Knowledge Hub
Guides(49)
Clear, verifiable answers to the questions that come up most often in logistics, customs and foreign trade.
Incoterms and Delivery Terms
- What is Incoterms 2020?The ICC's 11 delivery rules, which group each belongs to, and the points where risk and cost separate.
- What is EXW?Where delivery is completed under the Ex Works rule, and who is responsible for loading and export customs.
- What is the FCA delivery term?FCA's two delivery scenarios, the transfer of costs and risk, the Incoterms 2020 "on-board" notation innovation, and why FCA is chosen over FOB for container cargo.
- What is FOB?Under Incoterms 2020, where FOB's transfer of risk and cost sits, the parties' obligations, the difference from CFR and CIF, and why it is used incorrectly for container cargo.
- What is the CIF delivery term?Why cost travels to the port of destination while risk transfers at the port of loading, and the limits of ICC (C) cover.
- What is the DAP delivery term?The point of delivery under DAP, the transfer of cost and risk, the parties' obligations, the differences from DPU and DDP, and the unloading and delay clauses most often left out of the contract.
- What is DDP?Under DDP, where the seller takes on full responsibility including import customs and duties, we cover the allocation of cost and risk, importer-of-record status, and the VAT problem.
Customs and Compliance
- What is a bill of lading?The three functions of a bill of lading, the order/straight/bearer distinction, the difference between Master and House B/L, the clean bill of lading, and the number of originals.
- What is a bonded warehouse?What the bonded warehouse regime is for, warehouse types A to F, how long goods can wait, and the effect on cash flow.
- What is a GTİP code, and how is it found?The international structure of the HS code, the 12-digit GTİP breakdown used in Türkiye, how the correct code is identified, and the consequences of misclassification at customs.
- What is ETGB?How the simplified export declaration works, how it differs from a standard customs declaration, and why the thresholds keep changing.
- What documents are needed for exporting?A grouped list of the commercial, transport, customs, origin, and product-specific documents in an export file.
- What is a CMR note?The CMR's three functions, its difference from a bill of lading, why noting reservations is decisive, and why carrier liability is tied to weight.
- What is an A.TR certificate and what is it for?We explain the difference between proof of free circulation and proof of origin, the scope of the customs union, and which products need EUR.1 instead of A.TR.
- What is a EUR.1 movement certificate?What EUR.1 provides, how it differs from A.TR, the rules for acquiring origin, the types of cumulation, and the risk of subsequent verification.
- What is a certificate of origin and what is it for?What the document proves, how it differs from EUR.1 and A.TR, how the chamber application works, when it is required on import, and the most common mistakes in declaring it.
- What is a delivery order, and how is it obtained?The conditions under which a carrier's delivery order is issued, which payments must be settled first, and how a delay drives up demurrage and storage.
- What is a proforma invoice?How a proforma invoice differs from a commercial invoice, which fields it must contain, and why the description of goods is critical in a letter-of-credit transaction.
- What is a free zone?The free zone's position relative to the customs line, its difference from a bonded warehouse, which operations make sense for it, and how a domestic sale from it works.
- What is the inward processing regime?The regime's two methods, the logic of the authorisation and the export undertaking, the concepts of equivalent goods and yield loss, and the file-closing process.
- What is transit trade?How transit trade works, its difference from the transit regime, the flow of documents, and the need for a switch bill of lading.
- What is Authorised Economic Operator status (YYS) and what does it do?The eligibility to apply for trusted-trader status at customs, the mandatory documents, its tiers, the privileges it grants, and the circumstances that cause it to be lost.
- How is customs duty calculated on imports?How customs value is arrived at, the order in which duty items stack on top of each other, and why the VAT base is larger than the price of the goods, with a worked numerical example.
- What does a customs broker do?Who can handle the process, how duty and penalty liability splits under indirect representation, which deadlines apply, and what a brokerage contract should state.
