Who is “Traveler”?

 

“Traveler” means Turks and foreigners who live in a foreign country and arrive in the Turkish Customs Territory either by road, sea or air having any purpose, or Turks and foreigners returning either permanently or temporarily from a foreign country to which they went for any purpose, and Turks and foreigners leaving Turkey and going to a foreign country for the same purposes and via the same ways.

 

Who is not deemed as traveler?

 

The following are not deemed as travelers: captains, crew and servants of ships; servants of railways and sleeping and buffet cars; and people in charge for the transportation and management of automobiles, buses, trucks, planes and other road and sea vehicles and aircraft, and for services in relation to travelers and goods.

 

How Much Turkish Liras, Foreign Exchange Can Travelers Bring Into The Country?

 

There are no restrictions on the amount of Turkish Liras and foreign exchange travelers can bring into Turkey.

 

How Much Turkish Liras, Foreign Exchange Can Travelers Take Abroad?

 

Travelers may take abroad USD. 5000 or any equivalent cash with them. If they declare it at their entry into Turkey, persons settled in a foreign country and those who are of Turkish nationality may take abroad USD. 5000 or any cash exceeding its equivalent. Whereas the persons settled in Turkey may take abroad USD. 5000 or any cash exceeding its equivalent only if they certify that they purchased the foreign exchange from a bank.  

 

It is free to transfer Turkish Liras or foreign exchange by means of banks.

 

Travelers, who bring the currency in order to make cash payment for meeting the costs of the exportation realized from Turkey, should declare and certify this state at their entry. 

 

How Much Jewelry Can Travelers Bring Into The Country or Take Abroad?

 

Travelers may bring into the Turkish Customs Territory and may take out of the Turkish Customs Territory jewelry of non-commercial nature crafted with precious metals and the gems the value of which does not exceed USD. 15.000. Such goods having a value more than USD.15.000 may be taken abroad only if they have been declared at the entry or it is certified that these goods were purchased in Turkey.

 

What is Relief Granted for Personal Effects?

 

Whether used or not, personal effects of non-commercial nature that are brought with travelers or brought in a period of two months before or six months after their entrance, are relief from customs duties.

 

Undersecretariat of Customs is authorized to determine the qualities, features, amount and value of the goods that can be imported as personal effects and to conduct and to conclude enquires into special and obligatory cases.

 

What is Relief for Goods Received by Post and Valued at EURO.100?

 

Goods that have been brought by a person into the Turkish Customs Territory by post, in a parcel or by express cargo service and that have a total value of maximum EURO 100 for each consignment are relief from the customs duties if the goods do not have a commercial quantity and nature.

 

What is Relief for Gifts Sent by Post from Customs Duties?

 

Goods that have been consigned by a natural person residing outside the Turkish Customs Territory to a natural person who is resident in the Turkish Customs Territory by means of postal and express cargo services are relief from customs duties.

 

This relief can apply to the goods mentioned below;

-          Goods that have been sent for the Ramadan Feast, Festival of Sacrifices, New Year and Christmas by post or express cargo service,

-          Goods of no commercial quantity and nature,

-          Goods that belong to a person, a family or the goods that are brought as gifts

-          Goods that are not subject to any payment by the receiver.

 

How Much Relief Is Applied To Gifts?

 

This relief is applied to the goods that have a real value of EURO 300. Where the goods contain more than one item, the total value of the items must not exceed EURO 300.

 

Where the value of the consignment containing two or more items, exceeds 300 EURO, the relief of the customs duties will be applied only to the value mentioned above.

 

Under What Circumstances Is The Relief Applied To The Goods?

 

This relief will be applied to the goods that have been imported a month before or after the situation mentioned in paragraph (a) or to those that have been brought into the Turkish Customs Territory.

 

Is There Any Relief Applied To The Goods Brought By The Travelers As A Gift?

 

                The goods of non-commercial nature that are brought by the travelers (except for the transit travelers) and imported are relief from customs duties.

 

                This relief will apply to the goods mentioned below:

 

                a) Goods of no commercial quantity and nature,

                b) Goods for the personal use of the importer or his family use,

                c) Goods that are brought as a gift.

 

The Undersecretariat of Customs has the authority to determine the quality and specifications and the quantities and values; to examine and resolve the special situations and to restrict the relief of the imported gifts with the aim to prevent the exploitation of the right of relief.

 

This relief is limited with the quantity of the goods below for each traveler.

