For an elderly person, the most unexpected obstacle to obtaining a residence permit turns out to be not real estate or funds, but medical insurance, which is simply not issued by standard template at their age. Semyon Mikhailovich, a 73-year-old professor, and his 71-year-old wife purchased an apartment in Alanya, but the immigration service rejected the standard online insurance due to their age. We explain step-by-step how we arranged an individual policy and secured the residence permit for both.
Case at a glance
Situation, solution and outcome in seven lines
Client
Semen, from Saint Petersburg
Clients
Semyon Mikhailovich (73) and his wife (71)
Objective
Turkish Residence Permit through Real Estate Investment (apartment in Alanya)
Property
Apartment approximately $220,000
Program
Turkey, Residence Permit through Real Estate Investment (İkamet, short-term residence permit valid for 2 years)
Challenge
Immigration service rejected standard online insurance for applicants 70+
Solution
Individual underwriting and customized policy aligned with regulatory requirements
Outcome
Residence Permit issued to both spouses
Client story
Client Story
Where they started
Semyon Mikhailovich, a professor, decided together with his wife to relocate to warm Alanya in their later years. They handled the main part easily: they purchased a quality apartment, and the real estate provided the basis for a residence permit. It seemed a mere formality remained—obtaining mandatory health insurance, which is required from almost everyone for a residence permit.
Why the standard route did not work
But this "formality" brought everything to a halt. Standard online insurance, which any young applicant can arrange in five minutes, was simply not accepted for spouses 70+. Insurers are reluctant to cover elderly individuals, especially those with chronic conditions, while the immigration service, in turn, rejected the template policy as insufficient for their age.
What BRIDGES had to solve
The nuance for elderly applicants is this: exemption from mandatory insurance is possible, but not automatic—it requires that the individual have active social protection coverage in their home country and that a corresponding agreement exist between the countries. The spouses did not meet these conditions, meaning insurance was still required—but obtaining it at their age using a standard template was impossible.
Why a standard answer would not do
Semyon Mikhailovich turned to BRIDGES, understanding that the task was not to "buy insurance"—it is not available online—but to arrange an individual policy tailored to their age and health condition, which the immigration service would accept, so that the real estate investment would finally serve as the basis for the residence permit for both spouses.
We are over seventy, and the standard insurance was not accepted. Hanna obtained a policy suited to our age, and we both received Turkish residence.
What Was at Risk
What Was at Risk
For elderly applicants, the barrier is not real estate but insurance: standard online policies for 70+ are not issued, and the immigration service does not accept template policies. Exemption from insurance is possible, but not automatic—social protection coverage in the home country and an inter-state agreement are required. Otherwise, insurance is mandatory, but it is not issued by standard template.
Standard online insurance for 70+ is not issued;
01Immigration service does not accept template policies;
02Exemption from insurance does not satisfy the conditions;
03Without accepted insurance, a residence permit cannot be issued;
04The purchased real estate does not serve as a valid basis.
The logic of the solution
How the matter progressed: from checks to result
The chart is built from the facts of this matter and shows the logic of the work without decorative or unverified data.
Conditions filterapprox. 220 000 $
01Stage 1
We immediately determined which pathway applied to the spouses. First, we checked whether insurance exemption was possible: this requires active social protection in their home country and a corresponding bilateral agreement. The spouses did not meet these conditions - meaning a policy was mandatory. This immediately eliminated false hopes of exemption and directed efforts toward the correct solution.
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02Stage 2
We rejected the template online policy as a dead end. Standard insurance for their age is simply not issued, and migration does not accept it. Rather than waste time trying to force a template through, we immediately pursued the solution that works for 70+ - individual underwriting.
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03Stage 3
We contacted insurers directly for individual assessment. The main work was here: we organized direct underwriting where the insurer assesses risk for a specific elderly individual rather than rejecting based on a template. The complexity lay in the age and possible chronic conditions of the spouses - we needed to find and agree on coverage the insurer was willing to provide, rather than receive another automatic denial.
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04Stage 4
We assembled a customized policy meeting migration requirements. Obtaining a policy is not enough - it must satisfy the migration service's residence permit requirements. We agreed on coverage and terms so the document was not merely insurance "for the record," but a comprehensive policy the service would accept for both spouses.
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05Stage 5
We pre-approved the policy with the migration service. To avoid rejection at submission, we confirmed in advance that the individual policy issued met the status requirements. This meant the document raised no questions at the submission stage, unlike a template policy.
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Takeaway. for elderly applicants, the barrier to residence permits is insurance, not real estate. The 65+ exemption is not automatic, and without it, an individual policy through underwriting agreed with the migration service is required, not a template.
How we solved it
How we solved it
The work was split into verifiable stages so that every conclusion rested on documents.
01
We immediately determined which pathway applied to the spouses
First, we checked whether insurance exemption was possible: this requires active social protection in their home country and a corresponding bilateral agreement. The spouses did not meet these conditions - meaning a policy was mandatory. This immediately eliminated false hopes of exemption and directed efforts toward the correct solution.
02
We rejected the template online policy as a dead end
Standard insurance for their age is simply not issued, and migration does not accept it. Rather than waste time trying to force a template through, we immediately pursued the solution that works for 70+ - individual underwriting.
03
We contacted insurers directly for individual assessment
The main work was here: we organized direct underwriting where the insurer assesses risk for a specific elderly individual rather than rejecting based on a template. The complexity lay in the age and possible chronic conditions of the spouses - we needed to find and agree on coverage the insurer was willing to provide, rather than receive another automatic denial.
04
We assembled a customized policy meeting migration requirements
Obtaining a policy is not enough - it must satisfy the migration service's residence permit requirements. We agreed on coverage and terms so the document was not merely insurance "for the record," but a comprehensive policy the service would accept for both spouses.
