Incoterms 2020
Incoterms are the international rules that decide who arranges and pays for each part of a shipment, and exactly where risk passes from seller to buyer. Choosing the wrong one is a leading cause of trade disputes. The most common:
| Term | Meaning | Risk passes |
|---|---|---|
| EXW | Ex Works — buyer collects at the seller's premises and handles everything after. | At the seller's door |
| FOB | Free On Board — seller clears export and loads onto the vessel. | On board at port of loading |
| CIF | Cost, Insurance & Freight — seller pays freight and insurance to destination port. | On board at port of loading |
| DAP | Delivered At Place — seller delivers to the agreed destination, import duty on buyer. | At the named destination |
| DDP | Delivered Duty Paid — seller delivers cleared, with all duties paid. | At the named destination |
A common trap: buying EXW when you cannot legally handle export clearance in the origin country. For most cross-border buyers, FOB or CIF is safer for a first order.
Prohibited & restricted goods
Some goods need a permit, a certificate or a special authority before they can cross the border; others cannot move at all. Before you buy or sell, we check the tariff code against current restrictions. Categories that commonly need extra clearance include:
- Food, plant and animal products — health and phytosanitary certificates.
- Medicines, cosmetics and health products — ministry approvals.
- Chemicals, batteries, waste and environment-sensitive materials — special permits.
- Machinery, electronics, toys and PPE — CE conformity and TAREKS risk checks.
- Firearms, hazardous materials and dual-use goods — restricted to authorised parties.
The safe rule: assume nothing is unrestricted until the code is checked. It is far cheaper to confirm a permit before shipping than to have goods rejected at the border.
Packaging & labelling rules
Wood packaging (ISPM-15)
Pallets, crates and dunnage made of solid wood must be heat-treated or fumigated to the international ISPM-15 standard and stamped accordingly. Many markets across the region enforce this strictly — untreated wood can get a whole shipment turned back.
Labelling & language
Several markets require product labels in the local language. For Arabic-speaking destinations, dual-language (and often Arabic) labelling is expected, and some countries have specific rules on packaging and marks. Getting this right before you pack avoids costly relabelling at the border.
Sanctions & payment caution
Cross-border payments in this region need planning. A letter of credit is common — and in some markets such as Iraq effectively expected — because it protects both sides: the bank pays only against compliant documents.
Trade involving Iran deserves particular care: banking and payment routes can be restricted, and some banks decline to handle certain transactions. We help you confirm the payment and compliance picture early, so a deal is not agreed before it can actually be settled.
Penalties & disputes
Incorrect declarations, missing documents, undervaluation and misclassification carry administrative penalties that scale with the duty at stake, and serious cases can become criminal smuggling matters. If you disagree with a customs decision, there is a short objection window — generally 15 days — before the matter goes to the Tax Court. The theme of all of it: declare correctly the first time.
Golden rules: do's & don'ts
Do
- Confirm the HS/GTİP code and the landed cost before you commit.
- Declare the true transaction value, every time.
- Keep all documents perfectly consistent with each other.
- Secure certificates and permits before goods ship.
- Agree Incoterms and payment terms in writing up front.
- Use ISPM-15 wood and market-correct labelling.
Don't
- Under-declare value — penalties dwarf the duty saved.
- Guess a tariff code or reuse an unrelated one.
- Ship regulated goods without the required certificate.
- Accept an Incoterm you can't actually operate.
- Close a deal before the payment route is confirmed.
- Assume last year's rules and codes still apply.
Glossary — good to know
HS / GTİP
The tariff code that classifies a product and sets its duty and permits; GTİP is Türkiye's 12-digit version.
A.TR
Movement certificate for zero-duty industrial trade between Türkiye and the EU under the Customs Union.
EUR.1
Preferential-origin certificate for agricultural/steel goods and free-trade-agreement partners.
Beyanname
The customs declaration — the legal statement of goods, origin and value.
BİLGE
Türkiye's electronic customs system through which declarations are filed.
Gümrük Müşaviri
A licensed customs broker who prepares and files declarations on your behalf.
TAREKS
The risk-based control system for safety and quality checks on many products.
KDV / ÖTV
KDV is Turkish VAT; ÖTV is special consumption tax on categories like fuel, vehicles and tobacco.
YYS / OKS
Authorised-operator statuses that grant simplified, faster customs procedures.
TIR / CMR
TIR Carnet and CMR are the transit and road-consignment documents for international trucking.
L/C
Letter of credit — a bank guarantee that pays the seller against compliant documents.
IPR
Inward Processing — import materials duty-suspended, process them and re-export.
Not sure which rules apply to your cargo?
Send us the product and route — we'll tell you exactly which documents, permits and terms you need.