Shipping Heavy Equipment to Turkey

The four ways to ship machinery to Turkey

Container, flat rack, RoRo and breakbulk, with where each one lands. RoRo availability is by U.S. coast; the other three are booked on the services that run when the cargo is ready.

What the U.S. ships to Turkey

U.S. exports to Turkey by machine class, 2025 against 2024, as reported by the United States to UN Comtrade^[1]. Units are as declared; the average is customs value divided by units.

A dash means the quantity was not reported for that year. Classes the U.S. did not ship here in either year are left out.

Import duty on machinery in Turkey

The most-favoured-nation (MFN) duty applied to each machine class, as a simple average of the national tariff lines under its HS subheading^[2]. Preferential rates under trade agreements can be lower.

The range shows the lowest and highest line within the subheading; a dash means every line has the same rate.

Worked example: a $100,000 excavator

Import duty: 5% of $100,000 CIF is $5,000 (HS 8429.52, 2023 tariff)^[2].

KDV (VAT): 20% of the duty-inclusive $105,000 is $21,000^[4]

Total duty and tax: $26,000, or 26% of CIF.

• Excise, port charges, broker fees and any registration tax are extra. The final rate depends on the exact tariff line your broker declares.

Vehicles and other taxes

Turkey layers customs duty, a Special Consumption Tax (ÖTV) and 20% VAT on imported vehicles. ÖTV is the largest component — progressive by engine size and value, commonly 45%–220% — and VAT is then applied on top of CIF + duty + ÖTV, making passenger-car imports very expensive.

Source: Turkish Ministry of Trade / Revenue Administration (ÖTV Law 4760), checked June 2026.

• Import duty: Customs duty by HS code (industrial goods often within the EU customs union)
• VAT: 20%
• Other charges: ÖTV special consumption tax 45–220% (engine/value-based); KKDF 6% on deferred-payment imports
• Age limits: Used passenger-car imports are tightly restricted; project cargo, machinery, and commercial vehicles follow HS-based rules. Confirm the exact ÖTV band from current Official Gazette tables via a Turkish broker.

U.S. export controls

Diversion risk. Turkey named by BIS as a common transshipment point for goods diverted to Russia/Belarus.^[5][6][7][8]

EAR99 heavy equipment normally needs no licence here, but reexport to Russia/Belarus of Supp. 4 items (8429, 8426, 8701, 8704) needs a BIS licence (§746.8(a)(5)). Screen all parties (CSL, SDN, Entity List); get end-user certification and no-Russia clause; red flags: forwarder as final consignee, third-country payer, onward routing.

Documents for Turkey

The papers a machinery shipment to Turkey usually needs at destination. Your consignee and their customs broker confirm the list for the exact cargo.

• Commercial Invoice
• Packing List
• Bill of Lading
• Certificate of Origin
• A.TR Movement Certificate (EU origin)
• CE Documentation
• Equipment Specifications

U.S. export rules

What every shipment from the U.S. has to clear before it sails, whatever the destination.

Electronic Export Information (15 CFR 30)U.S. Census Bureau

Electronic Export Information is filed in AES for each Schedule B number worth more than $2,500 going to one consignee on one conveyance, and for every vehicle whatever its value. For vessel cargo it is due at least 24 hours before loading; the Internal Transaction Number (ITN) goes to the carrier with the booking.^[9][10]

Applies to: Any Schedule B line over $2,500, and every vehicle

Used self-propelled vehicles: 72-hour ruleU.S. Customs and Border Protection

U.S. regulations count self-propelled construction and agricultural machinery as vehicles. A used one must be filed in AES at least 72 hours before export, whatever its value or destination, and the ITN, the VIN or serial number and the ownership documents go to CBP at the port of export. Filing after departure is not allowed.^[11][12][10]

Applies to: Used machines that drive: excavators, loaders, dozers, tractors, trucks

ISPM 15 wood packagingIPPC, administered in the U.S. by USDA APHIS

Wood packaging and dunnage must be heat-treated to a core temperature of 56 °C for at least 30 minutes, or fumigated, and carry the IPPC mark with the US country code, the facility number and HT or MB. Marked wood can be reused; repaired or remanufactured wood must be treated and marked again.^[13]

Applies to: Crates, skids, blocking and dunnage

Export classification under the EAR (ECCN or EAR99)BIS (U.S. Department of Commerce)

An item subject to the EAR is either listed on the Commerce Control List under an Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) or classified EAR99, the basket for items not listed. The ECCN’s reasons for control, read against the Commerce Country Chart, decide whether the destination needs a license. An EAR99 item rarely needs one, but no item, EAR99 included, may go to a person under a denial order or to a prohibited end use or end user without BIS authorization.^[14][15][16]

Applies to: Every export of goods subject to the Export Administration Regulations

Clearance notes for Turkey

• Mersin, Istanbul (Ambarlı), Izmir, and Iskenderun are the main gateways.
• ÖTV is the dominant cost on passenger vehicles — confirm the band before shipping.
• ÖTV (45–220%) plus VAT-on-everything makes passenger-car import costs among the highest anywhere.

Questions buyers ask

Export checklist (PDF)

A one-page checklist with the facts on this page for shipping Turkey: methods, duty, rules and documents. Give it to your customs broker.

Nearby destinations

• Shipping Heavy Equipment to Greece
• Shipping Heavy Equipment to Bulgaria
• Shipping Heavy Equipment to Georgia
• Shipping Heavy Equipment to Syria

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