Since 6 February 2026, Presidential Decision No. 10813 has abolished the 30 euro threshold for postal and express courier consignments to individuals in Türkiye. Non commercial goods up to 1,500 euros and 30 kg are now declared by the courier with ordinary customs duty, VAT and other import taxes. The single flat rate (30 percent from the EU, 60 percent elsewhere, plus 20 percent for list IV goods) applies only to medicines and supplements with a prescription. Phones cannot be sent by post or courier. Objections to customs must be filed within 15 days (Article 242, Law No. 4458).
For years, many foreigners living in Türkiye ordered clothes, electronics accessories and small household items from foreign websites in the belief that anything under 30 euros would pass customs with little more than a modest flat charge. That belief is now out of date. Presidential Decision No. 10813, published in the Official Gazette of 7 January 2026, removed the 30 euro threshold for postal and express courier consignments with effect from 6 February 2026. Since then, almost every parcel ordered from abroad by an individual is cleared on a customs declaration with the ordinary import taxes, and the old single flat rate survives only for medicines and food supplements sent against a prescription or medical report. This article explains how a foreign order is cleared today, what is still exempt, which goods cannot be sent by post or courier at all, how returns and refunds of duty work, and what you can do when you disagree with the courier or with customs.
The rules on postal and courier imports are not found in a single statute. The Customs Law, Law No. 4458, sets the framework, and the detailed limits are set by the Decision on the Implementation of Certain Articles of the Customs Law, which was originally adopted as Council of Ministers Decision No. 2009/15481 and is amended by Presidential decisions. Two articles of that decision matter for online shoppers: Article 62, which sets the single flat rate tax, and Article 126, which allows the postal administration and authorised courier companies to handle the customs formalities on your behalf.
Until 6 February 2026, a non commercial consignment sent to a private individual by post or express courier and worth no more than 30 euros could be cleared under a simplified procedure, with one single flat rate tax collected on its value: 30 percent for goods coming directly from a European Union country and 60 percent for goods from other countries. The value ceiling had already been cut from 150 euros to 30 euros, and the flat rates raised, by Presidential Decision No. 8787, published in the Official Gazette of 6 August 2024. In everyday language this was called the "30 euro limit" or even the "customs exemption limit", although in practice it was a simplified flat tax rather than a full exemption. Consignments between 30 and 1,500 euros were already cleared on a declaration filed by the courier.
Decision No. 10813 did two things. First, it rewrote Article 62(1) so that the single flat rate now applies only to medicines and food supplements sent to an individual on the basis of a medical report or a doctor's prescription, in non commercial quantities and worth no more than 1,500 euros. Second, it deleted the words "exceeding 30 euros" from Article 126(1)(b). As a result, every non commercial consignment to an individual worth up to 1,500 euros, including a parcel of 5 or 10 euros, now falls into the normal declaration procedure. The decision entered into force 30 days after publication, which is 6 February 2026, and its implementation is the responsibility of the Minister of Trade.
The practical question for most readers is what happens when the parcel lands in Istanbul or Ankara. The answer depends on its value, its weight and whether customs considers it to be for personal use.
For goods for personal use, not of a commercial quantity or character, worth up to 1,500 euros and weighing no more than 30 kilograms gross, the courier company or the postal administration may act as your indirect representative and file a detailed customs declaration in your name. Article 225 of Law No. 4458 allows this, and Article 126 of the implementing decision requires courier companies using this authority to employ a licensed customs broker. You pay the import taxes that apply to that product under the general rules: customs duty according to the tariff, any additional duties applicable to the country of origin, VAT and, for certain products, special consumption tax. In practice the courier sends you a message with the amount due and the parcel is released once you pay. The Ministry of Trade confirms on its official questions and answers page that couriers acting in this capacity may not charge consultancy, delivery order or terminal fees, and may not charge a storage fee for the first 3 days after notifying you.
Above 1,500 euros, or where the goods are commercial in quantity or nature, the simplified courier route is closed. The goods must be imported under a full declaration at the ordinary rates, normally through a customs broker. A private individual may also follow the formalities personally, or through a representative holding a power of attorney, but only for goods that are not commercial in quantity or character (Article 225 of Law No. 4458). Product safety and conformity documents may be required, and goods that need a licence or permit will not be released without it.
