Turkey has introduced a new, comprehensive regulation governing healthcare advertising, patient information, and digital content practices. Published in the Official Gazette on 12 November 2025, the regulation sets strict standards for how healthcare providers, international health tourism institutions, and medical professionals may communicate with the public.
Whether you are a healthcare facility, international patient coordinator, marketing agency, physician, or medical tourism intermediary, understanding these rules is now essential for legal compliance, patient safety, and ethical communication.
This guide breaks down the most important points—clearly, practically, and with real examples.
According to the regulation’s introduction, its main goal is to:
Define ethical and legal principles for healthcare advertising.
Prevent misleading, manipulative, or competitive commercial behavior.
Protect patients’ privacy and ensure respect for medical ethics.
Regulate digital content, social media usage, and international patient marketing.
At its core, the law aims to ensure that healthcare communication is informative—not promotional.
The regulation clearly distinguishes allowed informational content from prohibited advertising.
Healthcare providers may share:
Address and contact details
Working hours
Medical specialties offered
Staff academic titles
Health-protective and health-promoting educational content
The following are strictly forbidden:
Promotional claims
Price announcements, discounts, campaigns
Comparisons with other institutions
Patient testimonials used as marketing
Content directing patients toward a specific doctor or facility
Highlighting superiority of devices, equipment, or “exclusive techniques”
The regulation states that general ethics, medical deontology, and professional integrity must guide all content. Prohibited behaviors include:
Misleading or deceiving statements
Unproven or clinically unverified treatment claims
Using stories, images, or wording that create fear or panic
Sharing content that takes advantage of a patient’s lack of medical knowledge
Written and explicit consent is mandatory.
Consent may be withdrawn at any time.
Images cannot be altered, edited, filtered, or retouched.
“Before–after” photos must be taken under identical conditions (light, angle, environment).
Sharing images of medical procedures during surgery is forbidden.
Content must be free from misleading makeup or enhancements.
Visual posts must have comments, likes, and user engagement switched off to prevent promotional misuse.
Nudity or sensitive body areas
Images unrelated to the procedure
Paid promotions or sponsored visibility
Patient gratitude images used for promotions
Any surgical or interventional procedure images
For the first time, the regulation makes separate rules for international health tourism:
Foreign-language websites and social media accounts
Sponsored content only outside Turkey
Sharing patient journeys, testimonials, and stories with documented consent
Mentioning discounts or campaigns (only for foreign audiences)
Using the official HealthTürkiye logo in all international tourism communications
Targeting people living in Turkey
Using Turkish-language sponsored content
Promoting procedures illegal or unapproved in Turkey
Creating content that imitates a healthcare facility if you are an intermediary
All communication must follow:
Turkey’s Personal Data Protection Law (KVKK)
Regulations on handling personal health data
The Patient Rights Regulation
This includes:
Protecting sensitive data
Limiting access to authorized personnel
Ensuring secure storage and deletion upon request
Respecting confidentiality at all times
The regulation states that physicians appearing on television must sign the Taahhütname (Declaration Form) before speaking.
The example form includes commitments such as:
Adhering to ethical principles
Avoiding misleading claims
Not directing patients toward specific institutions
Staying within their medical specialty
Avoiding panic-inducing or deceptive statements
This form is kept for 5 years by the media institution and must be provided to the Ministry upon request.
The regulation includes a detailed Administrative Penalty Table
Penalties include:
Fines up to 100,000 TRY or more
Temporary suspension of the institution’s policies
Suspension of activities (1–15 days)
Referral to the Public Prosecutor for criminal investigation
Reporting to KVKK, RTÜK, or Trade Ministry
Blocking online access to harmful digital content
Repeat violations result in heavier penalties, including shutting down services.
✔ Update all websites and social media pages
✔ Remove prohibited “before–after,” testimonial, or promotional posts
✔ Implement internal KVKK protocols
✔ Create separate international-marketing pages
✔ Store and archive all consent forms properly
✔ Educate staff, marketers, and international coordinators
✔ Add required disclaimers on surgical or interventional content
✔ Turn off comments and engagement for any patient-related visuals
This new regulation completely reshapes how healthcare information is presented in Turkey. Instead of competitive marketing and aggressive advertising, the framework demands:
Transparency
Ethical communication
Respect for patient rights
Accurate medical guidance
Strict control of visuals and digital content
For healthcare institutions and medical tourism providers, compliance is no longer optional—it’s a core operational requirement that protects both patients and service providers.