Road freight inside Europe
Most boutique and mid-tier orders ship to Europe by road. Standard transit: Istanbul to Hamburg 5 days, Istanbul to Paris 6 days, Istanbul to London 7 days (with ferry across the Channel), Istanbul to Madrid 7 days, Istanbul to Bucharest 4 days. Trailer rates run $1,800 to $3,200 per 13.6m trailer to most Western European capitals. LTL groupage from $90 per cubic metre.
Air freight
Turkish Airlines Cargo and IGA freight terminal at Istanbul Airport offer next-day to most global capitals. Average rates: Istanbul to London 1.80 to 2.40 USD per kg, to New York 3.20 to 4.50, to Dubai 1.60 to 2.20, to Lagos 2.80 to 3.80. Express overnight via DHL and FedEx is available for sample shipments.
Sea freight
Ambarli (Istanbul European side), Tekirdağ and Mersin are the main outbound ports. Transit times: US East Coast 18 to 22 days, US West Coast 28 to 32 days, Singapore 22 to 25 days, Australia 30 to 35 days. Container rates fluctuate; book through a forwarder for the current week s pricing.
Customs documents
Standard exit pack: commercial invoice, packing list, ATR (Customs Union movement certificate for EU), EUR.1 (preferential origin where applicable), CMR for road freight or B/L for sea, certificate of origin from the Turkish Chamber of Commerce. Hand these to your forwarder; the factory should provide all of them.
Tariffs and tariff savings
EU buyers benefit from zero industrial tariffs on Turkish clothing under the EU-Turkey Customs Union, against a 12 percent average duty on Asian-origin clothing. UK post-Brexit buyers pay a 12 percent MFN rate. US buyers pay the standard HTS rate for Turkey, which is typically lower than China rates and not subject to the Section 301 tariffs.