Nephrology and Kidney Care in Turkey
What international patients can arrange for kidney disease in Turkey: dialysis while travelling, chronic kidney disease (CKD) planning, kidney stone treatment, diagnostics and assessment for a living-donor kidney transplant.
Information only. Treatment is provided by independent, Ministry of Health–licensed hospitals.
Quick answer
Kidney care for international patients in Turkey covers haemodialysis for patients who are travelling, CKD staging and treatment planning, kidney stone treatment, renal diagnostics and assessment for a living-donor kidney transplant. A living donor must be the recipient's spouse of at least two years or a relative up to the fourth degree.
- Dialysis
- Haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis support
- CKD
- Staging, consultations, treatment planning
- Transplant
- Living donor only, assessed case by case
- Living donor
- Spouse (2+ years) or relative to 4th degree
- Other donors
- Ethics-commission approval
- Where
- Ministry of Health–licensed hospitals
Nephrology services we arrange
- Living-donor kidney transplant assessment (see the legal rules below and our kidney transplant guide).
- Haemodialysis sessions for patients visiting Turkey, including holiday dialysis, at licensed centres in Istanbul. See dialysis treatments in Turkey.
- CKD management: staging, specialist consultations and treatment planning. See chronic kidney disease management.
- Peritoneal dialysis: training and supplies for patients moving to home dialysis.
- Kidney stone treatment: ESWL, ureteroscopy and PCNL for complex stones.
- Renal diagnostics: 24-hour urine, kidney biopsy, renal ultrasound, GFR assessment and a full renal panel.
Kidney transplant: living-donor rules
The legal framework in one paragraph
Under Turkish Law No. 2238 (1979) and the Organ Transplantation Services Regulation (Official Gazette, 9 Dec 2022), a living donor must be the recipient's spouse of at least two years or a relative up to the fourth degree (Regulation Art. 12(2)); all other living-donor cases require approval by a provincial ethics commission (Art. 12(4)), and buying or selling organs is prohibited (Law Art. 3) and punishable under the Turkish Penal Code (Law Art. 15).
Nexwell does not find, supply or pay donors.
Kidney transplant assessment for international patients is built around a living donor. Deceased-donor kidneys are not available to foreign patients. Once the records are complete and the donor is confirmed as suitable, the centre usually completes the preparations within about a week and the operation goes ahead on a planned date; where ethics-commission approval is required, surgery is not scheduled before approval. For the process, documents and aftercare, read kidney transplant in Turkey and the guide to organ transplants in Turkey.
Your nephrology journey
STEP 1
Medical review. Send blood results, GFR and kidney function reports. A nephrologist reviews them.
STEP 2
Treatment plan. The specialist recommends a transplant assessment, dialysis or a conservative pathway.
STEP 3
Travel and assessment. You travel for assessment at the treating hospital. For a transplant, donor and recipient travel together and the transplant centre sets the timing.
STEP 4
Treatment. Dialysis sessions, in-patient management or, where approved, transplant surgery at a licensed hospital.
STEP 5
Recovery and monitoring. After a transplant, anti-rejection medicine and close monitoring continue under the transplant team, with dietitian support.
STEP 6
Long-term follow-up. Follow-up is handed over to your home nephrologist with a written plan.
Nephrology and kidney care in Turkey: common questions
Can medical tourists get dialysis in Turkey?
Yes. We arrange haemodialysis sessions at licensed nephrology centres in Istanbul for patients visiting Turkey for treatment or holiday dialysis. Bring your dialysis passport and recent blood results so the centre can prepare your sessions before you arrive.
What is the waiting time for a kidney transplant in Turkey?
Once the records are complete and the donor is confirmed as suitable, the centre usually completes the pre-transplant preparations within about a week and the operation goes ahead on a planned date. Where ethics-commission approval is required, surgery is not scheduled before approval. Deceased-donor kidneys are not available to international patients, so plans are built around a living donor.
Is anti-rejection medicine available after a transplant?
Yes. The transplant centre provides a medication plan and prescriptions for continuation at home, and hands follow-up to your home nephrologist. Never stop or change anti-rejection medicine without advice from your transplant team.
Send your kidney records for a specialist review
Share your latest kidney function results, diagnosis and medicines. A nephrologist reviews them and tells you which option fits and what else is needed. This is a medical review, not an offer of organs or donors. Nexwell does not find, supply or pay donors.
Related guides
Kidney transplant in Turkey
Living-donor rules, work-up and aftercare.
Read the guide →Organ transplants in Turkey
The legal framework for every transplant type.
Read the guide →Dialysis treatments in Turkey
Haemodialysis for patients who are travelling.
Read the guide →Chronic kidney disease management
Slowing progression and planning ahead.
Read the guide →Sources
- Law No. 2238 on the Removal, Storage, Grafting and Transplantation of Organs and Tissues (mevzuat.gov.tr)
- Organ Transplantation Services Regulation, Official Gazette of 9 December 2022 (resmigazete.gov.tr)
For information only, not medical advice and not an offer of treatment, organs or donors. Eligibility for any transplant is decided by the transplant centre and, where the law requires it, by an ethics commission. See our editorial policy and medical disclaimer. Nexwell Clinics is a medical tourism company (Nexwell Global Solutions FZCO, Dubai); treatment is provided by independent, Ministry of Health–licensed hospitals and clinicians. Last updated 24 October 2026.