Regulation on Wellness Services Has Been Published.
- 23 hours ago
- 4 min read
Wellness concepts at the intersection of health and tourism have become a rapidly growing commercial market in our country. This rapid growth has brought about the need to determine service standards and draw a clear legal framework. The legal infrastructure regarding the sector has officially entered into force with the Regulation on Wellness Services (‘the Regulation’), prepared by the Ministry of Health and published in the Official Gazette dated July 4, 2026. The Regulation regulates the principles regarding the opening of wellness centers that promote healthy living, the physical and technical conditions that these centers must bear, personnel standards, and inspection procedures.
The Regulation covers all wellness centers opened under the ownership of public institutions, private law legal entities, and natural persons. The most striking issue for companies and health professionals is that the concept of wellness service includes only services offered to promote healthy living, without bearing therapeutic intent. The Regulation strictly separates wellness services from medical diagnosis and clinical treatment processes as well as physician services, and focuses these services solely on improving the physical, mental, and social well-being of individuals. Therefore, any disease treatment or medical intervention remains completely outside this scope.
Balneotherapy, thalassotherapy, peloidotherapy (mud therapy), sun therapy, individualized nutrition services, exercise and physical activity programs are among the wellness services that gain legal ground by being explicitly listed in the Regulation. In addition, physiotherapy, ergotherapy, language and speech therapy, podology services, Traditional and Complementary Medicine Practices (GETAT), hydrotherapy, hyperbaric/hypobaric oxygen applications, salt therapy (halotherapy), sauna, sleep health, psychological support, art therapies, and nature-based therapies can also be offered within this scope.
The greatest operational innovation brought for investors is the flexibility in facility establishment models. According to the Regulation, wellness centers with an indoor area of at least 500 square meters and wellness units with an indoor area of at least 300 square meters may be opened in independent detached buildings. Along with this, accommodation facilities with at least 10 rooms, sports clubs, elderly care centers, and care centers for persons with disabilities have also gained the right to establish these units within their own structures. This legal flexibility creates significant potential for the integration of the tourism sector into health tourism.
When examining the basic procedures in the licensing process, obtaining prior permission from the Ministry of Youth and Sports for centers to be opened within sports clubs, and from the Ministry of Family and Social Services for facilities to be opened within elderly and disability care centers is made mandatory. Applicants shall submit license applications, along with the required physical documents, to the Provincial Directorate of Health. Following the file examination, expert inspection teams shall carry out an on-site physical inspection, and a license certificate shall be issued to the facilities deemed appropriate. An enterprise that receives a license certificate must actually commence operations within six months at the latest from the date of the certificate. The administration shall cancel the licenses of facilities that do not transition to active service within this period.
The rules that must be complied with and are subject to sanctions in the daily commercial operations of wellness centers are also kept quite strict. It is of great importance for operators to comply with the following conditions so as not to face administrative fines or license cancellations:
All administrative, technical, and wellness services offered in the centers shall be conducted under the responsibility of a single responsible manager.
It is a legal obligation that the person to be appointed as the responsible manager must be a full-time physician who is legally authorized to practice the medical profession in Türkiye, is a Turkish citizen, and has practiced medicine for at least three years.
In the event that centers and units request to employ a specialist physician, the Regulation imposes a specific employment restriction stating that the relevant physician must be 60 years of age or older.
Every wellness facility must have an emergency response room equipped in accordance with the legislation. In addition, in order to perform patient referrals in emergencies, enterprises must sign a prior official referral cooperation protocol with a private, public, or university hospital, or a medical center that is at least 3000 square meters in size and hosts 10 specialist physicians within its structure. The Regulation explicitly prohibits any commercial product sales within the boundaries of the facility. Furthermore, patients in the convalescence period are prevented from receiving wellness services from these centers.
All personal and health data belonging to users receiving services must be processed in full compliance with the legislation of the Law on the Protection of Personal Data No. 6698 and digitally integrated into the centralized health records system mandated by the Ministry of Health. Finally, obtaining a Personnel Work Certificate approved by the Provincial Directorate of Health is mandatory for all personnel to work at the facility. In addition, it is mandatory for all employees to visibly wear their photo identification cards, which contain a QR code and are compatible with the Ministry of Health system, during working hours.
The Regulation provides for extremely severe sanctions for enterprises that act contrary to its provisions. During inspections to be carried out periodically or upon complaint, in the event that situations that adversely affect individuals receiving services or endanger public health or individual safety are detected, the Governor's Office shall suspend the commercial activity of the enterprise by its decision until the deficiencies are remedied. In cases where false or forged documents are submitted to official inspection units, documents are concealed, or misleading statements are made, the license of the center or unit shall be directly cancelled, and criminal proceedings shall be initiated against the relevant company executives within the scope of the Turkish Penal Code. Furthermore, operating without a license is a ground for a permanent ban from activity.
The Regulation on Wellness Services has placed the health tourism and wellness sector on an auditable and secure legal ground in our country. Within the framework of this regulation, it is a critical necessity for companies to fully adapt their licensing, contract management, KVKK compliance, and employment policies to the legislation in order to sustain their commercial existence.
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