 

a) Tobacco products:

 

Cigarette	200 pieces and
Cigarillos (cigars not exceeding 3 gr. per each	50 pieces and
Cigar	10 pieces and
Minced tobacco (with 200 leaves of cigarette paper	200 gr. or
Pipe tobacco	200 gr. or
Chewing tobacco	200 gr. or
Water-pipe tobacco	200 gr.
snuff	50 gr.

b) Alcohol and alcoholic drinks:

 

100 cc	1 bottle or
70 or 75 cc	2 bottles

c)

Eau de cologne, lavender water, perfume and lotion (max. 120 ml)

5 pieces

d)

Coffee	1 kg.
Soluble instant coffee	1 kg.
Tea	500 gr.
Chocolate	1 kg.
Candy	1 kg.

 

e) Medicine and medical equipment for personal use only.

 

The relief mentioned in paragraphs (a) and (b) will not be applied to the travelers under 18.

 

How Much Relief Is Applied To EURO?

 

The relief, except for the goods mentioned in the paragraphs (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e),  will be applied to the goods the original value of which do not exceed the value of EURO 300. However, this amount will be EURO 145 for the travelers under the age of 15.

 

Where the total value per traveler of the goods containing two or more items exceeds the values listed in Article 6 "The relief of goods brought by the travelers as a gift", the relief is only applied for the part related with EURO 300 or EURO 145. 

 

Is It Possible For Traveler To Send Goods By Post Or Bring Them  Into The Country  By The Way Of Paying Their Duties  

 

Without prejudice to the goods total real value of which does not exceed EURO 300 and which are to be imported relief from customs duties; the goods of no commercial quantity and nature that have been consigned by post or express cargo service or brought by travelers (at the age of 18 or over) or brought two months before or six months after the arrival of these travelers and that have a maximum value of 1500 EURO per traveler in each consignment, are subject to a fixed rate duty.

                This fixed rate duty is 10% of the value of the goods.

                The goods that have been brought within the limit mentioned above;

 

                a) should be consigned to the Turkish residents by post or express cargo service,

                b) should be brought by travelers,

                c) should be brought or consigned as a gift,

                d) should be for the traveler’s own or his/her family use,

                e) should not be subject to any payment made by the receiver, 

                f) should be of no commercial nature and quantity.

 

What Is The Procedure For Goods Imported, Total Value of Which Exceeds Euro 1500.

 

Where the total value of the goods imported within this framework exceeds 1500 EURO, the customs duties paid at the importation of the goods are assessed and collected in accordance with the regulations in force.

 

Where the value of the imported goods exceeds 1500 EURO, the customs duties of these goods are assessed and collected in accordance with the rates determined by the Import Regime Decree.

 

The declarant may demand that the goods be subject to import duties before any fixed rate duty is assessed. In this case, the importation of the goods is allowed only if the import duties are collected.

 

The value of the goods brought as above, which will be taken as a basis in the determination of the tax base, is calculated according to the invoice or sale receipt. Where such documents cannot be submitted or the value declared on the document submitted is considered as a low value by the customs officers, the value is determined by the customs administration.

 

Is There Any List Defined For Personal Effects Relief From Customs Duties?

 

A-) Goods Used for Clothing and Traveling

 

-          Goods used for clothing

-          Goods used for daily life and travel

-          Fabric for dresses (not exceeding 5 meters)

-          One fur clothing belonging to the traveler holding the right of residence transfer when transferring his or her residence to Turkey permanently.

 

B-) Electronic Appliances

 

- 1 black white television

- 1 colour television [up to 55 inch screen (excluding 55 inch screen)]

- 1 portable colour television up to 16 inch screen (including 16 inch screen)

- 1 black-white television-radio-tape recorder set

- 1 video camera and 5 blank video tapes

- 1 Film projector up to 8mm (with 10 blank films)

- 1 slide projector

- Data-bank with a RAM [up to 132 Kbytes (including 132 Kbytes)]

- Portable Compact Discman

- 1 portable radio and radio-tape recorder (self giving voice) (the features of the radio-tape are determined by the Undersecretariat of Customs)

- 1 walkman or a small pocket-type tape recorder

- Electronic game machines without cassettes and cartridges

- Record, tape or compact disc (maximum 5 of each)

- GSM-cellular phone (with SIM cards)

 

C-) Musical Instruments

 

1 Harmonica, 

2-Mandolin, 

3-Flageolet, 

4-Brass band, 

5- Flute, 

6- Guitar, 

7- Accordion, 

(Maximum three instruments including only one of each)