The value that counts is not only the price on the website. According to the Ministry of Trade, the transport cost from the place of dispatch to the Turkish border is added. If the invoice or receipt does not show the freight separately, a notional freight of 3 euros is added. Taxes are then calculated on that customs value, which is why the amount demanded by the courier is often higher than shoppers expect. Keep the order confirmation, the payment record and the invoice: they are your evidence if the value is questioned.
A few categories still enjoy special treatment. The table summarises the position as published by the Ministry of Trade and in the amended decision.
| Category | Current Rule |
|---|---|
| Ordinary goods for personal use up to 1,500 euros | Detailed declaration by the courier or postal administration; ordinary customs duty, VAT and other import taxes apply, whatever the value |
| Goods above 1,500 euros or commercial goods | Full import declaration at the ordinary rates, normally through a customs broker |
| Medicines and food supplements up to 1,500 euros | Single flat rate of 30 percent (directly from the EU) or 60 percent (other countries), plus 20 percent for goods on list (IV) of the Special Consumption Tax Law; a prescription or medical report is required |
| Books and printed matter for personal use up to 1,500 euros | Exempt according to the Ministry of Trade |
| Personal belongings of a traveller sent separately | Exempt if sent between 1 month before and 3 months after the traveller's arrival; passport shown to prove the arrival date |
| Mobile phones | Cannot be imported by post or courier, whether exempt or with taxes paid |
| Tobacco products and alcohol | Cannot be sent by post or courier; only as passenger goods within the limits |
| Cosmetics | Cannot be brought in under the postal and courier exemption |
| Weight and frequency | 30 kilograms gross; the exemption is limited to five consignments per person per calendar month |
The 430 euro gift allowance that applies to passengers does not apply to goods arriving by post or courier, a point the Ministry states expressly.
All of the simplified rules depend on the consignment being non commercial. Turkish customs legislation does not give a fixed number of items that turns a parcel into a commercial one. Customs looks at the type of goods, the quantity, the frequency of consignments to the same person or address and whether the pattern suggests resale. Ten identical phone cases, several pairs of the same shoes in different sizes, or a steady flow of parcels from the same seller to the same address are typical warning signs. A foreigner who runs a small online shop from home, or who buys for friends and family, should assume that customs will treat the goods as commercial and that the simplified courier route is not available.
The consequences of a commercial classification are practical rather than criminal in most cases: the parcel is held, a full declaration is required, and documents such as an invoice, product conformity papers or a tax number may be requested. If you intend to sell goods in Türkiye, the correct structure is an ordinary import through a business, and our team handling e-commerce law can explain the registration and tax steps.
Some products are refused regardless of value. Ordering them from abroad usually means the parcel will be held, returned or liquidated, and the money paid to the seller may be lost.
The Ministry of Trade states that mobile phones cannot be brought into Türkiye by post or express courier, either exempt or with taxes paid, and that a phone sent this way is not delivered to the addressee. The only exception concerns a phone whose IMEI is already registered and which the owner left abroad: it may be sent between 1 month before and 3 months after the owner's arrival, and the registration is checked through the official BTK IMEI service on e-Devlet. A phone you buy online abroad should therefore be carried in person, after which the passenger registration route applies. The registration steps and the fee are explained in our separate guide on registering imported phones in Türkiye.
Tobacco products and alcoholic drinks cannot be sent by post or courier; they can only enter as passenger goods within the passenger limits. Cosmetic products as defined in the Cosmetics Law, Law No. 5324, cannot benefit from the postal and courier exemption either. Shoppers are often surprised by the cosmetics rule because skincare and perfume are among the most common online purchases.
Medicines and food supplements, including sports nutrition, may be sent to an individual up to 1,500 euros, but only with a medical report or prescription issued within the last year before delivery, or with national athlete documents for sports foods. Reports and prescriptions from foreign health institutions are accepted. A new report is not needed for every parcel. If the goods are for a relative, both persons must give a written statement. The flat rate described in section 3 is collected at the door if you accept the parcel, so you do not have to attend customs in person. Supplements ordered without any medical document should be expected to be refused.
