Long-established British community in Fethiye, Bodrum and Antalya. Visa-free entry, accessible retirement and lower cost of living than the UK.
Key facts
Visa-free entry
90 days within any 180-day window
Largest community
Fethiye, Bodrum, Antalya
Banking access
Straightforward with residence permit
CBI route
Open · USD 400K property
Türkiye has hosted a UK retiree and lifestyle-mover community for decades — the largest concentrations are along the Fethiye-Hisarönü-Ölüdeniz coast (often called "British Türkiye"), the Bodrum peninsula and the Antalya region. The drivers are the same in 2026 as they have been: lower cost of living than the UK, mild Mediterranean climate, accessible private healthcare, and a culturally easy expat community to plug into.
British citizens get visa-free entry for stays up to 90 days within any 180-day rolling period. Long-term residence requires a Turkish residence permit, typically applied for in-country. The short-term residence permit is the most-used route, with renewals available.
Post-Brexit changes have made Türkiye relatively more attractive for Britons compared to EU options — no Schengen 90/180 cap, predictable property purchase rules, and a residence permit pathway that doesn't require EU-level paperwork.
Visa-free · 90/180 days
British passport holders can enter Türkiye without a visa for up to 90 days within any 180-day rolling period.
British heart in Fethiye
The Fethiye-Çalış-Hisarönü-Ölüdeniz coastal belt has Türkiye's largest concentration of UK retirees, with English-speaking estate agents, doctors and services.
Healthcare is private + affordable
Most British retirees use private Turkish hospitals (Acıbadem, Memorial, Liv) which provide modern care at a fraction of UK private prices.
No EU 90/180 constraint
Türkiye sits outside Schengen, so post-Brexit Britons aren't competing for limited EU residency days — relevant for those splitting time across countries.
The procedure
How Britons actually move to Türkiye
Since Brexit, British nationals are treated as third-country nationals with no EU-derived rights in Türkiye, and UK health cards are not valid here — cover must be arranged privately or through SGK. British applicants are also the most likely to be asked for an apostilled police-record document, so obtain it before leaving. The Fethiye, Bodrum and Antalya areas hold the largest established British communities, which affects how familiar local counters are with UK paperwork.
01
Confirm your entry status before you book anything
Before you leave
Whether your passport needs a visa, and how long you may stay before a residence permit is required, is set per nationality and changes without much notice. Your permitted stay is the clock your whole permit timeline runs against.
For Britons
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs exempts British ordinary passport holders travelling for touristic purposes from a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Diplomatic and official passports still require one. Nothing about that exemption creates a right to stay longer — it is the runway before the permit application, not an alternative to it.
Documents issued abroad generally need an apostille from the issuing country and a sworn Turkish translation before a Turkish authority will accept them, and they are far harder to obtain once you have left. See the residence-permit document checklist.
03
Get a Turkish tax number
First week
A tax number (vergi numarası) unlocks almost everything else — a bank account, a lease in your name, utilities and the permit application itself — and is available to foreigners before any permit exists. See the e-Devlet guide.
Arrange health cover that the directorate will accept
First week
Health insurance is a condition of the residence permit, not an optional extra, and whether cover from your home country counts for anything here depends on the agreement between the two states. See the permit-compliant insurance guide.
For Britons
Türkiye and the UK have a social-security agreement, but it is not among the agreements that carry healthcare cover — and a UK health card is not valid here. British applicants therefore arrive with no transferable entitlement and must buy a permit-compliant private policy or join SGK.
The application is made online through e-ikamet, which also issues the appointment. The fee has two parts — a universal document fee and a permit fee set per nationality under the reciprocity principle. See the short-term permit walkthrough.
Address registration ties your permit to a real residence and is what makes it usable. It is normally completed once you have a lease or title in your name. See the arrival checklist.
Banks ask for a tax number and usually proof of address. Beyond that, willingness to onboard a foreigner varies by nationality and by branch more than by any published rule. See the bank-account guide.
For Britons
British customers are among the most routinely onboarded foreign nationalities, particularly at branches in Fethiye, Bodrum and Antalya where the established British community means counter staff already know the paperwork. Expect the tax number and proof of address to be the binding constraint rather than nationality.
08
Understand when you become a Turkish tax resident
Ongoing
Spending more than 183 days in Türkiye in a calendar year generally makes you a Turkish tax resident, which changes what Türkiye may tax. What your home country does about that is governed by the treaty between the two states. See the 183-day rule explained.
For Britons
The UK–Türkiye double-taxation treaty governs what happens once you cross the 183-day line, and UK-source pension income is the case that most often surprises people: which state may tax it depends on whether it is a state or occupational pension.
What do Britons need to know before moving to Türkiye?
Bring apostilled copies of birth certificate, marriage certificate, ACRO police certificate and pension statements if applying as a retiree.
Property purchases by Britons remain straightforward — no nationality restrictions in most areas. The CBI USD 400K route is open to UK buyers.
Healthcare: most newly-arrived Britons buy private Turkish health insurance (~$80–250/month per adult depending on age). The public SGK system is accessible after a residence permit + relevant qualifying period.
Banking: opening a Turkish bank account as a Briton is straightforward with a residence permit (or a tax number + address proof), unlike for some other nationalities.
Driving: UK driving licences are accepted for the first 6 months; after that, exchange or local Turkish licence is required.
Do Britons need a visa for Türkiye?
Visa-free for 90 days within any 180-day rolling period. Longer stays require a Turkish residence permit, applied for in-country. UK passports are typically in the Bracket-A nationality range for permit fees in our calculator.
How are Britons taxed when moving to Türkiye?
Türkiye and the UK have a double tax treaty. UK pensions, property income and Turkish-source income are all addressed by the treaty. Tax residency is determined by Turkish rules (183-day test plus permanent home / vital interests test) — get personal advice before relocating long-term.
How big is the British community in Türkiye?
An estimated 25,000–35,000 UK citizens are long-term residents of Türkiye, with the largest concentrations in Fethiye/Çalış (heaviest), Bodrum, Antalya and the Side/Kemer belt.
Official sources
Every immigration, tax and social-security claim on this page traces to one of the authorities below. Where a rule depends on your specific nationality — above all whether you need a visa — check the authority directly rather than any guide, including this one.