Goods and vehicles brought when moving to Turkey (customs)

This page explains the rules for bringing household goods and vehicles from the USA to Turkey when permanently returning, the conditions for those who want to temporarily take a foreign-plated vehicle without permanently returning, and the rules on accompanied baggage, mobile phones, and cash that apply to every trip. The rules were taken from the Ministry of Trade's official Customs Guide and the 2026 information notes of the consulates general. Customs legislation changes frequently; check the latest information in the guide before setting out.

• Who can benefit?
  • Those who permanently transfer their residence to Turkey after having lived outside Turkey for at least 24 months.
  • Being temporarily present in Turkey for less than 6 months within one year does not interrupt the continuity, but these periods do not count toward the 24 months. Stays of up to 45 days in Turkey are considered stays abroad.
  • This duration requirement does not apply to those who spent at least 5 of the last 10 years abroad.
  • Those who settle in Turkey after acquiring Turkish citizenship and heirs in Turkey following the death of a person residing abroad may also benefit.
• Dual citizens may benefit from this exemption. Persons who renounced Turkish citizenship with permission and acquired foreign citizenship (Mavi Kart holders) may not benefit.
• The exemption is granted to the family unit (mother, father, and children under 18). Spouses cannot benefit separately; this rule applies even if the spouses are in different countries.
• A person who has benefited from the exemption once must live abroad for at least another 24 months to benefit again.
• Except for portable tools and devices, materials intended for use in a trade or profession are not covered by the exemption.
• Time limit: the goods must be brought and declared together with you, before your arrival, or within 6 months after your arrival. They may be brought in one or several consignments.
• Documents required at customs:
  • residence transfer certificate obtained from the consulate
  • full civil registry record
  • list of goods to be attached to the oral declaration form

• This is the document requested by customs for bringing household goods and a vehicle upon permanent return. It is obtained from the notary section of the consulate general.
• Conditions (New York 2026): having lived abroad for at least 24 months and not having stayed in Turkey for more than 6 months in a calendar year.
• Required documents:
  • the original current Turkish passport and all canceled previous passports, together with copies of their processed pages
  • Turkish identity card and, if applicable, US passport or green card
  • documents proving that you lived abroad for 24 months and are permanently returning, such as a termination letter, workplace closure documents, or diploma
  • if you are bringing a vehicle, the vehicle's title, registration, and insurance documents for the last 6 months
  • application petition (attached to the information note)
• Fee: $18.70 in New York. If you apply from Turkey, an additional $85 is charged for mailing the document to you; the payment link arrives by email and payment is made by credit card.
• The application may be made in person or by mail.

• Who can bring a vehicle? Turkish citizens who have lived abroad for at least 24 months and permanently transfer their residence to Turkey; public servants returning from a permanent assignment abroad; those who settle in Turkey after acquiring Turkish citizenship; and heirs in Turkey of persons residing abroad. The 6-month, 45-day, and 5-years-out-of-10 rules are the same as for household goods.
• Who cannot bring one?
  • Dual citizens (except public servants on permanent assignments abroad)
  • those who became Turkish citizens through marriage
  • persons who renounced Turkish citizenship with permission and acquired foreign citizenship (Mavi Kart holders)
  • public servants assigned abroad temporarily for less than 24 months
• The New York Consulate General also states that persons who are simultaneously US citizens cannot bring a motor vehicle through this procedure.
• Vehicle requirements:
  • it must have been registered abroad in your name at least 6 months before your first entry into Turkey after the date on the residence transfer certificate
  • as of the year in which it was registered in your name, it must not be more than 3 years old, including the model year
• What may be brought? Cars (including an accompanying trailer and caravan), motorcycles, private aircraft, and recreational or sports vehicles; and, without motors, bicycles, rowboats, and canoes. One of each type may be brought. Commercial vehicles are excluded.
• Tax: you are exempt only from customs duty.
  • Special Consumption Tax (SCT) is paid according to the vehicle's engine size.
  • VAT is paid at 20% of the total of the customs value (CIF value, including freight and insurance) and SCT.
  • The taxable value is calculated with a depreciation reduction based on the vehicle's age.
  • No customs duty, SCT, or VAT is charged on a vehicle received by inheritance.
• Limits:
  • the exemption may be used once every 5 years
  • the right belongs to the family unit; spouses cannot each bring a vehicle
  • you cannot bring a vehicle registered in your spouse's name
• Prohibition on sale: for 1 year after importation, the vehicle may not be sold, transferred, leased, lent, or pledged without permission from customs. Otherwise, the taxes will be collected and criminal proceedings will be initiated.
• Application period: 6 months from the first entry into Turkey after the date on the residence transfer certificate. For heirs, 24 months from the certificate of inheritance.
• Customs offices to apply to:
  • Ankara Gar Customs Office: +90 312 397 75 47
  • Istanbul Yeşilköy Customs Office: +90 212 465 80 16
  • İzmir Passenger Hall Customs Office: +90 232 463 12 96
  • Gebze Customs Office: +90 262 754 24 01
• Documents required at customs: vehicle delivery and acceptance document, full civil registry record, residence transfer certificate, and the original ownership or traffic document of the vehicle. If the original has been retained by the US authorities, a copy certified by the consular mission is accepted.

