Patients from Saudi Arabia: urological surgery in Istanbul
Many patients from Saudi Arabia come for a second opinion or for one specific procedure. This page covers the practical side.
About 4–5 hours on a direct flight, depending on your departure city
Direct flights to Istanbul run year-round from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, with more options in the summer season. Please confirm your flight with the airline.
The medical consultation is held in Arabic, with an interpreter arranged ahead of the appointment. The international patient coordinator works in English.
Payment can be made by card or by transfer. Tell your bank you are travelling so the transaction is not declined automatically — that is a common cause of delay on the day of admission.
Visa
Visa rules vary with the type of passport and are updated from time to time. Because wrong information could leave you stranded at the airport, we do not state the rule here; check your own position with the official source.
A second opinion before a surgical decision
Many patients arrive already holding a proposed treatment plan and want a second opinion before agreeing to it. That is a legitimate and common request. For a second opinion to be worth anything it has to rest on the same data: on the CT or MRI images and the pathology report, not on a verbal summary. Send the images in their original format before the appointment.
Privacy and accommodation arrangements
Private rooms and arrangements that respect family privacy are available, and accommodation for a companion can be organised. If you have preferences about the gender of the staff carrying out particular examinations, say so when booking rather than on the day — arranging it in advance is far easier.
What if surgery turns out not to be necessary?
Sometimes the assessment concludes that surveillance suits you better than intervention — with a borderline raised PSA, for instance, or a varicocele that is not affecting the sperm values. We say so plainly. Your trip is not wasted in that case; leaving with a data-based decision that surgery is not needed now is itself a result.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a visa?
Rules differ with the type of passport and do change, so we do not state them here. Check the official source before booking.
Can the consultation be held remotely first?
Yes, and that is the usual route for a second opinion. Your images and reports are reviewed, and only then is it decided whether travelling is necessary at all.
Is insurance cover accepted?
Most cases are settled directly, and the patient is then given a file of invoices and reports to claim from their insurer. Check the overseas-treatment terms of your policy before you travel.
Let us review your file
If you have test results, imaging or a pathology report, share them in advance and avoid having investigations repeated unnecessarily.
Back to the international patients page: ME Urology Clinic