- How does the import process work, step by step?The eleven steps of importing, what determines the timeline at each step, and why declaration preparation should be planned around loading rather than arrival.
- How does the export process work step by step?The eleven steps of export, what can go wrong at each step, why the declaration is critical for the VAT exemption, and document consistency in a letter-of-credit transaction.
- Which documents are required for imports?The list of commercial, transport, origin, conformity and valuation documents in an import file; which is needed when, and the mistakes that cause delays.
- How do you import from China?GTİP and tax pre-check for imports from China, supplier verification, Incoterms and payment, choice of transport, certificate of origin and customs clearance steps.
Transport Modes
- What are FCL and LCL?The cost logic of full-container and less-than-container sea shipping, the transit time difference, and the decision criteria for choosing between them for a given load.
- What is groupage transport?Calculating ldm, the invoicing rule between weight and volume, the threshold for switching to a full truckload, and how errors in declared dimensions feed through into cost.
Cost and Pricing
- What are demurrage and detention?How free time works, where the clock starts and stops, the difference from storage charges, and concrete ways to avoid delay costs.
- How is freight calculated?How freight is calculated by unit of measure in sea, air, and road transport, the factors that determine price, and the cost items not included in freight, with examples.
- How is volumetric weight (desi) calculated?How volumetric weight is calculated using different divisors across air, road, sea and courier shipments, with a step-by-step numerical example.
- What is cargo insurance?What cargo insurance covers, the difference between A/B/C cover, carrier liability limits, and who arranges the insurance under each Incoterms rule.
Equipment and Dimensions
- What are the container types and their dimensions?Typical internal dimensions, carrying capacity, pallet layout, and the weight-versus-volume balance for standard, High Cube, reefer, open top, flat rack, and tank containers.
- What is ADR, and what are the hazardous goods classes?The nine hazard classes, the UN number and packing group concepts, packaging and labelling requirements, segregation rules, and the dangerous goods safety adviser (DGSA, known in Türkiye as TMGD) obligation.
- What is the IMDG Code?The scope of IMDG, its differences from ADR, segregation and stowage rules, the marine pollutant mark, and carriers' acceptance restrictions.
- What is a low-bed trailer?Types of low-bed trailer, which one suits which load, loading methods, and why a route survey is essential.
- What is out-of-gauge transport?What being out-of-gauge means, how it is handled across three modes, why OOG freight multiplies, and why declaring dimensions accurately is critical.
- What is payload capacity?How payload capacity is calculated, why axle weight is a separate constraint, and how the same logic works in a container.
- How many pallets fit in a container?Typical pallet capacities by container type, the three conditions for double stacking, and why the volume-versus-weight question should be asked first.
Operations
- What is VGM, and how is a container's weight declared?The two calculation methods for verified gross mass, the tare and packaging items involved, cut-off timing, and the consequences of failing to submit the declaration.
- What is THC?How the terminal handling charge arises, why it occurs separately at origin and at destination, and why quotes with low freight can be misleading.
- What is an AWB (air waybill)?The functions of the air waybill, the distinction between MAWB and HAWB, the difference it makes for payment security, and how to read the weight fields.
- What is Ro-Ro shipping?How Ro-Ro works, the difference between accompanied and unaccompanied transport, a comparison with road transport, and why schedule discipline is decisive.
- What is break bulk?How break bulk differs from bulk cargo and containers, the loading method, who is responsible for lashing, and its cost character.
- What is intermodal transport?The difference between the terms intermodal, combined, and multimodal, loading units, the dependency created by transfer points, and how to compare total cost correctly.
- What is cold chain transport?Temperature bands, why pre-cooling cannot be skipped, the value of data logging for liability, and the points where the chain most often breaks.
- How is cargo shipped from China to Türkiye?The cost and speed profile of the four transport options, where the Middle Corridor fits in, the seasonal effect, and what to check on the customs side beforehand.
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