Short answer
Transit trade is the purchase of goods from abroad and their sale back abroad, without the goods being put into free circulation within the country. The goods may physically pass through Türkiye or go directly to the third country without touching it at all. No import duty arises. It differs from the transit regime: one is a customs regime, the other is a form of trade.
What transit trade is
Transit trade is the purchase of goods from abroad and their sale back abroad. The goods are not put into free circulation within the country, so no import duty arises.
The Turkish company is the commercial party here: it buys and sells. Where the goods physically pass through is a separate question.
Two ways of doing it
The goods never touch Türkiye at all. They go directly from the selling country to the buying country. The Turkish company is involved only through invoices and documents. This is the simplest and fastest form.
The goods pass through Türkiye but are not put into free circulation. They are taken into a bonded warehouse or a free zone, wait there, are handled if needed, and re-exported. This route is used when storage, consolidation, or split shipment is required.
Do not confuse it with the transit regime
Because the names sound similar, the two are often mixed up.
| Transit regime | Transit trade | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A customs regime | A form of trade |
| What it governs | Movement of goods with duties suspended | Buying and selling of goods |
| Its document | T1/T2 declaration, TIR carnet | Two separate invoices (purchase and sale) |
| Who is involved | The carrier and customs | The commercial parties |
Both can occur within the same shipment: the goods of a company doing transit trade may be carried through Türkiye under the transit regime.
Document flow
The process consists of two separate commercial transactions:
- Purchase — the invoice received from the supplier
- Sale — the invoice issued to the buyer
Transport documents, and any bonded-warehouse or free-zone transaction documents, are added to these.
The critical point is this: the supplier’s identity can be exposed in the document chain. The actual supplier appears as sender on the bill of lading; once the buyer sees the document, they learn the source and may cut out the intermediary on the next order.
Switch bill of lading
The way to manage this risk is a switch bill of lading: the sender information on the original bill of lading is replaced with your own company’s details, and a new set is issued.
The process is carried out with the carrier’s approval and under certain conditions; the new set is not issued until the original set has been surrendered. It carries an additional fee, and not every line accepts it — this should be asked about at the booking stage.
Who it suits
- Companies handling regional distribution and selling to neighboring countries
- Intermediaries trading between third countries
- Trading companies wanting to protect their source of supply
- Traders dealing in products with no domestic demand
Common mistakes
Confusing transit trade with re-export. In re-export, the goods have typically already been imported and are then exported; in transit trade, they never enter free circulation at all.
Realizing the need for a switch bill of lading too late. When requested after loading, it is not always possible.
Not checking whether the supplier’s identity is exposed in the document chain. The source can also appear on the invoice, the packing list, and the certificate of origin.
Not factoring in bonded warehouse and free zone costs. If the goods are to pass through Türkiye, storage and handling line items are added.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Regulations change; confirm the current position before acting.