SHAYA
SANLORENZO SX76 M/Y SHAYA is an exceptional example of the highly successful Sanlorenzo SX76 crossover series. The vessel has been maintained to the highest standards
THE EYB COUNTRY GUIDES · Turkey
Distinguish foreign-flag arrival from permanent import and prepare the vessel-specific customs and registration file.
Importing a boat Turkey requires a clear distinction between arriving with a foreign-flag yacht and placing a yacht into permanent domestic circulation. The Ministry of Trade publishes separate yacht-entry and import guidance, and the required outcome depends on the boat's status and the intended use. This guide explains those verified procedures without assuming that a transit log, marina stay or purchase invoice establishes permanent import eligibility or resolves the taxes for every yacht.
The guide is for buyers and owners considering a delivery to Turkey or a change in the boat's customs position. It covers entry administration, classification, supporting documents and wintering. Vessel-specific permission and tax amounts need confirmation from the competent authority before shipment or a purchase conditioned on domestic import. For anything this guide does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
Key facts at a glance
The Ministry's free-circulation definition requires trade-policy measures, other required import procedures and collection of legally due taxes.
Ministry of Trade — permanent import FAQ, updated 5 Jun 2026 ·The Ministry's general import FAQ says old, used and refurbished goods require Directorate General of Imports permission under Import Regime Decision article 7.
Ministry of Trade — permanent import FAQ, updated 5 Jun 2026 ·Customs taxes are notified to the liable party on the free-circulation declaration.
Ministry of Trade — permanent import FAQ, updated 5 Jun 2026 ·Qualifying foreign-flag marine-tourism vessels can be left for wintering, maintenance and repair for up to 5 years at the stated certified facilities without an additional permission.
Ministry of Trade — yacht customs FAQ ·A change in yacht owner or operator, departure from Turkish customs territory or loss of the document ends sailing-permission-document validity.
Ministry of Trade — yacht customs FAQ ·Section 1
For a foreign-flag yacht arriving under its own power, the Ministry says sailing-permission formalities begin at Turkish entry. When the yacht is brought into the customs territory by another method, the sailing-permission process starts where it is first launched. As practical advice, explain how the boat will arrive before booking transport or launch. The customs and operational file should match the actual delivery method. Neither arrival route is described here as proof that the yacht has entered permanent free circulation.
Permanent free circulation is a different customs outcome. The Ministry's import guidance describes trade-policy measures, other required import procedures and collection of the taxes legally due. As practical advice, ask the handling customs office for the route that applies to the yacht's tariff classification, origin, age and proposed owner. Do this before making a non-refundable transport commitment. A seller's statement that the boat can simply remain in a Turkish marina should not be substituted for the competent office's permanent-import assessment.
The Ministry's general import guidance says used and refurbished goods require permission from the Directorate General of Imports under the stated Import Regime Decision. This guide does not establish a boat-specific exemption or entitlement for every used yacht. As practical advice, submit the actual vessel specification and purchase history for an answer before assuming import is possible. Keep the foreign-flag entry route separate in the correspondence, so an answer about visiting or wintering is not mistaken for permission to import a used vessel.
Broker tip: Get a vessel-specific answer before shipment. State whether the request concerns foreign-flag visiting, wintering or permanent import, and include the boat's age, specification and intended owner. Readers often go on to our guide on whether you pay VAT on a boat in Turkey.
Port customs office at a harbour.
Yacht arrival route
Section 2
The Ministry describes customs presentation and declaration as stages in the general import procedure. Goods brought into the customs territory are presented by the bringing party or the person taking over transport responsibility, and associated with the relevant earlier declaration. As practical advice, agree who handles this part of a yacht shipment and obtain their document checklist before departure. The general procedure should not be automatically applied to an own-power visiting yacht without confirmation of the yacht-specific customs route.
