Ambulance Licensing in Turkey: Service Certificate and Qualification Process
Ambulance licensing requirements in Turkey: service certificate, vehicle qualification certificate, TSE inspection and minimum fleet by province (2025).
- Medical review
- Nova Ambulans Sağlık Kurulu (Medical Board)Prepared with input from the Medical Board. AI-assisted draft.
- Published
- Reading time
- 4 min
Key takeaways
- An ambulance service must obtain a service certificate before operating and a qualification certificate for each vehicle (Articles 10–12).
- Istanbul (İ1 group province) requires a minimum of 5 ambulances to open a service (Article 10).
- All vehicles must pass TSE inspection and receive a Provincial Health Directorate qualification certificate (Article 9).
In this article (6 sections)
Operating a private ambulance service in Turkey requires passing through a structured licensing process defined by the 2025 Ambulance Regulation. Two key documents govern legal operation: the ambulance service certificate (ambulans servisi uygunluk belgesi) and, for each vehicle, the qualification certificate (yeterlilik belgesi). 1
Ambulance Service Certificate (Article 10–12)
Before any ambulance is deployed, the service operator must apply to the Provincial Health Directorate with a complete documentation package (Annex 9). A three-person inspection team — including at least one health professional — conducts an on-site review against the physical requirements in Annex 14.
Minimum fleet size varies by province group. The regulation does not define the province groups itself; it classifies provinces according to the İ1–İ9 grouping set out in Annex-1 of the Ministry of Health's Provincial Organisation Administrative and Service Units Staff Standards Regulation (Official Gazette of 4/1/2012, No. 28163). Article 10(2) then sets the minimum number of ground ambulances per group: 1
| Province Group | Minimum Ground Ambulances |
|---|---|
| İ1 | 5 (at least one an Emergency Ambulance) |
| İ2 and İ3 | 4 |
| İ4 and İ5 | 3 |
| İ6, İ7, İ8, İ9 | 2 |
Which province falls into which group (for example, Istanbul being İ1, or Ankara and İzmir being İ2) is determined in the referenced Staff Standards Regulation Annex-1, not in the ambulance regulation itself. The highest minimum is 5 ambulances, required for İ1-group provinces such as Istanbul, where at least one vehicle must be an Emergency Ambulance. 1
Once approved, the service certificate is issued. Within 30 days, vehicle qualification certificates must be obtained for each ambulance; otherwise the service certificate is revoked.
Vehicle Qualification Certificate (Article 9)
Each ambulance must:
- Pass a TSE (Turkish Standards Institute) inspection confirming compliance with the relevant standards. The underlying standard, TS EN 1789 for medical vehicles and their equipment, is published by TSE and covers vehicle dimensions, equipment layout, ventilation, and safety fittings. 4
- Receive a qualification certificate from the Provincial Health Directorate following an Annex 2 and Annex 4 review. Article 9(1)(b) of the regulation states: "Following the review and evaluation conducted by the Directorate in the province where the service will be provided...the qualification certificate in Annex-6 is issued by the Directorate." 3
- The June 2025 amendment, Article 7(4), requires "trainings determined by the Ministry" for all health personnel before they may operate on the certified vehicle. 2
Responsible Manager and Personnel Documents
Every licensed service must designate a responsible manager (mesul müdür) — a physician, paramedic (AABT/acil tıp teknikeri), or EMT (ATT/acil tıp teknisyeni) — who holds a responsible manager certificate. Article 12(4) sets out the certificate-issuance procedure: applicants approved by the Directorate are issued the ambulance service compliance certificate (Annex-5), the responsible manager certificate (Annex-7) and, for each other employee, a personnel work permit (Annex-8); a qualification certificate (Annex-6) must then be obtained for each ambulance within 30 days. 3 The responsible manager's role as the Directorate's point of contact for the service's establishment, operation and audit processes is instead defined under Article 14 (duties and responsibilities). 1 All staff who work in or alongside ambulances receive individual personnel work permits from the Directorate. The Emergency Medicine Association of Turkey (TATD) in turn anchors the post-licence training pipeline on "supporting the training and development" of pre-hospital professionals. 6
Operationally, the service's vehicles, personnel and case records are tracked through the Emergency Health Automation System (ASOS), the Ministry of Health's nationwide registration system administered by the Directorate General for Emergency Health and Disaster Services. 5
Nova Ambulans
Nova Ambulans holds an ambulance service certificate, vehicle qualification certificates for each ambulance in our fleet, and a responsible manager certificate — all issued by the Istanbul Provincial Health Directorate. Our fleet consists of 7 Emergency Ambulances (Acil Yardım Ambulansı; ALS, ICU-equipped), and we have provided ambulance services since 2010. Doctor accompaniment is available on request. According to ASOS records for the week of 19.10.2026, Nova Ambulans has 80+ registered field personnel, including 63+ registered health personnel (paramedic/ATT/AABT) and 20+ registered drivers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often do ambulance qualification certificates need to be renewed?
The regulation does not specify a fixed renewal cycle but requires continuous compliance. Qualification certificates may be revoked following failed audits or non-compliance findings.
Can a company without a health service mandate open an ambulance service?
No. Article 10 specifies that only public institutions and private legal entities whose business activities include health service provision may open ambulance services.
What is the minimum number of ambulances required in Istanbul?
Istanbul is classified as an İ1-group province in Annex-1 of the Staff Standards Regulation, and Article 10(2) of the ambulance regulation requires İ1-group provinces to keep at least 5 ground ambulances, with at least one classified as an Emergency Ambulance. 1
Sources
Numbers in the text refer to the sources below.
- Ambulances and Emergency Health Vehicles Regulation (OG-8/1/2025-32776) (opens in a new tab)Republic of Turkey Ministry of Health
- Amendment to the Ambulance Services Regulation (OG-24/6/2025-32936) (opens in a new tab)Official Gazette of Türkiye
- Ambulance Services Regulation — Article 9(1)(b) Qualification Certificate and Article 12(4) Service Compliance Certificate (Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi) (opens in a new tab)Republic of Türkiye Legislation Information System
- TS EN 1789 — Medical vehicles and their equipment, road ambulances (opens in a new tab)Turkish Standards Institute (TSE)
- Emergency Health Automation System (ASOS) Project — Service and Vehicle Registration Module (opens in a new tab)Ministry of Health, Directorate General for Emergency Health and Disaster Services
- Pre-Hospital Health Services — Quality and Training Framework (opens in a new tab)Emergency Medicine Association of Turkey (TATD)
Nova Ambulans Sağlık Kurulu (Medical Board)
Periodically reviewed by our editorial board of emergency physicians, paramedics and clinical coordinators.
This content is informational only and does not replace professional medical evaluation. In emergencies, call 112 or +90 216 339 00 39.
