Turkey: import and export rules
Turkey is the region's largest manufacturing exporter and is in a customs union with the EU for industrial goods, so it applies the EU common external tariff plus its own additional duties. It has FTAs with Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt and Palestine (Jordan ended 2018, Syria suspended 2011), so goods from most other Arab countries pay full rates.
⚠ Before you trade
- Additional duties change often
The additional customs duty decision was amended several times in 2025 alone. Check the current İGV rate for your HS code and origin on the Ministry of Trade site before signing a contract.
Source ↗ - Partners re-imposed duties on Turkish goods
Turkish exporters should note that Morocco (2020) and Tunisia (2023) amended their FTAs to charge duties again on many Turkish industrial goods, especially textiles and clothing. Check the buyer country's current rate before quoting.
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Importing into Turkey
- Import Regime Decision and customs
Duties and import rules are set in the Import Regime Decision, published each 31 December and in force from 1 January. Customs is part of the Ministry of Trade; declarations are filed electronically (BİLGE system) with the permits and conformity certificates the product needs.
Source ↗ - TAREKS conformity control
TAREKS is the Ministry of Trade's risk-based electronic system for product safety and technical-rule checks at import. From 2026 a TAREKS application is mandatory for all covered product groups and fixed out-of-scope reference numbers were abolished; CE marking and samples may be checked.
Source ↗ - Additional customs duty (İGV / EK GV)
Many goods pay an additional customs duty when they come from "other countries". Imports from the EU or FTA partners avoid it only with valid preferential origin proof; the importer is responsible for declaring origin correctly.
Source ↗ - Import surveillance
Some products are under import surveillance: the importer must get a surveillance document from the Ministry of Trade before clearance. The product lists are published in Official Gazette communiqués and updated several times a year (2026 included).
Source ↗ - Origin proof from Arab partners
Goods from Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt and Palestine get FTA rates with EUR.1 or EUR-MED certificates. Turkey is not in GAFTA and its FTAs with Jordan and Syria are no longer applied, so goods from other Arab countries need only a general certificate of origin and pay full rates.
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