For normal permanent commercial import, the Ministry identifies the free-circulation declaration and says electronic data processing is the principal declaration method. It also says required permission and conformity evidence belongs with that declaration. As practical advice, provide the handling professional with the yacht's actual ownership, technical and transport documents before arranging clearance. An invoice identifies a commercial transaction but should not be treated as a substitute for every permission or conformity document requested by customs for the particular classification.
The later domestic registration file has its own evidence requirements. İzmir's imported-unused-boat route identifies the customs entry declaration and builder's certificate, with Turkish translation for the builder's certificate. Its technical checklist separately describes boat and engine conformity papers. As practical advice, preserve the completed customs file for registration and ask which route applies to the actual yacht. Do not assume a new-boat checklist establishes the domestic registration or permanent-import eligibility of a used foreign-flag yacht purchased from a private owner.
Broker tip: Assign responsibility for declaration before transport and preserve the final customs documents. Ask the authority how those documents connect to the intended registration route, especially for a used yacht. Our guide on how to register a boat in Turkey covers a related point.
Passport and boat registration papers on a chart.
Customs presentation responsibility
Buying or selling a boat in Turkey and want a second opinion? Speak to one of our brokers.
Section 3
The Ministry says import taxes depend first on the goods' Customs Tariff Statistical Position, known as GTİP. The same classification helps identify document requirements, restrictions and controls. As practical advice, obtain the yacht's confirmed classification before accepting a tax estimate and keep the authority's supporting explanation with the purchase budget. This guide does not quote a universal yacht-import percentage, duty or exemption. A rate for another product, an older tax ruling or the boat's foreign flag cannot safely replace the specific assessment.
The general import guidance says customs taxes are notified to the liable party on the free-circulation declaration. It also describes temporary storage before an approved customs treatment or use is assigned, limited to places and conditions customs approves. As practical advice, agree who pays and who handles any storage before moving the yacht. A transport booking or intended marina berth is not a statement from customs that the boat has been cleared for its proposed domestic use.
The Ministry gives declaration-related intervals for the general shipment process, distinguishing sea arrival from another transport method. Those are formal intervals for the stated customs treatment stage, not estimates of clearance time for all yachts. As practical advice, ask the handling office which deadlines apply to the proposed shipment and mark them against the actual declaration date. Do not use the general interval as a promise of registration, a licence-processing duration or permission to cruise while the import file remains unresolved. Vessel-specific permanent-import eligibility, GTİP classification, VAT, special consumption tax and customs duty amounts are not verified; no universal rate quoted. General shipment deadlines are scoped to the cited declaration procedure and are not yacht clearance-time estimates. For these, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
Broker tip: Ask for a written classification and itemised assessment before budgeting. Confirm shipment-specific deadlines with customs, and treat tax clearance, domestic registration and cruising permission as separate outcomes. A related question is answered in our guide on whether you need a boat licence in Turkey.
Model yacht beside a calculator for boat tax costs.
Tax classification basis
The Ministry says import taxes depend first on the goods' GTİP tariff classification.
Source: Ministry of Trade — permanent import FAQ, updated 5 Jun 2026The Ministry says classification is needed to identify required documents, restrictions and applicable import controls.
Source: Ministry of Trade — permanent import FAQ, updated 5 Jun 2026Customs taxes are notified to the liable party on the free-circulation declaration.
Source: Ministry of Trade — permanent import FAQ, updated 5 Jun 2026For the stated summary-declaration shipment procedure, customs treatment formalities are completed within 45 days for sea arrival and 20 days for another transport method.
Source: Ministry of Trade — permanent import FAQ, updated 5 Jun 2026Pending approved customs treatment, goods are temporarily stored only at customs-approved places and under customs-approved conditions.
