Importing Clothing From Turkey

Turkey's customs position in one paragraph

Turkey and the EU operate a customs union covering most industrial goods, including apparel. In general terms, garments in free circulation in Turkey and shipped with an ATR movement certificate enter the EU without customs duty, which is one of the structural reasons European brands manufacture in Turkey. Import VAT still applies in the destination country, as it does for any import.

For non-EU markets such as the UK, trade is governed by separate agreements, and preferential duty treatment generally depends on the goods' origin being properly documented, typically via an EUR.1 certificate or an origin declaration. The US has no preferential agreement with Turkey for apparel, so normal US duty rates for the garment category apply. Rules and rates change, so always confirm current treatment for your specific product code with your customs broker or authority.

The documents your shipment travels with

Every commercial shipment carries a commercial invoice, stating the goods, values, currency, parties and delivery term, and a packing list detailing cartons, quantities, weights and dimensions. The transport document depends on mode: a CMR note for road freight, an air waybill for air, a bill of lading for sea. EU-bound goods add the ATR certificate; other markets may use an EUR.1 or an origin declaration where a trade agreement applies.

Depending on product and destination, you may also need details such as the HS code for each style, fibre composition for labelling rules, and care labelling that meets destination-market requirements. We prepare the export-side documentation as part of managing your production, and we align labelling with your market's rules at the PP sample stage so customs never meets a surprise.

• Commercial invoice and packing list: every shipment, every mode
• ATR certificate: EU-bound goods under the customs union
• EUR.1 or origin declaration: markets with preferential agreements, where applicable
• CMR, air waybill or bill of lading depending on transport mode

Duties and VAT in practice

Into the EU, qualifying goods with an ATR generally enter duty-free, and you pay import VAT at your country's rate, which VAT-registered businesses typically recover or account for through their normal returns. Into the UK, preferential origin treatment can reduce or remove duty where the rules are met and documented; otherwise standard apparel tariffs apply, plus UK VAT. Into the US, apparel duties vary significantly by garment type and fibre, commonly in the low-to-high teens percent range, plus any applicable fees.

The honest general advice is this: budget landed cost per unit, not ex-factory cost, before you commit to an order. We can indicate typical treatment for your product and destination, and your customs broker can confirm the exact rate for your HS code. Five minutes with a broker before ordering beats a surprise invoice at the border after.

Who handles customs clearance

It depends on your Incoterm. Under DDP, clearance and duties at destination are handled within the service you pay for, which is why first-time importers often start there. Under FOB or EXW, import clearance is your responsibility, normally executed by a customs broker or your freight forwarder's brokerage arm for a modest fee per entry.

To import commercially you will generally need to be a registered business with the identifiers your market requires, such as an EORI number in the EU or UK. Your broker or forwarder will tell you exactly what applies to you; obtaining these identifiers is typically a quick administrative step, not a barrier.

Common first-timer mistakes and how to avoid them

The classic errors are budgeting on ex-factory price and forgetting VAT and clearance fees, shipping without the ATR or origin paperwork and paying duty that was avoidable, mismatched values between invoice and payment records, and care labels that do not meet destination-market rules. Every one of these is preventable with ten minutes of planning at order stage.

Our role is to make the export side clean: correct documents, correct labelling agreed at sampling, values that match reality, and forwarders who know the Turkey-to-EU, UK and US lanes cold. Pair that with a decent customs broker on your side of the border and importing from Turkey becomes routine logistics, not adventure.