Guides · Costs & logistics
Flights, visas and staying with the patient: a caregiver's logistics sheet
Prepared by the OncologyIstanbul editorial team
Reviewed 12 May 2026 · 5 min read
Reviewed 12 May 2026 · 5 min read
The patient has a treatment plan; the person travelling with them needs a logistics plan. Visas, flights, staying near the hospital and keeping documents in order — one sheet, no surprises.
Before you fly
Five things to settle in the week before departure — all of them easier from home than from a hospital corridor:
01 · Visa & entry — most patients from KZ, UZ, AZ and KG enter visa-free or with e-visa; check the current rule for your passport, not last year's.
02 · Flights — book refundable or changeable fares; treatment dates move more often than airlines forgive.
03 · Documents — originals plus phone photos of every report, scan disc and prescription, shared with the coordinator before the flight.
04 · Money — confirm how the hospital accepts payment and what your bank allows abroad before you leave.
05 · Medication — a translated list of everything the patient takes, in the hand luggage, not the suitcase.
In Istanbul
Stay within 20 minutes of the hospital — the district matters more than the hotel category. Your coordinator arranges transfers for treatment days; for everything else, city taxis and public transport are straightforward. Plan the caregiver's days too: treatment is waiting, and waiting is easier with a routine.
One companion is enough
Hospitals accommodate one companion comfortably — a chair-bed in the room or a hotel next door. A second relative helps most by staying home and keeping the family channel calm and organized.
[ caregiver desk — documents folder, phone, hospital map ]
Send your reports.
A named professor reviews your case and answers in 72 hours. Free.
Fair questions
Partner hospitals keep negotiated rates at nearby hotels, and our coordinators book them on request. You pay the hotel directly — we take no commission on accommodation.
Yes. A Russian-speaking coordinator attends key appointments; Uzbek and Azerbaijani support is arranged in advance for consultations where nuance matters.
Every cancer case is individual. Assessments are based on the reports you provide and do not replace in-person examination.