05
We pre-approved the policy with the migration service
To avoid rejection at submission, we confirmed in advance that the individual policy issued met the status requirements. This meant the document raised no questions at the submission stage, unlike a template policy.
06
We obtained residence permits for both spouses
With the accepted individual policy, the purchased apartment finally served as the basis, and Semyon Mikhailovich and his wife received residence permits. The barrier they were stuck on was not real estate or funds, but insurance - and we removed precisely that barrier.
How the work went
From first contact to the result
01We immediately determined which pathway applied to the spouses
02We rejected the template online policy as a dead end
03We contacted insurers directly for individual assessment
04We assembled a customized policy meeting migration requirements
05We pre-approved the policy with the migration service
06We obtained residence permits for both spouses
The sequence and timing reflect this specific case and depend on how complete the documents are and on the decisions of the competent authorities.
Expert comment
Elderly couples are often surprised: the apartment was easy to buy, but they stumbled on insurance. And this is typical. The standard online policy that a young person completes in five minutes is simply not issued to people over 70, and migration does not accept templates. I always first check whether it is possible to do without a policy at all: for 65+ there is an exemption, but it is not automatic - social protection in the home country and a bilateral agreement are required. This couple did not meet those conditions, meaning a policy was mandatory. And here there is only one secret - do not struggle with an online template, but contact insurers directly and issue an individual policy through underwriting, tailored to their age and health, aligned with migration requirements. That is what we did. Both spouses obtained residence permits. For me, such cases are about care: bring everyone to status without losing anyone to formality.
Outcome
What the client received
What was required
How we did it · Result
Determine whether a policy is needed
Verification of exemption conditions · Policy is mandatory
Obtain insurance for 70+
Direct underwriting with insurers · Individual policy
What was: elderly spouses over 70 had their standard online insurance for the residence permit rejected, although the apartment had been purchased. What we did: checked the possibility of exemption and confirmed they did not qualify; rejected the dead-end template policy; contacted insurers directly for individual underwriting tailored to their age and health; assembled a customized policy meeting migration requirements; pre-approved it. What clients received: accepted insurance and residence permits for both spouses.
Conclusion: for elderly applicants, the barrier to residence permits is insurance, not real estate. The 65+ exemption is not automatic, and without it, an individual policy through underwriting agreed with the migration service is required, not a template.
Semyon Mikhailovich and his wife obtained a residence permit in warm Alanya - because we removed the barrier not where they looked for it, but where it actually was: in the insurance for their age.
Individual underwriting and a custom policy agreed with the programme requirements solve this task for both spouses. We will look at your situation.
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FAQ
Questions people ask in a similar situation
01Is insurance required for a Turkish residence permit for an elderly person?
As a rule, yes. An exemption for 65+ is possible, but not automatic - it requires active social protection in the home country and a bilateral agreement. Without these conditions, medical insurance is mandatory.
Insurers are reluctant to cover individuals over 70, particularly those with chronic conditions, and the migration authority does not accept standard online policies as sufficient for this age group. An individual policy is required.
03What is individual underwriting?
It is a risk assessment by the insurer tailored to a specific individual, taking into account their age and health status, rather than a blanket rejection. This approach is used to issue a policy where automatic online insurance is not available.
04Will the migration authority accept any insurance policy?
No, the policy must meet the requirements for a residence permit. Therefore, individual policies are coordinated with these requirements in advance to prevent rejection during submission, unlike standard policies.
05Can a residence permit be issued to both spouses simultaneously?
Yes. Provided there is a qualifying basis (real estate) and approved individual policies, the residence permit is issued to both spouses. The key is to eliminate the insurance barrier for each of them.
06Which documents were key in this case?
We immediately determined which pathway applied to the spouses. First, we checked whether insurance exemption was possible: this requires active social protection in their home country and a corresponding bilateral agreement. The spouses did not meet these conditions - meaning a policy was mandatory. This immediately eliminated false hopes of exemption and directed efforts toward the correct solution. We rejected the template online policy as a dead end. Standard insurance for their age is simply not issued, and migration does not accept it. Rather than waste time trying to force a template through, we immediately pursued the solution that works for 70+ - individual underwriting.
07Why did the standard route not suit the client?
But this "formality" brought everything to a halt. Standard online insurance, which any young applicant can arrange in five minutes, was simply not accepted for spouses 70+. Insurers are reluctant to cover elderly individuals, especially those with chronic conditions, while the immigration service, in turn, rejected the template policy as insufficient for their age.
08What risk had to be closed before filing?
For elderly applicants, the barrier is not real estate but insurance: standard online policies for 70+ are not issued, and the immigration service does not accept template policies. Exemption from insurance is possible, but not automatic—social protection coverage in the home country and an inter-state agreement are required. Otherwise, insurance is mandatory, but it is not issued by standard template. Standard online insurance for 70+ is not issued;
I have worked with citizenship and residency matters in European countries for 12 years. Programme requirements and application practices change, so I assess each matter against the current rules, the applicant's immigration history, family composition and the documents supporting the legal basis for the application.
I lead matters from the preliminary assessment through to the grant of status. In complex situations, I identify the circumstances that may affect the review, establish the legal logic of the application and oversee the consistency of the supporting documents at every stage.
During the consultation, you will receive an assessment of the available legal grounds, a clear understanding of the chosen route and a list of issues that should be resolved before filing. Once the engagement begins, I oversee the application and the key decisions of the BRIDGES team.
Prepared on the basis of BRIDGES practice and reviewed by a subject-matter expert.
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Names and certain details have been changed to protect client confidentiality. The result described reflects one specific situation and is neither a public offer nor a guarantee of a similar outcome. Programme terms are stated as of 2026 and may change - please confirm current parameters with a BRIDGES consultant.