• You must be resident abroad: you must have actually been abroad for at least 185 days during the last year. Entries and exits by air are also included in the calculation. You can check your status through the "Residence Abroad Inquiry" service on e-Government.
• Citizens who permanently return cannot temporarily bring a foreign-plated vehicle because they have transferred their residence to Turkey.
• You may temporarily bring one land vehicle registered in your name in the country where you live.
• Duration: Turkish citizens may stay for a maximum of 730 days. You may use the period all at once or in parts. Conditions for the full 730 days:
  • being resident abroad upon entry
  • not having brought a vehicle for an uninterrupted 185 days counting backward from the date of entry
  • the vehicle having remained abroad for 185 days as well
• Persons retired abroad are exempt from the residence requirement upon their first importation if they present their retirement documents.
• Documents required upon entry:
  • vehicle registration and driver's license
  • passport and, if necessary, residence permit (green card)
  • traffic insurance valid in Turkey
  • if retired abroad, a Turkish translation of the retirement document certified by the consulate or embassy
  • power of attorney or lease agreement, if required
• Use: the vehicle may be used only by the person in whose name it is registered and that person's spouse, mother, father, and children who reside abroad. The vehicle may not be transferred to anyone in Turkey.
• When leaving Turkey without taking the vehicle abroad: deliver the vehicle to the nearest customs administration or submit an undertaking through the e-Government service "Submitting and Removing an Undertaking When Leaving the Country Without a Vehicle". You must do this every time you leave.
• Advance notification: if you notify the Ministry of Trade through the "Vehicle Advance Declaration Application" no more than 15 days before setting out, border procedures will be shorter. The Ministry also provides the Foreign-Plated Vehicle Procedures service.

• Personal items used during travel, such as a watch, tablet, or camera, may be brought in duty-free.
• Food: 1 kg each of tea, coffee, chocolate, and sugary products. Meat and dairy products may not be brought as accompanied baggage.
• Cosmetics: cologne, perfume, and lotion not exceeding 600 ml in total, plus 5 skin-care and makeup products.
• There are separate quantity limits for tobacco products and alcoholic beverages; persons under 18 may not benefit from this right. See the current limits in the Customs Guide.
• Medicine: a reasonable amount appropriate for the duration of your stay, with a report or prescription, for your personal treatment.
• Electronics: one television (up to a 55-inch screen), one video camera, one still camera, and one GPS device, regardless of value. A one-time TRT banderole fee is charged for electronic devices.
• Mobile phones:
  • one phone may be brought duty-free once every 3 calendar years for use with a line registered to your identity number
  • the "mobile phone usage permit fee for phones brought by passengers" must be paid
  • IMEI registration must be completed within 120 days of entry into Turkey
  • mobile phones may not be sent by post or courier
• Import duties apply to goods whose individual value exceeds €1,500.
• Pets: a total of 2 cats, dogs, or birds, or 10 aquarium fish, traveling with you and accompanied by a veterinary health report, origin document, and vaccination certificate.
• If you have nothing to declare, use the green channel; if you do or are unsure, use the red channel.
• Ministry of Trade Call Center: 444 8 482 (within Turkey)