Source: Ministry of Trade — permanent import FAQ, updated 5 Jun 2026Section 4
The Ministry's yacht guidance defines wintering as leaving a foreign-flag marine-tourism vessel ashore or afloat at a certified marine-tourism facility, including maintenance and repair. It describes a conditional facility-based stay and a possible further extension for private yachts. As practical advice, obtain the facility's certification and the boat's actual customs arrangement before planning storage. The published wintering provision is not a general permission for every buyer to permanently import, sell or operate a yacht under any proposed ownership.
Maintenance and repairs to foreign-flag yachts in Turkey are subject to customs supervision and control according to the yacht FAQ. It also describes temporary-import treatment for repair spare parts and options for the replaced old parts. As practical advice, coordinate the proposed work with the yard and customs before ordering overseas equipment or disposing of removed parts. A yacht-repair quotation should not be mistaken for permission to bypass the customs procedure for the vessel, replacement equipment or goods taken ashore.
A later change of owner or operator ends the sailing permission document's validity. Departure from the customs territory and loss of the document are also listed ending events. As practical advice, ask the authority how a sale, delivery or export affects the actual file before completing payment. Keep the agreed handover condition and unresolved customs questions in writing. The former owner's wintering arrangement and transit log should not be assumed to transfer unchanged to a new buyer simply because the boat remains at the same berth.
Broker tip: Before storage, repair or sale, obtain the authority's answer for the specific yacht. Keep wintering, repair-parts clearance and any new owner's sailing permission separate in the handover file. See also our guide on what safety equipment a boat must carry in Turkey.
Boat registration at a marina office.
Certified facility wintering
Practical support
Peter Mattey is a yacht broker at European Yacht Brokers with a BA in Law. He is not a Turkish lawyer: for Turkish law and tax we refer you to a locally qualified adviser. What we can do is help you plan the transaction, put the right questions to the other side and spot gaps in the paperwork before you commit.
If you are buying or selling a boat in Turkey, tell us about the boat and the area through the enquiry form on this page and a broker will reply. For anything this guide does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
The handover of a boat at the dock.
Your questions
No. The Ministry describes yacht sailing permission separately from permanent free circulation, which involves import procedures and collection of legally due taxes. As practical advice, request the actual customs file and the authority's answer for the proposed owner and use. A transit log, a berth invoice or a yacht's presence in Turkey should not be used as evidence that permanent domestic import has been completed. (Ministry of Trade)
No boat-specific entitlement is established here. The Ministry's general guidance says used and refurbished goods require the stated import permission. As practical advice, submit the yacht's age, specification and history for a vessel-specific assessment before purchase or shipment. An answer allowing foreign-flag entry or certified-facility wintering is a different question and should not be treated as permanent-import permission for the used vessel. (Ministry of Trade)
The Ministry says tariff classification is the starting point for import taxes and document requirements. This guide therefore does not provide a universal yacht-import percentage or exemption. As practical advice, obtain the confirmed classification and itemised assessment for the actual yacht and proposed transaction. Keep the customs tax assessment separate from registration charges, transport fees and the marina's commercial quotation. (Ministry of Trade)
The Ministry's yacht FAQ says maintenance and repair are subject to customs supervision and control. Its guidance also treats repair spare parts through the stated temporary-import route. As practical advice, coordinate the repair plan and overseas equipment deliveries with the yard and customs before work begins. A private yard quotation does not itself settle the customs treatment of replacement equipment or removed parts. (Ministry of Trade)
The Ministry says a change in yacht owner or operator ends the sailing permission document's validity. As practical advice, confirm the steps for the new owner before arranging collection or continued cruising. Keep that question separate from any existing wintering or repair arrangement. Remaining at the same marina does not demonstrate that the former owner's permission continues unchanged after the purchase. (Ministry of Trade)
This guide only includes facts checked against official sources. For anything it does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information, and ask a locally qualified adviser to confirm the position for your own boat.
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Official customs route, declaration guidance or subsequent imported-boat registration evidence.
Official customs route, declaration guidance or subsequent imported-boat registration evidence.
Official customs route, declaration guidance or subsequent imported-boat registration evidence.
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