International convention and customs procedures of Türkiye

International Conventions

Member of the World Trade Organization (WTO)
Member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Party to the Kyoto Protocol
Party to the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
Party to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal
Party to the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer
Party to the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls For Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies
Party to the International Coffee Agreement

International Economic Cooperation

Turkey is a member of the following international economic organisations: G-20, WTO, IMF, Pacific Alliance (observer), OECD, ICC, among others. For the full list of economic and other international organisations in which participates Turkey click here. International organisation membership of Turkey is also outlined here.

Non Tariff Barriers

Since January 1990, imports have largely been free of restrictions, with some exceptions concerning the protection of law and order, health or national security. Moreover, administrative formalities related to the import of goods have been considerably simplified.

That being said, there are still some regulatory barriers. The Common Commercial Policy has established quotas on the import of textile products from third countries (Multifiber Agreements). The Ministry of Industry and Commerce must give its consent for the import of all electric and automobile products. The import of pharmaceutical products and some cosmetic goods are subject to registry at the Ministry of Health. Furthermore, the import of select foodstuffs must be accompanies by a certificate of analysis. All agricultural imports require health control certificates issued by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock. Alcohol importers must obtain a certificate of compliance issued by the TAPDK. A certificate from the Ministry of Environment must be obtained by importers of materials considered detrimental to the environment (notably hard coal, lignite, petrocoke, petroleum, arsenic, mercury, lead sulfides and carbonates, fluorocarbons, chemicals and scrap metals). The importing of precious metal and stones may only be carried out by banks with the authorisation of the Central Bank and may only be done by members of the Istanbul Gold Exchange. Cigarettes can only be imported by TEKEL and cigarette producers (such as Philip Morris, RJ Reynolds, British Tobacco, etc.). Medical X-ray films can only be imported into Turkey by the Red Crescent Association.

Customs Duties and Taxes on Imports

The EU and Turkey have been linked by a Customs Union agreement since 1995. Turkey applies the Customs Union Common External Tariff (CET) to industrial goods, and its Most-Favored Nation (MFN) tariffs for non-agricultural products are low, on average 5.8%. Although, tariff protection is high for agricultural products, on average 41.8%.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Turkish Government increased import tariffs on approximately 4,000 products to up to 50% until the end of September 2020, after which tariffs are due to decrease, but for many, not back to the prior levels.

Customs Classification

Turkey uses the Harmonised Commodity Description and Coding System, generally referred to as the 'Harmonised System,' developed by the World Customs Organisation.

Import Procedures

Turkish documentation procedures require that a commercial invoice and bill of lading or airway bill accompany all commercial shipments. Depending on the type of product, importers may be required to submit a Certificate of Origin.

An importer needs only a tax number to import all but restricted items, which include firearms, hazardous materials, and other products that may be imported by authorized establishments only or for which approval from relevant Turkish government agencies are required.

In accordance with the import regime enacted in December 2011, Control Certificates are required only for animals, animal products, and certain plants such as seeds, seedlings, saplings and flower bulbs.
Companies selling to the Turkish market must submit evidence of conformity compliance (CE Mark).

For further information, click here to view the website of the Ministry of Trade.

Importing Samples

For the import, export and re-export of commercial samples the ATA (Temporary Admission) carnet can be used. It must be specified in writing on the product and on the invoice that it is a free sample and may not be sold. For more information, please visit the ATA Carnet website.

To go further, check out our service Import controls and Export controls.

For Further Information

Ministry of Customs and Trade
Ministry of Foreign Trade
Ministry of Industry and Trade