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Turkey

Turkey
	Capital	Ankara
	Population	71,892,808
	Area	780,580 sq km
	Language	Turkish (official), Kurdish, other languages
	Currency	Turkey, New Lira (TRY)
		1.000000YTL (TRY) = 0.666219$ (USD)

An interesting option for expat living is Turkey, a secular and predominantly Muslim nation situated at the crossroads between Europe and Asia.  Its position makes it politically of great strategic importance. The country is bordered by Greece, Bulgaria, Iran, Syria, Iraq, Azerbidjan, Armenia and Georgia. The successor state to the Ottoman Empire, Turkey began full membership negotiations to join the EU in 2005. Turkey’s human rights record, and its continuing clash with Greece over the island of Cyprus, has delayed Turkey’s full accession into the union.

The country is politically stable and the Turkish people are very friendly and helpful and will go out of their way to assist a visitor. The family unit is of prime importance and respect for their elders is an important aspect of the social make up.

With over 400 lakes and a wild, rocky, but accessible coastline, Turkey has an ancient history and a plethora of Byzantine and Ottoman ruins that make it a fascinating tourist attraction.

It has a range of climatic conditions ranging from the cold, dry interior, to the Mediterranean weather on its southern and western coastal regions where it borders the Mediterranean and Marmara seas…mild wet winters, and warm dry summers, and this is where most expats choose to settle.

Health and Senior Living
Visas are a bit of a bureaucratic nightmare. Tourist visas last for three months but after that residence should be applied for. Residence permits are valid for a maximum of five years and can be renewed up to four times. They are issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Residence permits are easier to apply for if you already have a work permit. Work permits have to be applied for by a Turkish company who wants to employ a non resident foreigner and this has to be done before they take up the employments.
There is no specific retirement visa programme; you need to apply for a normal residence visa, but you will have to provide paperwork to show that your pension provides sufficient income to support you.  Turkey also levies taxes on worldwide income so you will need to beware of the implications of this.

Many people moving to Turkey go on a tourist visa to start with then go to the local police station to apply for a residence visa; many will just do a visa run to one of the Greek islands at the end of three months and renew the tourist visa that way. A hefty fine is the penalty for overstaying your tourist visa and this is not to be recommended.

The standards of Healthcare are generally good and the big cities like Ankara and Istanbul have first rate clinics and hospitals. Indeed Turkey is now a popular ‘medical tourism’ destination. It is advisable however, to have private medical insurance, and to always carry a six month supply of medicines if you are taking any regular treatment as these cannot always be purchased in the local pharmacies.

Buying property
Property even in the more desirable Mediterranean resorts is affordable and with the increased interest in the country as a retirement destination, it is likely that buying a house here will turn into a good investment. Once it attracts other foreigners the prices will start to rise.

If a Turkish citizen is permitted to buy property in your home country, you will be able to purchase property in Turkey; however you cannot purchase property within village boundaries or within designated military zones.  It is also possible to buy plots of land on which to build your own home.

Long term rentals are available and it is probably wise to try this first before committing to buying; the dream of owning a little, old stone farmhouse off the beaten track is not always a practical way to live.

Infrastructure and Safety
The transportation system is adequate, the cities have too much traffic and the roads in the rural areas are not great and so care should be taken. Most local people travel on buses or Dolmus which are collective taxis with specific pick up and drop off points.

Crime is an issue in Turkey; in addition to the usual petty thievery common in any big city, Westerners are sometimes targeted.  It is advisable not to drive at night and always to try and stay on the main highways. Women should be particularly careful about travelling round the country alone.

Telephone and internet connections are good all over the country though as yet WIFI is not very far reaching.  As everywhere, mobile phones are the communications system of choice. Local and satellite television is available in all urban areas.

The very low cost of living is a further attraction; local food products are incredibly cheap and you can shop at the weekly markets to bring the prices down Even luxury goods like cigarettes and alcohol are much cheaper, particularly if you buy the local brands. This goes for electrical goods also. 

Eating out is quite often cheaper than cooking yourself, apart from in the very touristy areas,  when prices will be inflated. Electricity is expensive and petrol about the same prices as Europe but water is cheaper.
 
Turkey is a popular tourist destination because of the mild climate, cheaper food costs and good beaches and coastline and this is reflected in the number or cheap flights across Europe to the main cities in Turkey.  However, once Turkey does become a full member of the EU, the prices will inevitably rise quite steeply.