Written for people living in the Gulf
Patients from the Gulf states travel for hair transplants, dental work, rhinoplasty and bariatric surgery in large numbers, often through agencies that handle everything from the airport to the hotel. When something goes wrong after the flight home, the distance, the language of the clinic's paperwork, and the involvement of family all shape how a claim is handled.
This guide is for patients living in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. The steps are the same everywhere; the power of attorney route is the one thing that genuinely differs by country, and we explain it below.
We work in Arabic. The first conversation and every document you receive from us can be in Arabic. The court file is in Turkish, and we translate what matters before you decide.
A composite example, details changed. A businessman from Jeddah had a combined hair transplant and dental package over five days. The infection appeared on the flight home; the treatment in Jeddah took three weeks. His brother handled the correspondence with the clinic, which answered every message with a new promise. The family kept everything, including the clinic's Arabic-language advertisement. That advertisement, next to what was actually done, was the start of the file.
The steps, from the Gulf
None of the early steps requires travel. The review, the records, the medical opinion and the negotiation all happen with you at home. If the matter goes to court, your lawyer represents you at hearings. The rare exception, an expert body wishing to examine you, is flagged early and can usually be met with a specialist report from your own country or a short planned visit.
The power of attorney: why the route depends on your country
A lawyer acting for you needs a power of attorney. From the Gulf there are two routes, and which one is practical depends on whether your country is party to the Apostille Convention.
The simplest route everywhere is the Turkish embassy or consulate general in your country: the document is issued in the form Turkish courts expect, in one visit. The alternative is a local notary. Saudi Arabia has been party to the Apostille Convention since December 2022 (HCCH), and Bahrain and Oman are also members, so in those countries a notarised document can be apostilled and then translated. Elsewhere in the Gulf the document goes through the traditional legalisation chain: notary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkish consular legalisation, then a sworn translation. It works; it simply takes longer, which is one more reason to start early. We send the exact wording for whichever route fits.
What your medical report has to say
The most persuasive document in a Gulf file is a dated, stamped report from an independent specialist in your own country, in Arabic or English. Hospitals in the region produce thorough reports when asked for the right thing.
Ask for findings, not opinions: what the specialist sees, what is wrong, what it will take to correct, and what that will cost. If you were treated in hospital for a complication, the discharge summary fixes the date and the diagnosis. Reports in Arabic are translated into Turkish by a sworn translator; we handle that.
Family, privacy, and who speaks for you
Many Gulf patients prefer a family member to handle correspondence. That is entirely workable: tell us who, and with your written permission we copy them on everything. The claim itself remains yours, and the power of attorney is yours to sign.
Privacy matters particularly with aesthetic procedures. The file is confidential; the clinic learns of a formal step only when we take one, in writing, at a moment chosen together. Sensitive documents and photographs move only through the secure link we provide, never over messaging apps.
Costs, in writing
Claims involve the lawyer's fee, court fees, expert fees, and translation between Arabic and Turkish. The structure depends on the case and is set out in writing before you commit, together with what happens if the claim does not succeed. Corrective treatment at home, lost income, travel and non-material damage form part of the claim; a quotation from your own hospital for the corrective work is the usual way of putting a figure on the first of those.
How long you have
Limitation periods depend on the legal basis of the claim and can be shorter than people expect. The figure most often relevant in practice is two years, and it can start earlier than you assume. A clinic promising a free revision, or an agency "handling it", does not pause it. Given the longer document route from some Gulf countries, the practical advice is simple: send the dates first, and decide the rest afterwards. Our guide to limitation periods explains the figures people quote.
What changed in 2026
A regulation published in April 2025 made complication insurance mandatory for international patients undergoing surgical and interventional procedures, with enforcement reported from January 2026 (Hürriyet Daily News). If your treatment was recent, tell us the date. Where a policy exists, it is an additional route, with its own, shorter, deadlines.
Questions we hear from the Gulf
The package was booked and paid for by a relative. Whose claim is it?
The claim for the harm is the patient's. The person who paid may have a separate claim for what they paid. Both can be handled together; tell us who paid what, and how.
Can the embassy help me with the clinic directly?
Consular offices issue documents; they do not pursue claims against private clinics. The power of attorney is where their role begins and ends.
My treatment was in Istanbul but the agency is based in Dubai.
Keep the agency's contract, the advertisement, and every message. Which party is responsible for what is one of the first questions we look at, and the agency's location does not prevent the claim against the clinic.
Next step
Describe what was done, when, and what your doctor at home has found, through the case review form in Arabic. Send the records only through the secure link we provide afterwards.