Goods you carry in your luggage when you arrive are subject to the passenger rules, not to the postal and courier rules. Passengers have their own allowances for personal belongings, gifts, perfume, tobacco and alcohol, and phones registered on arrival. These allowances are set out in our guide on the passenger allowance at Turkish customs. The two regimes cannot be combined: you cannot claim the passenger gift allowance for a parcel that arrives by courier, and an online order delivered to a hotel or friend abroad and then carried in by you becomes a passenger matter, which must still respect the passenger limits and must be declared at the red channel if it exceeds them. Valuables such as gold or large amounts of cash carried by travellers follow separate rules, described in our article on undeclared gold at Turkish customs.
Some foreign sellers offer to mark a parcel as a "gift" or to declare a lower value. This shifts the risk to you as the addressee. Under Article 234(1)(b) of Law No. 4458, where the declared value of goods is found to be lower than the correct customs value, the missing import taxes are collected together with a penalty of three times the tax difference. If you notify the customs administration of the error before it is detected, the penalty is applied at 10 percent of that amount (Article 234(3)).
In serious or repeated cases the matter can go beyond an administrative penalty. Article 3(2) of the Anti-Smuggling Law, Law No. 5607, punishes bringing goods into the country without paying all or part of the customs taxes through deceptive acts with 2 to 5 years' imprisonment and a judicial fine of up to 10,000 days. A single mislabelled parcel bought for personal use is normally handled under the Customs Law, but a regular pattern of falsely declared purchases for resale can attract a criminal investigation. Never ask a seller to understate the value, and keep the real invoice.
Returning an online purchase from Türkiye involves two separate relationships: your relationship with customs regarding the taxes, and your contract with the seller regarding the price.
If the taxes demanded are higher than expected, you may decline to pay and refuse the parcel. It is then returned to the sender or, if it is not collected or returned within the applicable period, treated as goods to be liquidated under Articles 177 and 178 of Law No. 4458. Refusing a parcel does not automatically refund the price you paid to the seller, so check the seller's return policy before you refuse, and tell the seller in writing why the parcel was not accepted.
If you paid the taxes and then find that the item is defective, damaged before delivery or not what you ordered, Article 213 of Law No. 4458 allows the import taxes to be refunded, provided the goods have not been used beyond what was needed to discover the defect and are exported out of Türkiye, or destroyed or placed under another permitted procedure with customs approval. The application must be made to the customs administration within one year of the date the taxes were notified to you. Separately, taxes that were paid although they were not legally due can be reclaimed under Article 211 within three years of notification. Keep photographs, the courier's delivery record and the seller's confirmation of the return, because the customs office will want proof that the same item left the country.
Under Article 48(4) of the Consumer Protection Law, Law No. 6502, a consumer may withdraw from a distance contract within 14 days without giving reasons. Whether Turkish consumer law applies to a seller based abroad is a separate question. Under Article 26 of the Code on Private International and Procedural Law, Law No. 5718, a consumer contract is governed by the law chosen by the parties, without prejudice to the mandatory protection of the law of the consumer's habitual residence, and Turkish law applies where no law is chosen and, for example, the seller received the order in Türkiye or the contract followed advertising addressed to the consumer here. Article 45 of the same law allows a consumer to sue in the Turkish courts of his or her domicile or habitual residence. Enforcing a Turkish judgment against a seller with no assets in Türkiye is another matter, so in practice the platform's own dispute process and a card chargeback through your bank are often quicker. Our article on consumer rights in online shopping covers the domestic rules in more detail.
Most complaints we see concern couriers rather than customs: unexpected service fees, storage charges, parcels marked as delivered but never received, and goods damaged in transit. Start with a written complaint to the courier, quoting the tracking number, the amount charged and the Ministry of Trade guidance that no consultancy, delivery order or terminal fee may be charged under indirect representation and that no storage fee is due for the first 3 days after notification. Ask for an itemised breakdown separating the taxes collected for customs from the courier's own charges, because the Ministry collects only the taxes and every other amount is the courier's.
