Importing a car

Hello everyone,

My name is Yusuf and I would to know if anyone brought  his or her car from your country into Turkey and if so can you please share your experience for process particularly the tax and fees involved.  I heard that importing a car is very cumbersome process.

I am would like to find out the pros and cons for brining my car versus buying one in Turkey. I understand that car tax is very high in Turkey.

Also I would like to know if anyone purchased a new car in Turkey and if so what are the taxes and fees as a percentage of the car price. I understand that the car is based on engine size (ie the bigger the engine size, the higher the tax rate).

Thank you all for sharing your experience and I look forward to hearing from soon.
Yusuf

Good topic. I am working on the same issue for my motorcycle. If I find anything out about the process I will share, please let me know what you find out too.

I looked into the import cost and it was 8k a lot

https://www.turing.org.tr/ytggk-mavi-karne/  this is your page, that site is the institution that handles the 'importing car business' its called mavi plaka/karne in turkish

8K Turkish lira?

No UK pounds

WOW!!! thank you for very much for sharing the info.  Might I ask what the type of the car? I know bigger size engine cars are very expensive.

Yusuf

No my car is a BMW 1 series nothing too big engine size isn't big either so when I got that quote I was like no thank you! Better off selling your car and getting one in Turkey

I don't kNow where you are from but you can drive your car over rather than import it but it would be a very long journey and a lot of stress I guess

Thank you much for sharing the information.  I am from USA and therefore driving will not be an option for me. Have you checked the car sales tax in Turkey and if so can you please share your experience?

Yusuf

When you bring in your car if your engine is below 1.6 litres you will pay 50% or 80% ÖTV depending on the pre-tax value. Then on top of that value with ÖTV you will pay 8% KTV. Then on top of that you will pay import duty, I'm not sure the current percentage. You'll also have to pay MTV which depends on the engine and age of the vehicle but it's not that high. Plus you'll have to pay the cost of shipping your car from the US to Turkey. Because of all of this that is why most people say it is not worth importing your car.

When purchasing a car in Turkey, taxes are included in the list price. You can check places like Sahibinden or arabam.com.

As an expat / foreigner can you buy a car here? does the bank or dealership let you finance or lease the car on monthly installments?

There's nothing restricting foreigners from purchasing a car in Turkey. You can purchase a vehicle on finance. You can finance either through the bank or some large dealerships. As a foreigner you somehow have to prove your credit worthiness. Leasing may be easier at the start since you won't be familiar with the paperwork or know Turkish meaning you would need to hire a translator. When you lease usually the leasing company handles everything for you including registration and insurance.

Thanks am going to add you..  no one every gave such clear answers... everyone I asked told me foreigners cannot buy cars here and I was like you can buy a property but not a car.. doesnt make sense at all... do foreigners have any tax benefits? or they have to pay full tax on cars?

Foreigners have no special tax benefits when buying a car. You'll pay the same as everyone else. Another thing to keep in mind, from what I understand a Canadian drivers license does not convert directly in Turkey (because in Canada they don't accept Turkish license). However, if you obtain an International   Drivers Permit that should allow you to drive in Turkey. But you can double check with the Turkish embassy or consulate in Canada by email. They usually respond within a few days.

You can only keep a foreign registered car in Turkey for two years. Then it has to be taken out (with YOU!) for a least six months. You also have to be very careful...if you come in on the 90 day rule (on with a visa) and later get a resident's permit you HAVE to go back to customs and tell them about the RP. Don't assume they will know or will be told. If you don't your car will be impounded. Please check out Doc Martin's files on Facebook. Link here: https://goo.gl/IUw8uy

Also please check out my book on living in Turkey: Twelve Camels For Your Wife. 500 copies sold, 70+ five star reviews on Amazon. Link here: tinyurl.com/kktvp25p
Email [email protected] for a free chapter.

Bonjour,
Suite à votre message, je me suis intéressé à la situation de mon véhicule. Je viens de m'apercevoir que j'ai dépassé la date limite.
Je suis arrivé au mois de mai 2021 et obtenu un RP au mois d'Aout sans m'occuper de mon véhicule.
J'ai téléphoné aujourd'hui au douane et je vais payer une amende, puis sortir de la Turquie.
Combien de temps dois-je sortir le véhicule ? Est-ce que je peux revenir rapidement ?
Je ne trouve pas la réponse dans l'excellent document que vous nous avez transmis ("docmartin").
Avez-vous la réponse? Je suis à Antalya et pense partir en Grèce pour quelques jours. Est-ce un moyen ou bien dois-je rentrer dans mon pays d'origine (France) ?
Merci d'avance !

bonjour,

Fin du séjour : Pour avoir dépassé la date limite de conservation de mon véhicule dans le pays, j'ai dû payer une amende de 2000 LT (transfert depuis la Zirraatbank).
Ensuite, pour sortir le véhicule de la fourrière, j'ai payé 88 LT (en espèce 22 LT/jour de garde).
Enfin, la douane m'a donné une semaine pour sortir le véhicule du pays. A présent, je n'ai plus le droit de revenir avec mon véhicule pendant de 6 mois.

Je remercie sincèrement Georges K. car sans son intervention, j'aurais peut-être perdu mon véhicule définitivement. En effet, après 11 mois de présence, le véhicule est définitivement saisi par les douanes avec une amende très lourde (qui dépend aussi de l'âge du véhicule et sa puissance).
Pour ma part, je m'en sors bien car mon véhicule est âgé et de faible cylindrée, et n'avait que 8 mois de présence sur le territoire Turque.
S'il vous plait, si vous voulez garder votre véhicule pendant deux ans, n'oubliez donc pas de passer à la douane une fois obtenu le "Kimlik" de résident !

Bien à vous tous.

Marco.