Dealing with the administration in any new country is tough. Turkey is better than some, and worse than others.

It’s probably worth remembering during the more trying moments that you will experience that there will probably be some Turk in your country at that very moment having exactly the same difficulties with your administration.

There may, for various reasons, come a time when you decide that you want to leave Turkey and return ‘home’. This is something that worries many people thinking of settling in the country but it is, in fact, a rare thing to happen.

Religion in Turkey is as old as Turkey itself – which is very old. Islam is still a massively important part of Turkish culture, even though increasing numbers of Turks (and, in particular, of younger Turks living in the western part of the country) are becoming more secular and less strict in their observance of religion. At the same time, many in the centre and east of the country are becoming more religious and conservative.

Healthcare is right at the top of people’s concerns when moving to – or even visiting – a new country. Will it be of a good standard? How do I access it? What will it cost? Will the doctor – and the nurses and other health workers – speak my language?

Your children will have a great time living in Turkey. Because of the climate and the freedom that children still enjoy in a country largely free of crime, they will probably lead a far more active and outdoor life than they would have done in your own country.

Driving in Turkey is pretty simple – especially if you come from a country where they drive on the right-hand side of the road. Simple, but not unexciting.

Utilities: not the most exciting part of a move, but definitely vital. It’s best to learn what to expect before you come to Turkey.

Where you live is one of the largest factors when it comes to how happy you are going to be in Turkey.

There are four main options when it comes to choosing a place to live:

Moving to or doing business in another country always throws up issues arising from the basic cultural differences between your ‘home’ country and the ‘new’ country. Turkey is no exception.

Shopping – love it or hate it, it’s a big part of life. It can be confusing in a new country, but Turkey isn’t complicated.

Learning Turkish is important if you’re going to be spending a lot of time in Turkey.

The good news (if you’re a Westerner): it is written in the (slightly modified) latin alphabet. You won’t have to learn a completely new script.

The bad news: the language may not seem intuitive to most Europeans and Americans. Turkish base words can stand alone – prefixes are not part of the language – but are built in complexity by the addition of suffixes. Words can therefore get very long!

In order to benefit from the Turkish Social Security System, residents in Turkey must enrol with the Turkish Social Security Fund (Sosyal Guvenlik Kurumu – SGK).

Turkey is a large nation with a complex political structure.