Insurance and Private Pension Regulation and Supervision Agency of Türkiye implements new private health insurance regime with mandatory lifetime renewal offer for insured persons under 60

The Insurance and Private Pension Regulation and Supervision Agency of Türkiye has introduced a new private health insurance regime, effective from 1 January 2026, that strengthens policyholder protections. Insurers must offer all insured persons under 60 a contract that includes a lifetime renewal guarantee commitment. Waiting periods may now be applied only on the first policy and only within the upper limits set by regulation, while acquired rights are preserved when policyholders change plans within the same insurer or switch to another insurer. Policyholders who choose a contract with a lifetime renewal guarantee commitment can obtain that guarantee after three years of uninterrupted coverage if their total claims to total premium ratio over that period stays below 80 percent. Insurers may ease these conditions in favour of policyholders but cannot make them stricter. The Agency has also published an information guide on the new regime and refers readers to the Private Health Insurance Regulation and the Circular on the Implementation Principles of that regulation for further detail.