Shipping household goods to Turkey is not hard, but it is particular. The same container of furniture can clear duty-free in a few days or sit at the port while customs assesses it as an ordinary import, and the difference is almost never the furniture. It is the owner's status and the paperwork that proves it.
This guide walks through how Turkish customs treats a household move from Canada: who qualifies for an exemption, what goes in the file, what the examination looks for, and the mistakes we see most. Rules and allowances are set by regulation and change from time to time, so treat this as the map, and let the destination agent confirm the current details against your own documents before anything sails.
First question: which track are you on?
Turkish customs sorts household shipments into a few tracks, and everything else follows from which one you are on.
- Returning Turkish citizens. If you have lived abroad long enough — the usual threshold is two years or more — and are moving back to settle, your used household goods and personal effects can come in without duty, provided they arrive within the window customs allows around your return.
- Blue Card (Mavi Kart) holders. Former Turkish citizens generally follow the same track as citizens for household goods.
- Foreign nationals on a work or residence permit. Used household goods can be imported under an exemption tied to the permit. Depending on the permit, customs may ask for a guarantee that the goods will not be sold in Turkey; it is released when you leave.
- Everyone else. Buying an apartment or a holiday villa does not, on its own, create an exemption. Without residence status the shipment is an ordinary import, assessed for duty and VAT on the declared value.
The documents in a Turkish customs file
The file is short when it is complete and expensive when it is not. Our partner in Turkey usually asks for:
- Your passport, with the entry stamp for your arrival, and your Turkish ID number if you have one
- For returning citizens: proof of residence abroad, such as Canadian leases, tax or employment records, or your consular registration
- For foreign nationals: your residence permit (ikamet izni) or work permit, or proof of the application
- A detailed, itemized inventory in English or Turkish, with electronics listed by make and model
- Your Turkish delivery address, a local phone number, and a signed power of attorney so the agent can act for you
You generally need to be in Turkey, with your passport, when the shipment clears. Book your flight first, then time the sailing to it.
What the examination looks for
Turkish customs examines household shipments more closely than most destinations, so it pays to pack the way the inspector reads. Three things draw attention.
- Quantities that look commercial. One television, one laptop per person and a normal kitchen read as a household. Five identical heaters read as stock, and stock is dutiable.
- New items. Anything still in its retail packaging is treated as a new import. If you bought it for the move, unbox it and use it, or leave it in Canada.
- A vague inventory. "Kitchen, 12 boxes" invites the examiner to open all twelve. A carton-by-carton list with electronics by make and model is what gets a shipment through quickly.
Phones and electronics
Mobile phones are a separate system from the household-goods entry. A phone bought abroad has to be registered by its IMEI number and a registration fee paid after you arrive; unregistered phones stop working on Turkish networks after a grace period. You do this yourself, not the moving agent, so budget for it alongside the move.
Other electronics travel with your household goods and are fine in normal household quantities. Turkey runs on 230 volts with European two-pin plugs, so laptops and phone chargers (which are almost all dual-voltage) are fine, while Canadian 110-volt appliances such as kettles, blenders and the washer need transformers or replacement.
Where shipments get stuck
| Problem | What happens | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Goods arrive before you do | The container waits at the port and storage charges run | Book the sailing around your arrival date, not the other way round |
| No proof of residence abroad | The exemption is refused and duty is assessed | Gather leases, tax and employment records before packing day |
| New items in their boxes | Assessed as imports, with duty and VAT | Unbox and use them, or leave them behind |
| Commercial-looking quantities | Extra examination and possible duty | One of each kind; list electronics by make and model |
| Inventory too vague | Longer examination and more cartons opened | A detailed, carton-by-carton inventory, which we build as we pack |
How we handle the customs side
We go through your status at the survey, before anything is packed, so the inventory is built for the track you are on. Our crews pack and list every carton in our North York warehouse, and our Turkish partner, an IAM member agent, checks the file against current requirements before the container sails, then files the entry and attends the examination. The full route, timelines and costs are on our moving from Canada to Türkiye page, and if you are heading for Istanbul, our Toronto to Istanbul moving guide covers the delivery end.
Moving to Turkey?
Tell us your status and where you are going. We check your customs track at the free survey and send a fixed door-to-door price.