It is a legal requirement
Above all, to tour in a group and to be told about the places you visit, you must contract a licensed tourist guide and have them with you throughout the tour.
About Us
About Us
Who Is a Tourist Guide?
A definition of guiding
According to the European Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (EFTGA), a tourist guide is a person who guides visitors — groups or individuals — from home or abroad, in the language of their choice, around the monuments, museums, natural and cultural surroundings and historic sites of a region or city, interpreting them in an engaging way.
The reasons
Why Should I Visit With a Tour Guide?
You understand the city and
its places far better
Wherever you go, touring alone — even with today’s technology to help — will fall short. Your guide blends each place not only with its history but with art, culture, economy and human relationships, and passes it on with the lives lived there.
You don’t have to reinvent
the wheel
Your guide has walked your route dozens of times and knows from experience what is where and how much time each stop deserves. You need not repeat the same mistakes and lose time.
The profession
How Does One Become a Tourist Guide?
In Türkiye, tourist guiding is an official profession regulated by Law No. 6326 on the Profession of Tourist Guiding; practising it without a licence is prohibited. The path works roughly like this:
1
Meet the basic conditions
You must be a citizen of the Republic of Türkiye, have turned 18 by the application date, and have no criminal record for the offences listed in the law.
2
Choose your training route
You either graduate from a university Tourist Guiding programme (associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree), or, holding another bachelor’s degree, complete the national/regional tourist guiding certificate programme run under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
3
Document your language proficiency
If you will guide in a foreign language, you must pass an examination accepted by the Ministry (the YDS or an equivalent) or submit an equivalent language certificate.
4
Join the practical trip and sit the exam
You take part in the practical (internship) trip organised by the chamber you will belong to, run on real routes; at the end you must pass both the written and the oral examination.
5
Receive your licence and badge
You receive your licence from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and from your chamber the working card (kokart) renewed each year — which the law requires you to wear visibly at chest height while working.
National badge
Grants the right to guide anywhere in Türkiye.
Regional badge
Grants the right to guide only in the region or regions stated on the licence.
This information is based on Law No. 6326 on the Profession of Tourist Guiding; for the current and official procedure, please consult the Ministry of Culture and Tourism or the chamber of tourist guides you will belong to. You are also welcome to contact us with your questions along the way.
Meet Our Expert Guides
Your address for licensed professional tourist guides, each an expert in their field.