it is our first entry rule.

Agencies and booking websites will not appear on the list at all, because they are not clinics. Ask which clinic will treat you and check that one.

What a listing does and does not prove

A listing proves the Ministry has authorised the clinic to serve international patients. It does not prove that the dentist assigned to you is experienced, that the treatment plan is right, or that the guarantee is any good. GOV.UK is careful to say the UK government does not endorse any provider. That is why our register adds five more checks on top of the licence. See how we rank and what the register does not tell you.

A two-minute version

1. healthturkiye.gov.tr → Health Facility List.
2. City + “Private Oral and Dental Health Clinic”.
3. Search one distinctive word of the name.
4. Note the authorisation number and address.
5. Match them to the clinic’s own details.

Every clinic in our register links straight to its HealthTürkiye entry, so you can skip the search and check the details directly.

Common questions

Do I need to read Turkish to search the list?

No. HealthTürkiye is in English. Clinic legal names are in Turkish, but you only need to type part of the name.

The search finds several entries with the same name. Which is right?

Large groups register each branch separately. Open each and compare the address with the one in your treatment plan or transfer details.

What if the clinic sends me a certificate as a PDF instead?

That is helpful, but still check the public entry. A document can be copied; the Ministry’s page cannot.

Can I check a dentist on the same site?

HealthTürkiye shows the number of health professionals at a clinic. To check an individual dentist, ask for their full name and see our sister site bestdentiststurkey.com.

Sources

1. HealthTürkiye: health facility list
2. GOV.UK: Turkey travel advice, health
3. Precious Dental on HealthTürkiye

Checked October 2026. Where we give our own view as a clinic, we say so.