Job Discussion Forums

[eclectic]

I been gettin alot of news lately about Turkey being the next new retirement spot for westerners. Guess the low prices and general stability are the enticements, not to mention tasty food and secular situation.

Also, 2 of my grandparents were born in Turkey, is there any way to use that in getting residency/citizenship? I know if you have a grandparent born in Italy you can apply for Italian citizenship, unless thats been changed now.

[keitepai]

Hello,

Residency is a better option, as a Turkish citizen you open yourself up to all sorts; Military service depending on your gender and age and low pay are the obvious two.

At first glance it looks ideal but great food? Hmmmm full of pesticides I have been told with little monitoring and testing also the range is fairly limited. After a while the food here tastes all the same and some variety would be great!

Yes, foreign people retire here all the time, usually buying a property on the coast and having some money in a Turkish bank. it doesn't seem that difficult if you have those two sorted.

[scot47]

Very popular retirement destination for people from Germany and Britain/Ireland. The Southern Coast is full of "Bijou Residential Retirement Villages". Bulgaria too is seeing the same phenomenon. I plan to head there myself in a year or two if I am spared !

[fishmb]

My parents have some friends who have a home in Turkey. I also would not recommend citizenship. The food is good, but there is not much variety at all, unless you can afford to go to really fancy restaurants.

It's not like back home when you could get one of a dozen different cuisines for less than $10.

[eclectic]

full of pesticides? wtf?? and i thought going to a 2nd world country would get me cleaner foods.

military at 46? hahaha. but the payscale comes down, hmmmmm. Residency does sound better.

Food is lacking diversity? 4 me, tomatos, eggplant, parsley, peppers, cheese and bread are pretty much enough, throwing in an occasional lamb kebab or lahmajun. SO thats no prob.

Hmm, that pesticide thing has me going a bit. Would that be ALL produce everywhere in Turkey? What about tomatos grown in ADana, or eggplant grown in Konya? Geeez, u can't trust anything anymore.

[eclectic]

nebre could get this damn word straight, pretty sad for an English teacher:
is it tomatoes or tomatos? Yeah, now that I look at it, I left out the "e".
What about potatoes or potatos? Just can't tell sometimes.

[scot47]

Turkish cuisine ? How could anyone tire of that ?
I would be quite happy to retire in Turkey. Alas I cannot afford it ! How much would I need to live like a "gentleman" in Turkey ?

[keitepai]

Glad you like eggplant etc...I did when I came here but Oh for a nice BLAT sandwich!
Re pesticides, I have heard Turkish pears were banned by the European Commission for dangerous levels of pesticides if I remember correctly it was the DDT variety but I'm no expert and have no stats!

The reason I believe this is I have watched th indiscriminate mosquito and tick spraying around a pool where children were swimming! I pointed out the fact to the guys and they just shrugged their shoulders and said "Problem yok"!!! There is little understanding of how dangerous chemicals can be and safety measures are often compromised despite laws and regulations.

Having said that organic food is becoming more available here, there is a market in Sisli on a Saturday and some supermarkets have an organic section.

I think there would be little variation in regions as often the fruit I buy is from Bursa, Izmir so it is shipped around the country a lot and pesticides are available throughout the country.

[RabbitWho]

My parents are doing this, you can get a lot of information about life in turkey on the forums here: http://www.turkishliving.com/

[fishmb]

Istanbul has an organic market every Saturday morning.

[eclectic]

thanks fishmb, as I dont appreciate eating insecticide-packed produce, as one poster once said. Ewwwwwwww!

[rgrider]

Are there any taxes paid that can be returned to a foreigner if at some point they move back to their home country? I've had some friends ask this and I couldn't give an answer. Any advice?

[Otterman Ollie]

Retiring in Turkey, I can't think of better alternatives. Life back in the U.K seems pretty depressing right now. The food over here is some of the best I have tasted, I would go as far to say that the food chain generally is of a pretty high standard and as has been said, more and more organic produce is appearing. If you have been astute enough to acquire property over here then living expenses will be a lot lower than back in your own country. I would argue that Turkish citizenship is a must if you intend to work, live and retire here in the future. It does open a number of door for you, especially with buying a selling property,land cars etc. I would take the pesticide story with a pinch or two of salt, however, I can't speak for Istanbul. The Aegean climate is much kinder for those old bones come the autumn and winter years.
Taxes can be paid back to you when leaving the country, make sure you keep your reciepts esp with big ticket items!

[ranter]

[deegee55]

One of the concerns that most people don't think about is health coverage in the event of catastrophic or chronic illness. Although I'm years away from retirement, this is something I would certainly consider were I to retire abroad. You'd have to inquire about residency requirements for health coverage and the cost of private insurance not only in Turkey but in your homeland. You might end up penniless and ill with no recourse.

Do your homework.