• You are not required to declare cash brought into Turkey. If you declare it, you must make a complete and accurate declaration.
• If a customs officer asks about the amount and source of the cash, you must provide a complete and accurate explanation. If you do not explain or provide a misleading explanation:
  • an administrative fine equal to 10% of the undeclared amount is imposed
  • the entire amount of cash is placed in custody
  • the matter is reported to the public prosecutor's office and MASAK
• Some types of cash may not be brought as accompanied baggage and may only be sent through banks. Examples include personal debts, presents, gifts, donations, dowry, inheritance, and loans obtained abroad. If these are found in accompanied baggage, the cash is confiscated.
• Jewelry: you may bring in or take out jewelry belonging to you, worth no more than $15,000, and not intended for commercial purposes. To take more valuable jewelry out of Turkey, you must have declared it upon entry or documented that you purchased it in Turkey.

• Persons residing outside Turkey may bring used household goods once duty-free for use in a residence in Turkey that they have purchased or rented for at least 1 year.
• Nationality is irrelevant; the requirement is to reside abroad.
• You must have resided continuously abroad for at least 24 months counting backward from your last entry into Turkey. Spending up to 185 days in Turkey in a year does not interrupt continuity. The duration requirement does not apply to those who spent 5 of the last 10 years abroad.
• If the residence requirement is not met, the goods may be brought temporarily against security equal to the taxes.
• The exemption continues if the goods are used in another residence acquired by the same person in Turkey.

• Assuming that acquiring US citizenship gives you the right to bring in a vehicle duty-free.
• Registering the vehicle in your name less than 6 months before entering Turkey or trying to bring a vehicle more than 3 years old.
• Selling a vehicle brought duty-free or allowing someone else to use it before one year has passed.
• Sending the goods before obtaining the residence transfer certificate or sending them more than 6 months after arrival.
• Trying to enter Turkey with a foreign-plated vehicle after permanently returning.
• Leaving Turkey without the foreign-plated vehicle and without submitting an undertaking.
• Failing to register the IMEI of a phone brought from the USA within 120 days.
• Giving an incomplete or incorrect answer when a customs officer asks about cash.

• I am both a US and Turkish citizen. Can I take my household goods duty-free? Yes. According to the Customs Guide, dual citizens may benefit from the used household goods exemption. However, you may not benefit from duty-free vehicle importation.
• I am a Mavi Kart holder. Can I bring household goods? You cannot benefit from the permanent-return exemption. Consider the one-time exemption granted to persons residing abroad for a residence in Turkey that you purchased or rented for at least 1 year.
• Can my spouse and I each bring a vehicle? No. The right is granted to the family unit.
• Will I pay no tax at all on a vehicle I bring duty-free? You do not pay customs duty, but you do pay SCT and VAT. Only vehicles received by inheritance are exempt from these taxes as well.
• Can I go on vacation with my US-plated vehicle? If you reside abroad (at least 185 days abroad during the last year), you may temporarily take your vehicle registered in your name for a maximum of 730 days.
• How much cash can I bring with me? There is no declaration requirement for cash carried by passengers. However, when asked, you must provide a complete and accurate explanation; some funds, such as gifts, inheritance, and loans, may only be brought through a bank.
• Can I use a phone I bought in the USA in Turkey? You can use it if you pay the fee for one phone once every 3 years and complete IMEI registration within 120 days of entry.

• Customs Guide (Ministry of Trade)
• Customs Guide – Household goods guide
• Customs Guide – Guide to duty-free imported vehicles
• Customs Guide – Guide to temporarily imported vehicles
• Customs Guide – Passenger guide
• Foreign-Plated Vehicle Procedures (Ministry of Trade)
• New York – Application for a residence transfer certificate 2026 (PDF)
• Los Angeles – Residence transfer certificate (PDF)
• Houston – Residence transfer certificate (PDF)
• e-Government – residence abroad inquiry and undertaking services