TRLast reviewed 2026-07-22

Turkey - Import & Export Regulatory Guide

Turkey participates in the EU-Turkey Customs Union (industrial goods) since 1996, aligning tariffs and trade defence with the EU while retaining an independent FTA policy. Customs is centralised at the Ministry of Trade using the BILGE / NCTS systems.

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Regulatory authorities

Ministry of Trade - Customs & Foreign Trade ↗
Customs entry, tariff, sanctions and trade remedy administration.
Turkish Standards Institution (TSE) ↗
Product conformity, TSE mark, ISO certification.
Ministry of Health / TITCK
Pharma, medical devices, cosmetics.
Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry
Phytosanitary, veterinary.

Licensing regimes

Licence	Scope	Issuer
Import licence	Regulated goods under Annexes to the Import Communiqué.	Ministry of Trade
Dual-use export licence	Turkey aligns broadly with EU 2021/821 list.	Ministry of Trade
TAREKS conformity assessment	Consumer goods, toys, PPE, machinery on risk-based routing.	Ministry of Trade
ATR movement certificate	Free circulation under EU Customs Union.	Chambers of Commerce

Prohibited goods

· Goods failing Customs Union safety and IPR checks at TAREKS.
· Precursors outside licence; scheduled narcotics.
· Used goods on Annex-9 lists without permit.
· CITES species and derivatives.

Restricted goods

· Used machinery / vehicles - Ministry of Industry permit.
· Steel and aluminium - EU safeguard-mirrored quotas.
· Encryption and radio equipment - BTK conformity.
· Textiles - anti-dumping duties by origin.

Labelling requirements

· Turkish-language user information for consumer products.
· Food labelling per Turkish Food Codex (aligned with EU 1169/2011).
· CE marking accepted alongside TSE mark for Customs-Union sectors.

Sanctions overlay

· UNSC sanctions implemented via Council of Ministers decisions.
· No autonomous secondary sanctions on Russia; however BDDK/MASAK monitor financial-sector exposure to blocked persons.
· Compliance with US OFAC widely observed by banks due to correspondent-banking risk.

Dispute resolution

Administrative objection to the customs office within 15 days; tax court appeal thereafter. Istanbul Arbitration Centre (ISTAC) is the domestic institutional forum; ICC Paris common in cross-border LCs. NY Convention party since 1992.

Key official sources

Frequently asked questions (2)

What is an ATR and when do I use it?

The ATR movement certificate proves free circulation status under the EU-Turkey Customs Union for industrial goods (HS chapters 25-97, minus specified sensitive lists). It suspends duty on both sides. Agri and coal/steel (ECSC-legacy) require EUR.1 under separate FTAs instead.

Does Turkey enforce Russia sanctions?

Turkey implements UN-mandated measures only. It does not apply EU/US autonomous sanctions on Russia, but Turkish banks generally screen against OFAC/EU lists to protect USD/EUR correspondent access, so USD-denominated LCs to sanctioned counterparties are typically refused.