Customs Exemption for Parcels Under €30 Completely Abolished in Turkey
📅 7 January 2026 – Under a Presidential Decree published in the Official Gazette, a comprehensive new regulation governing the importation of goods by passengers will take effect. As a result, the €30 customs exemption that has been in place for many years is being completely abolished, and new tax rates are being applied to all products arriving from abroad. The duty-free threshold for international online shopping, which had been progressively reduced, has now been entirely eliminated by this latest decree. The €30 limit, which represented the threshold in the previous version, has now been removed by deleting the phrase ‘exceeding €30’, thereby ending the exemption altogether.
Details of the New Rules
Under Presidential Decree No. 10813, signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan:
- Goods imported by post or express courier from abroad that do not have a commercial character previously benefited from a €30 exemption; this exemption has now been withdrawn.
- The regulation was published in the Official Gazette, will come into force after 30 days, and implementation will be carried out by the Ministry of Commerce.
- Under the new rules, fixed tax rates will be applied to goods with a value not exceeding €1,500:
- Products from EU countries: 30%
- Products from other countries: 60%
- For products covered by the Special Consumption Tax (ÖTV – Özel Tüketim Vergisi), an additional 20% tax will be added on top of these rates. CNBC-e
📦 Every Package Will Now Be Subject to Tax
In an earlier regulation, the duty-free threshold for international purchases had been reduced from €150 to €30. Now that threshold has been entirely removed, meaning all parcels are now subject to customs duty. This applies to every type of goods sent from abroad, including small-value items. In practical terms, you will no longer be able to import anything duty-free from abroad, no matter how modest the purchase.
💡 Impact of the New Regulation
- Consumers making personal purchases from abroad will no longer be able to benefit from any exemption.
- Customs clearance, tax payment, and associated fees will be mandatory for every shipment.
- This new tax regime has been introduced to protect the domestic market and standardise cross-border e-commerce transactions.
