One of the biggest concerns regarding foreign contract manufacturers is: “How long does shipping actually take?” With suppliers from Asia, this concern is justified—but the reality is different when it comes to Turkey.

The Customs Union: No Import Duties on Industrial Goods

A customs union for industrial goods has been in place between Turkey and the EU since 1996. For CNC-machined metal parts, this means specifically: With proper documentation of origin (A.TR certificate), import duties are generally not charged. This significantly simplifies cost calculations and eliminates the usual surcharge that buyers would otherwise have to factor in for imports from third countries.

Transport Routes and Realistic Transit Times

The standard route for palletized turned parts is truck transit via Bulgaria to Central Europe. Depending on the pickup region in Turkey and the destination in Germany, the pure transit time is usually just a few days—significantly faster than any sea freight and without the uncertainties of port congestion or container shortages, which have repeatedly made headlines in recent years.

Air freight is also an option for urgent or smaller shipments, but due to the costs, it is generally used only for samples or urgent cases.

What this means for your planning

  • Sample parts: typically ready for shipment within [X] days after tooling/program approval
  • Production runs: Delivery time depends on batch size and production capacity—we specify firm dates in the quote
  • Incoterms: We typically ship under [EXW / FCA / DAP — please adjust]; you tell us which delivery term works best for your logistics

Customs Clearance in Practice

Unlike imports from non-EU countries outside the customs union, the majority of the usual customs formalities for commercial imports are waived provided the A.TR documentation is correct. We provide the necessary accompanying documents for each shipment, so that no additional administrative burden arises on the German side.

Conclusion

Those who source CNC-machined turned parts from Turkey benefit from a combination that hardly any other procurement market offers: duty-free movement of goods through the customs union, short truck transit times to Central Europe, and thus a supply chain that is significantly easier to plan than imports from the Far East.

Do you have questions about logistics for your specific project? Let us know your destination region and quantity—we’ll transparently calculate delivery times and shipping costs in our quote.