Pharmacies in Turkey: duty schedules, opening hours and medicines

In Turkey, pharmacies serve customers during the day on weekdays and Saturdays; in the evening, on Sundays and on holidays, look for a duty pharmacy — nöbetçi eczane. You find it in the local chamber of pharmacists’ list or on the door of a closed pharmacy. Check when its duty shift ends, phone to ask about stock and have your medicine box or prescription ready. Below, you can also make a card in Turkish to show at the counter.

Is it open?

On Sunday, go straight to the duty pharmacy. Opening hours and duty schedules are set locally. The notice on a closed pharmacy must show the names, addresses and phone numbers of the duty pharmacies. Look for the word ECZANE and a pharmacy sign with the letter E.

1. During the dayOn weekdays and Saturdays, look for a pharmacy near you. On Sundays and holidays, open the duty list before you set off.
2. Near closing timeOpen the list for your district. Check the address and phone to ask whether the medicine is in stock.
3. Evening · the duty pharmacyCheck when the duty shift ends. Some lists show a shift that ends before morning.
4. After midnightCheck the shift’s start and end dates. If the pharmacy is on duty but the door is closed, use the doorbell.
5. Early morningPhone to confirm when the duty shift ends before changing your route.
6. The doorbellAt night, the door may be closed. The duty pharmacy must have a doorbell and serve anyone who rings it.

Illustration: a street from day to night. Slide the time to see what to do.

1. Open the listOr read the notice on the door.
2. Check date and end timeMake sure they match your arrival time.
3. PhoneAsk about the medicine, then set off.

Duty pharmacies city by city

Pick the city and district you are in. Each list gives the address and phone number; save them on your phone for the way there.

In Istanbul, you can also use our duty pharmacy map: select a city and district. For other cities, start with the chamber lists above.

A card for the pharmacist

Your list · in Turkish

Fill in. Show. Check.

Copy the active ingredient in Latin letters, the strength, the form and the contents of your pack. Select whether you have a prescription or a medicine box with you. “Show” opens large text for the counter; “Copy” copies the Turkish card.

Active ingredient

Strength

mgmg/ml%g

Formtabletssyrupcreamdrops

Pack quantity

unitsmlg

What do you have?PrescriptionBox from homeAsking about buying without a prescription

Bu etken maddeyi arıyorum: ibuprofen

Gücü: 200 mg

İlaç şekli: tablet

Ambalaj miktarı: 20 adet

Reçetem var.

I am looking for this active ingredient: ibuprofen · Strength: 200 mg · Form: tablets · Pack quantity: 20 units · I have a prescription.

Replace the example with the details from your pack. The card does not save anything you enter.

For Turkish brand names, open the medicine search tool and search for the active ingredient. Show the result to the pharmacist and check the strength, form and pack.

At the counter

Show the card and your medicine box or a photo of the label. Go through the fields with the pharmacist. Ask them to write down the dosage instructions so you can read them again at home. Tap the dots on the illustration to see what to compare.

1. Active ingredient and strengthEtken madde / etkin madde — active ingredient. Check the name and strength against your pack.
2. Pack quantityKutu — box; tablet, şurup, krem, damla — tablet, syrup, cream, drops. Check the count or volume.
3. Code and price fieldBarkod — barcode; fiyat — price. Ask for the total and a receipt.
4. Expiry dateSon kullanma tarihi — expiry date. Read it on the box before paying.
5. Leaflet and dosageKullanma talimatı — leaflet; günde … kez — … times a day; aç / tok karnına — on an empty stomach / after food. Ask for instructions for your medicine.

Say it in Turkish

Tap “Listen” to hear the phrase in Turkish. The second line shows how to pronounce it.

Prescription only

Antibiotics require a doctor’s prescription. Medicines under special control follow a separate system of red and green prescriptions. Show your prescription from home, the box and the leaflet to the pharmacist and check what prescription is needed to dispense the medicine in Turkey before planning your purchase.

Selling medicines online is prohibited in Turkey. Instead of searching for an online pharmacy, phone the pharmacy to ask about stock and opening hours, then buy at the counter.

Taking medicines home

Pack medicines for your own treatment in their original boxes with your treatment papers. For a controlled substance, check your country’s rules before you buy. Keep everything at hand at passport control and customs.

Customs allowances depend on your country. Check its rules for bringing medicines home before you fly. Controlled substances follow separate rules.

1. Keep the packagingA receipt, box and leaflet for each medicine.
2. For your own treatmentMatch the quantity to your prescribed treatment.
3. Prepare the papersCarry a copy of the prescription or your doctor’s note, and check that the name matches the medicine.
4. Check the special rulesMedicines with narcotic or psychotropic substances: check your home country’s rules before you buy; some countries ask for a permit or a doctor’s certificate.

Questions

Sources

Checked on 05.10.2026. Duty schedules are on the local chambers of pharmacists’ pages; open them from the city picker. For the separate topic of work and qualifications, see pharmacists in Turkey. The illustrations were drawn for this article.

1. Opening hours, duty shifts, door notices and online sales — Articles 26, 33, 35, 43 — Türk Eczacıları Birliği; checked 05.10.2026.
2. Local days off and approval of duty schedules — Article 6 — TİTCK, duty pharmacy guidance; checked 05.10.2026.
3. Daytime service on weekdays and Saturdays; Sunday duty shifts — İstanbul Eczacı Odası; checked 05.10.2026.
4. The pharmacy sign with the letter E — Türk Eczacıları Birliği; checked 05.10.2026.
5. Antibiotics require a prescription — Sağlık Bakanlığı; checked 05.10.2026.
6. Controlled medicines: red and green prescriptions — TİTCK; checked 05.10.2026.
7. Medicine forms and instructions from the pharmacist — Ceyhan Devlet Hastanesi, Sağlık Bakanlığı; checked 05.10.2026.
8. Turkish words in the leaflet: active ingredient, dosage and expiry date — UCB Türkiye, Fintepla leaflet; checked 05.10.2026.
9. The medicine form damla — drops — Tatvan Devlet Hastanesi, Sağlık Bakanlığı; checked 05.10.2026.
10. Medicine pricing rules — Articles 9 and 14, text dated 29.08.2026 — Sağlık Bakanlığı; checked 05.10.2026.
11. Emergency phone number — İstanbul İl Sağlık Müdürlüğü; checked 05.10.2026.
12. Search tool for Turkish medicine names — Turkpidya — checked using ibuprofen as an example; checked 05.10.2026.
13. Duty pharmacy map and search — Turkpidya — city and district selection checked; checked 05.10.2026.
14. Duty list — Edirne — Edirne Eczacı Odası; checked 05.10.2026.
15. Duty list — Istanbul — İstanbul Eczacı Odası; checked 05.10.2026.
16. Duty list — Antalya — Antalya Eczacı Odası; checked 05.10.2026.
17. Duty list — Muğla — Muğla Eczacı Odası; checked 05.10.2026.
18. Duty list — İzmir — İzmir Eczacı Odası; checked 05.10.2026.
19. Duty list — Bursa — Bursa Eczacı Odası; checked 05.10.2026.
20. Duty list — Ankara — Ankara Eczacı Odası; checked 05.10.2026.
21. Duty list — Eskişehir — Eskişehir Eczacı Odası; checked 05.10.2026.