What does Turkey require before the cargo can be imported?
Turkey is served from China by ocean, air and express, and the arrival-side requirements below are the part that most often changes a landed cost or holds a shipment at the port. Each position is the one we publish for this market and is confirmed per shipment against the actual commodity code and destination city.
What duty, tax and levies apply on arrival?
| Duty and tax | Turkey is in a customs union with the European Union, so for industrial goods it applies the EU Common Customs Tariff rather than a separate national tariff, and China has no trade agreement with the EU — so the third-country (erga omnes) rate applies. Example positions read from TARIC for China origin: footwear with leather uppers (6403 99 96) 8.00%; cotton T-shirts (6109 10 00) 12.00%; routing and switching apparatus (8517 62 00) 0%. Agricultural products sit outside the customs union and follow a separate Turkish schedule, so the rate is confirmed per shipment. Source: EU TARIC — Measures Information (European Commission, taxation_customs) · Reference date 19-09-2026; last TARIC update 18-09-2026 · retrieved 2026-09-19 |
| Import tax | Turkish VAT is charged on the customs value plus duty. The standard rate has not been substantiated from the Turkish Revenue Administration here, so it is confirmed per shipment. Source: Not substantiated · retrieved 2026-09-19 |
Who is allowed to import into this market?
| Importer of record | A Turkish importer of record is required, normally registered with the Turkish Revenue Administration and declaring through the customs system. The registration route is confirmed per shipment. Source: Not substantiated · retrieved 2026-09-19 |
What certification or product rules must be in place before shipping?
| Certification to check | Saudi SASO and the Saber Shipment Certificate, UAE ECAS, halal certification for food and cosmetics |
| Certification and product rules | Regulated categories carry their own approvals, and Turkish standards marking applies to a range of consumer goods. Which approvals apply to a given shipment is confirmed per shipment. Source: Not substantiated · retrieved 2026-09-19 |
How long does the freight take from China?
Published carrier or forwarder ranges for this lane. Where no figure could be substantiated the row says so rather than offering an estimate.
| Mode | Typical transit | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean freight — Istanbul | 25–83 days | Port to port, measured across 72 published sailings in October 2026. 18 were direct at 25–63 days: Shekou 25–60, Shanghai 28–56, Ningbo 30–63. Source: ONE (Ocean Network Express) public point-to-point schedule API · retrieved 2026-09-19 |
| Ocean freight — Mersin | 33–91 days | Port to port, measured across 57 published sailings in October 2026. 18 were direct at 33–71 days: Shekou 33–68, Shanghai 36–64, Ningbo 38–71. Source: ONE (Ocean Network Express) public point-to-point schedule API · retrieved 2026-09-19 |
| Ocean freight — Izmir | Confirmed per shipment | No carrier sailings were published to Izmir for the window measured. The nearby port of Aliaga was served, with 37 sailings at 54–80 days, all by relay. Source: Not substantiated · retrieved 2026-09-19 |
| Air freight | Confirmed per shipment | No authoritative airport-to-airport figure for this lane has been substantiated yet. Source: Not substantiated · retrieved 2026-09-19 |
| Express courier | Confirmed per shipment | The courier networks do not publish a China-to-Turkey door-to-door day count we can cite. Source: Not substantiated · retrieved 2026-09-19 |
Which gateway does cargo arrive through for Turkey?
The port, airport or inland terminal this destination's cargo arrives through.
| Gateway ports | Jebel Ali, Khalifa Port (Abu Dhabi), Dammam, Jeddah |
| Gateway airports | DXB, AUH, DOH |
| Transhipment | Dubai is the Gulf hub, so most secondary Gulf ports route through Jebel Ali |
| Destination ports | Istanbul is the primary gateway and Mersin the secondary one, with Aliaga as an alternative to Izmir. Istanbul and Mersin both take substantial direct service from China, which is unusual among the markets measured here. |
How do you turn this into a landed cost?
Duty is assessed per commodity code, so the positions above tell you what to prepare rather than what you will pay. Screen the official duty range for the HS chapter your product falls in with the HS chapter duty lookup, then put the rate for your actual code through the landed cost calculator to see duty, import tax and levies on the CIF value. Sailing schedules, loading ports and the stage-by-stage breakdown for this lane are confirmed per shipment and come back with your quotation.
Positions reviewed 2026-09-19 by Helen Peng. Duty, importer-of-record and certification answers are confirmed per shipment: a change of commodity code, origin documentation or destination city can change the position.