 

D-) Sports & Game Instruments

 

- A camping tent with two rooms, 

- A diving apparatus for underwater sports (quality, spare parts and parts are defined by Undersecretariat), 

- Gliding wings (a pair), 

- A plastic boat without an engine, 

- A wind surf used for water sports, 

- Flipper (a pair), 

- Each of the other sports equipment and clothing (except sea motorcycle and motorized sea sled) for self-use,  

- Chess set, 

- Game of checkers set, 

- 5 decks of playing cards,

 

E-) Health Equipment

 

- Sick beds of the traveler, 

- Chairs with movable parts designed for disabled people either with or without an engine, 

- Medicines used for personal medical treatment, 

-Gas mask and similar protective equipment (maximum 2 units),

 

F-) Kitchen Utensils

 

- Such kitchen utensils as plate, saucepan, fork, spoon and knife which may be used during the journey,

 

- A portable picnic stove,

 

- A samovar,

 

- Two thermos flasks,

 

- Coffee machine working with storage battery,

 

G-) Consumers' Goods

 

1- Either domestic or foreign; 

a) 200 cigarettes (1 carton) and 50 cigars. 

In addition, 

 200 gr. Minced tobacco and 200 cigar papers or

 200 gr. pipe tobacco or

200 gr. Chewing tobacco or

200 gr. Tumbaki* (* a tobacco used when smoking a water-pipe) or

50 gr. snuff, 

 b) If the goods are bought from Duty-free shops, traveler can bring 200 cigarettes (1 carton), 100 cigars and 500 gr. pipe tobacco, 

2- 1.5 kg. of coffee, 1.5 kg. of instant coffee, 500 gr.  of tea, 1 kg. of chocolate, 1 kg. of candy,

3- a bottle of 100 cl or 2 bottles of 75 or 70 cl of alcoholic drinks

4- 5 bottles of eau de cologne, lavender, perfume, essence and lotion kept in bottles of maximum 120 ml,

 

H-) Miscellaneous

 

- A portable type-writer 

- A camera (with 5 films), 

- A baby carriage 

- A bicycle of any size for a child traveler, 

- Toys of a child traveler (max. 10 pieces), 

- Pocket sized calculator that works with battery, 

- An iron (steam or steamless), 

- A praying mat at a size of 1x1.5 m. (woolen, cotton or synthetic), 

- A small handy binocular (except night vision and sniper binoculars), 

- A table clock, 

- A portable gas stove, 

- In case of transport with vehicle (only for the driver or the owner), 

- Screwdriver set (max 5 units at different sizes), 

- Wrench set (max 10 units at type used in vehicle), 

- Auto pump, 

- Car battery charging apparatus, 

- Handy vacuum cleaner operating with car battery, 

- An ice box operating with car battery, 

- An inner and a pneumatic tire in addition to spare tire, 

Other goods which can be included in personal effects by the Undersecretariat of Customs according to the traveler, 

A passenger can bring along the following pets on condition that they are kept under control:

- one cat or

- one dog or

- one bird or

- ten aquarium fish

(They must have veterinary health certificate, origin and vaccine documents and also identification card if any.)

 

IMPORTATION OF GOODS FROM THE EX-CUSTOMS LINE SALE STORES AT THE ENTRANCE AND CUSTOMS BARRIERS

 

The travelers may, without paying any customs duties, import the goods listed on the List of Personal Effects for Which Relief is Granted that they bought from the ex-customs line sale stores at the entrance and customs barriers, and the goods brought by the travelers as a gift.

On condition that they pay a tax of 10% of the total value of the goods, travelers may import the goods of no commercial quantity and nature the value of which do not exceed 1500 Euro per traveler and which have been brought by passengers after their duties were paid.

Where either the total value of the goods or the value of the goods that are subject to importation exceeds 1500 EURO, the customs duties of these goods are assessed and collected according to the rates of duties specified in Decree on Importation Regime.

 

Where the travelers import goods within the framework of the List of Personal Effects for which Relief is Granted and within the framework of the Goods   brought by travelers, it is not possible for them to buy the same good from the stores which are located on the customs house.

It is possible to purchase goods from those stores by paying in Turkish Liras or any convertible foreign exchange.

Undersecretariat for Customs is authorized to grant the permission to open stores on customs houses, to determine the list of goods that can be sold in these stores, the people that may purchase goods from these stores and the period within which shopping is possible, to arrange the principles of the establishment and operation of the stores, and the collection of sales taxes and customs duties.