What does emigrating to Turkey cost?
Answer four questions and you have an honest range for your situation. For every item it says whether it's a checked rate or an estimate. Turkey is affordable, with an annual rhythm: the permit and the healthcare come back with every renewal. The move goes by road. The car is deliberately not among the items, because it doesn't come along.
Looking for the whole route to Turkey, not just the costs? See the steps, the order and the paperwork →
A rough indication for your situation
A few short questions, and you get a range instead of an amount. That's deliberate: an exact figure would suggest a precision nobody has.
Count on a total of
€ 2.800 – € 7.000
Where does that difference come from?
- The first months€ 2.000 – € 5.000
Below you'll find per item where the upper and the lower limit come from.
- Aanvraag en papieren
- € 750 – € 1.700
- De verhuizing
- € 80 – € 350
- De eerste maanden
- € 2.000 – € 5.000
Every item, one by onePer item the amount, the source and whether it's a rate or an estimate
Aanvraag en papieren
- Residence permit (harç and card fee)€ 550 – € 850
- Apostilles, sworn translations and the noter(estimate)€ 100 – € 350
The cost depends on the number of documents: tens to well over a hundred euros each, which adds up for a family. Dutch certificates receive an apostille, the international stamp that confirms a document is genuine, at the court. In Turkey they then get a sworn translation, certified by the noter (the Turkish notary). The notarised rental contract and any power of attorney also go through the noter.
- Health insurance for the application(estimate)€ 100 – € 450
The ikamet, your Turkish residence permit, requires health insurance covering the whole permit period. A basic policy that meets the minimum requirements costs roughly € 100 to € 300 per person per year. Wider cover or a higher age quickly makes it a multiple of that. Under 18 and over 65 Göç İdaresi, the Turkish immigration service, doesn't require insurance for the ikamet. Pensioners with a Dutch statutory pension switch after arrival to the CAK treaty route: care in Turkey under the treaty, arranged through the CAK. In that case this policy is only the bridging cover.
De verhuizing
- Travel(estimate)€ 80 – € 350
You fly one way from Amsterdam to Antalya or Istanbul. That takes three and a half to four hours, with plenty of choice and low fares outside the high season. Driving is also possible, in three to four days. Whether your car can come along is explained under the car item.
De eerste maanden
- The first months(estimate)€ 2.000 – € 5.000
In the first months you pay a deposit (usually one to two months), rent in advance, temporary furnished accommodation and furnishing the home. Coastal rents are low by Dutch standards: a flat in Alanya or around Antalya costs the equivalent of roughly € 400 to 900 per month. Istanbul sits clearly above that. But rents are indexed steeply every year, so budget in euros and with a margin.
And if you buy a house?
This calculation assumes renting: the first months include deposit and rent in advance.
If you buy, count on 5 to 7% of the purchase price on top of this amount. On a home of € 250,000 that's € 12.500 to € 17.500.
Together the buying costs come to 5 to 7%. The transfer tax (tapu harcı) is 4%. By law, buyer and seller split it half and half, but in practice the buyer often pays all of it. On top come the land registry administration fees, the compulsory valuation report, the sworn interpreter at the transfer and the currency exchange certificate: proof that you exchanged the money through a bank. Unlike in Spain, the transfer runs through the land registry, not through a notary.
An order of magnitude based on averages, not a quote. The real amounts depend on your occupation, your route, the season and dozens of choices you still have to make.
Rates checked on 31 August 2026.
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The whole journey in the right order, with your documents, your costs and all your cancellation letters. € 399 one-off, no subscription.
Also want to know whether your departure date is feasible, and where you start? Take the departure scan for Turkey →
One thing you can sort out today
Closing down the Netherlands is the same work for everyone, wherever you're going. With the letter pack you enter your details once, and every cancellation and notification letter is ready: health insurance, rent, employer, bank, pension fund. Each comes with the date by which it has to go out. € 49 one-off, and it's also included in every plan.
In Vertrekklaar you get the complete picture of your own costs, with your route, your documents and your deadlines.
From range to your own budget
The calculator above works with four questions, but the journey itself knows more. In Vertrekklaar the same model calculates with your real situation: who's coming, and whether the household contents and the pet come along. It also watches the clocks: the ninety visa-free days, the titre test with its months of lead time, the driving licence within six months and the renewal before every end date. A one-off € 399, no subscription.
Leaving with AOW or a pension? Compare how countries tax your pension
Every step on one list, free
Not ready to start yet? Then you get the departure checklist for Turkey: every step in order, to print and tick off. With it, five mails in a week and a half about the pitfalls and the real costs. If the rules for Turkey change, you'll hear about it. After that we ask once where your plans stand, send one offer, and now and then one thing that fits your moment. No newsletter, and you can switch it off at any time.
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