Your freight forwarder for Türkiye
Air & sea freight import and export solutions
Türkiye is a major industrial and trading economy linking Europe and Asia. Its development has created opportunities across many sectors, alongside regional economic differences and continuing investment needs.
Sea, Air, Transport & Service supports transport requirements involving Türkiye, whether you plan to export or import goods. We can also assist with international removals to or from Türkiye.
Sea freight, air freight and road transport for Türkiye
We work with established local logistics partners at important gateways, including Istanbul, Izmir and Mersin. Together, we develop arrangements matched to your goods and transport needs, aiming for consistent service, flexibility and appropriate costs. Our work covers sea transport as well as air freight. With Istanbul and Ankara Türkiye has major aviation and logistics gateways.
Our support extends beyond port-to-port or airport-to-airport transport. Through our partners, we can coordinate collection and delivery for a broad range of destinations within Türkiye, as well as transport from Türkiye to your agreed delivery address.
Because Türkiye is also connected with Germany by land routes, we can assess road transport options. The right solution depends on your goods, route and delivery requirements. We combine transport modes where useful and coordinate the relevant handling, documentation and customs procedures. Türkiye is outside the EU, so the applicable customs and product requirements must be prepared carefully.
Contact our team
We will explain the options for your planned transport to or from Türkiye. Contact us using the enquiry form, by email or by telephone. If you already know the shipment details, we can prepare an individual quotation and discuss the next steps.
Türkiye’s economy: historical trade context
- the earlier overview placed Türkiye among the world’s 20 largest economies and reported GDP of US$786 billion in 2014; these are historical data, not a current ranking;
- the overview described per-capita income as being in the upper middle range internationally, reflecting the country’s development as an emerging economy;
- it noted a traditional foreign-trade deficit linked to imports of raw materials, energy and intermediate goods;
- the EU was identified as a leading trading partner. In 2013, Türkiye imported goods worth €77.7 billion from the EU and exported goods worth €50.6 billion to it;
- Germany was a major trading partner: in 2013, it was the largest customer for Turkish exports (€12.3 billion) and the third-largest supplier to Türkiye (€21.4 billion), after Russia and China. These figures describe that historical period.
Selected airports and seaports in Türkiye
| Airport / seaport | IATA code / UN/LOCODE | City |
| Ankara-Esenboğa Airport | ESB | Ankara |
| Antalya Airport | AYT | Antalya |
| Çukurova International Airport (serving Adana/Mersin) | COV | Adana / Mersin |
| Bodrum-Milas Airport | BJV | Bodrum |
| Hasan Polatkan Airport | AOE | Eskişehir |
| Gaziantep Oğuzeli Airport | GZT | Gaziantep |
| Istanbul Airport | IST | Istanbul (European side) |
| Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen Airport | SAW | Istanbul (Asian side) |
| Adnan Menderes Airport | ADB | Izmir |
| Gaziantep Oğuzeli Airport | GZT | Gaziantep |
| Trabzon Airport | TZX | Trabzon |
| Port of Iskenderun | TR ISK | Iskenderun |
| Port of Istanbul (Haydarpasa) | TR HAY | Istanbul |
| Port of Izmir | TR IZM | Izmir |
01. The right partner for your shipment
Benefit from our experience with transport to and from Türkiye.
Our local partner network supports an individual plan for your goods, route and delivery requirements.
02. What do you need?
Germany–Türkiye trade lane: seaports, airports and transit planning
Türkiye is an important non-EU trading partner for Germany, with connections by road, sea and air. For sea freight container services connect ports including Ambarlı (Istanbul), Mersin as well as Izmir/Aliağa and İskenderun with Northern Europe through the Mediterranean. The existing overview gives indicative sea transits to Hamburg or Bremerhaven of around 10–14 days depending on the service and port calls. Smaller consignments may use LCL groupage containers (German) while full-container shipments use FCL services (German). Suitable equipment is described in our container-size overview (German). Our sea freight team will confirm current schedules and quotation details.
Another important option on this route is road freight (German) through the Balkans, for example Germany–Austria–Hungary–Romania–Bulgaria and the EU external border crossing at Kapitan Andreevo / Kapıkule. The existing overview gives an indicative 7–12 days for full truckloads to Istanbul and western Turkish industrial regions, subject to border waiting times and the actual operating plan. Urgent goods may instead use air freight through Istanbul (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) and Frankfurt (FRA). The overview quotes roughly three hours of flying time and an indicative 1–3 days door-to-door; actual flight capacity, handling, customs and delivery must be confirmed.
Customs for Türkiye: the customs union and A.TR status certificate
Unlike many other non-EU countries (German) Türkiye has a customs union with the EU covering most industrial products, with specific arrangements for processed agricultural products. For eligible goods in free circulation, customs status is normally evidenced by an A.TR movement certificate. It certifies free-circulation status, not preferential origin. Origin can still matter for trade-defence measures and other product requirements. Important exceptions include agricultural products and the coal and steel products covered by the relevant separate agreement. These follow origin-based preferential arrangements where applicable, with the required preferential proof, such as EUR.1 or the prescribed declaration. An ordinary certificate of origin (German)is not automatically a substitute for that proof. The correct commodity code (German) is important, and economic operators handling EU customs formalities generally need an EORI number (German). We coordinate the relevant customs clearance (German) for your shipment.
Frequently asked questions
Do shipments to Türkiye need EUR.1 or A.TR?
For eligible industrial goods in free circulation within the customs union, A.TR is the status document normally used. It does not prove origin and does not remove all product-specific or trade-defence requirements. Agricultural and relevant coal/steel goods fall under separate arrangements, where preferential origin and the appropriate proof, such as EUR.1 or a permitted declaration, must be checked.
How long does sea transport from Türkiye to Germany take?
The existing overview gives around 10–14 days of sea transit from gateways such as Ambarlı, Mersin or Izmir to Hamburg. Current carrier schedules must be checked, with collection, delivery and customs handling added. For an initial non-binding cost estimate, use our sea freight cost calculator (German).
Is import VAT payable on goods from Türkiye?
In general, import VAT can still apply on import into Germany even when customs-union treatment is available. Eligible businesses may recover input tax under the applicable conditions; A.TR is not an import-VAT exemption.
Telephone: +49 (0)89 1250 30 790