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TurkeyPlease note that imported wine and alcoholic beverages must have a Turkish label put on to the bottle during production or prior to arrival to Turkey. The Ministry of Agriculture (MARA) will not accept bottles with stickers. Labeling Specific to Wine:
Other Alcohol Products:
GM (Genetically Modified) Food Labeling: According to the 2005 FAS GAIN Report on Agricultural Biotechnology in Turkey, there is currently no legislation regulating the import of agricultural biotech products for food. However, there have been problems importing products that have been labeled as containing GMOs. The report cites that “There are no labeling requirements for foods or feeds; however, if it is labeled, it will likely be rejected at customs on the basis that a lack of regulations on biotech products is grounds for refusing them.” The entire report (GAIN Report #TU5030) may be found online at: http://www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/200507/146130406.pdf. The following documents are needed in order to obtain an Import License for alcohol products.
The following documents may also be required by Customs upon entry to Turkey:
In order to import any foodstuff, an importer must first submit a written application to the relevant Provincial Directorate Authority (a complete listing of the directorates may be found at: http://www.kkgm.gov.tr/birim/gidakont/Kontrol_Belgesi/yetkili_iller2.html, in Turkish). No products may be imported until the directorate has issued an import license (Kontrol Belgesi). The documents required for the application are outlined in the Required Documents section of this page. The importer will normally receive written approval along with an approved import license from the Provincial Directorate Authority. Upon entry of the product at Customs, the importer should be prepared to present the import license obtained from the Provincial Directorate Authority, as well as other normal import documentation such as the bill of lading, original invoice and certificate of origin. In addition, the importer should be prepared to present the exporting company’s analysis report and a Certificate of Free Sale. Officials take samples of the imported product to government laboratories for analysis. The product is allowed for importation if the results of the analysis are found to be acceptable, and if the imports have been approved by the Ministry of Agriculture. A summary of the 2006 Tariff Schedule may be found in the Foreign Agricultural Service’s GAIN report #TU6003: http://www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/200601/146176522.pdf. For the most current tariffs and taxes applied to imported products for this country, please visit the Online Tariff Database provided by Tariffic at: http://www.tariffic.com/ITA/, and click on “On-The-Fly Tariffeed”. Please ensure you have a 10-digit HS classification code in order to obtain tariff information. Also see the Census Bureau’s Schedule B search function (http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/schedules/b/index.html), which allows you to classify your product according to United States export codes. Simply click "Search" and enter the keyword (i.e. beer) that best describes your product.
There are 20 Provincial Directorate Authorities, each of which has the authority to issue import licenses (Kontrol Belgesi) for alcohol products. They are intended to be the primary point of contact for importers to submit their applications. The main Provincial Directorate Authorities are listed below; the complete listing can be found on the General Directorate of Protection and Control’s (KKGM) website: http://www.kkgm.gov.tr/Birimler/Gida_Kontrol/Kontrol_Belgesi/yetkili_iller.htm.
There are also 39 provincial food control laboratories, including:
Most of the information in this guide was obtained from direct contact with various governmental organizations and embassies, as well as online sources. The FAS Attaché reports at: http://www.fas.usda.gov/scriptsw/attacherep/default.asp served as the primary (online) sources used for this report.
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