A courier operating in Türkiye is a service provider, so a private customer can use the consumer dispute system. Under Article 68 of Law No. 6502, application to a consumer arbitration committee is mandatory for disputes below a monetary threshold that is revalued at the start of each calendar year; larger claims go to the consumer courts. Our guides on applying to the consumer arbitration board and on the jurisdiction of consumer courts explain the procedure. For lost or damaged parcels, report the damage on delivery where possible and photograph the packaging, because the courier's liability depends on the contract terms and the evidence you can produce.
If customs assesses taxes you consider wrong, classifies your goods as commercial, refuses release or imposes a penalty, the first step is an administrative objection. Under Article 242 of Law No. 4458, you may object by petition within 15 days of notification to the authority above the office that made the decision, or to the same authority if there is no higher one. The administration must decide within 30 days and notify you. If the objection is rejected, you may bring an action before the administrative courts at the place where the decision was made; for disputes over taxes and the related penalties this is the tax court, and the general time limit for filing at a tax court is 30 days under Article 7 of the Administrative Judicial Procedure Law, Law No. 2577. A petition filed in time with the wrong authority is treated as filed in time and forwarded (Article 242(3)).
The objection should explain the facts, attach the invoice, payment proof and product description, and state clearly what you want: a lower assessment, release of the goods, or cancellation of the penalty. For penalties, our article on objecting to administrative fines sets out the general approach.
No. Since 6 February 2026, Decision No. 10813 has removed the 30 euro threshold, so even very cheap consignments to individuals are cleared on a declaration with the ordinary import taxes.
You pay the ordinary import taxes for that product, which means customs duty under the tariff, any additional duty for the country of origin, VAT and, for some goods, special consumption tax, all calculated on the value including freight.
Yes, but only for medicines and food supplements up to 1,500 euros sent with a prescription or medical report: 30 percent directly from the EU, 60 percent from other countries, plus 20 percent for goods on special consumption tax list (IV).
For non commercial goods up to 1,500 euros and 30 kilograms, the courier or the postal administration can file it as your indirect representative and collect the taxes from you before delivery.
No. The Ministry of Trade states that phones cannot be imported by post or courier and are not delivered; buy it abroad and carry it in person, then follow the passenger registration steps.
Cosmetics cannot be brought in under the postal and courier exemption, so you should expect such a parcel to be refused or to require a full commercial import.
No. The Ministry of Trade confirms that the passenger gift allowance does not apply to goods arriving by post or courier.
According to the Ministry of Trade, books and printed matter for personal use up to 1,500 euros remain exempt.
The price of the goods plus the transport cost to the Turkish border; if freight is not shown separately on the invoice, a notional 3 euros is added.
The parcel is not released; it is returned to the sender or eventually liquidated by customs, and any refund of the price depends on the seller's return policy.
Yes, under Article 213 of Law No. 4458, if the item was not used beyond discovering the defect, it is exported, and you apply within one year of the notification of the taxes.
Not for the first 3 days after notifying you, and under indirect representation it may not charge consultancy, delivery order or terminal fees, according to the Ministry of Trade.
If customs finds the value understated, it collects the missing taxes plus a penalty of three times the difference under Article 234 of Law No. 4458, and deliberate schemes can be investigated as smuggling.
File a written objection within 15 days of notification under Article 242 of Law No. 4458; if it is rejected, you may sue in the tax court, generally within 30 days.
The postal and courier rules apply in the same way to everyone resident in Türkiye; what differs for foreigners is mainly the passenger regime on arrival and the documents you can provide, such as a passport to prove your arrival date.
Since 6 February 2026, ordering from abroad as an individual in Türkiye is no longer a matter of staying under 30 euros. Almost every parcel is declared and taxed at the ordinary rates, the old flat rate is kept only for medicines and supplements with a medical document, phones, tobacco, alcohol and cosmetics cannot be sent by post or courier, and the passenger allowances cannot be used for parcels. Returns, refunds of duty and objections each have their own strict deadlines under Law No. 4458, and disputes with couriers and sellers follow the consumer rules.
If a parcel has been held, taxed in a way you consider wrong, classified as commercial or penalised, or if you are planning regular imports and want to set them up correctly, the time limits start running from notification, so act quickly. For advice on your specific consignment or for an objection to customs, please contact our legal team.
Documents referenced in this article, free to download.
Official Gazette Turkiye Customs Law Amendment 2026Download
