# Moving "stuff" ?



## Cazzie (Jul 5, 2011)

Hi folks!

We're planning to retire to Turkey in the not-too-distant future (I hope!) and I was hoping for some advice about taking personal possessions. We're not going to take furniture but how about quite a lot of clothes and practical and/or treasured stuff? Say, about a transit van full. Any advice on the best way of moving it and on any problems with Turkish customs (authorities that is, not funny little ways!) would be great.


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## falkonfive (Aug 4, 2011)

Hi Cazzie,

We're living in a marina down in the South of Turkey and the yottie types are always driving backwards and forwards to the UK with personal stuff. No real problems if its just personal effects but don't bring anything thats brand new and in a box otherwise you may just find yourself liable for some import tax.

Other thing to remember is you could keep the van here for six months then it becomes liable for tax itself and possibly quite a lot!!


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## Cazzie (Jul 5, 2011)

Hi falkonfive

Thanks for your message and those useful bits of info, especially about being able to keep the van in Turkey for up to six months. We have indeed got a lot to learn!

Hope you're surviving (enjoying?) the heat - Regards from Cazzie


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## falkonfive (Aug 4, 2011)

Surviving yes, enjoying no................ . Anything else you may need to know just holler.........

Richard


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## TjRain (Jul 27, 2009)

falkonfive said:


> Hi Cazzie,
> 
> We're living in a marina down in the South of Turkey and the yottie types are always driving backwards and forwards to the UK with personal stuff. No real problems if its just personal effects but don't bring anything thats brand new and in a box otherwise you may just find yourself liable for some import tax.
> 
> Other thing to remember is you could keep the van here for six months then it becomes liable for tax itself and possibly quite a lot!!



We've just been hit with a 700 Euro bill and that is AFTER we had paid the original upfront price of 2,100 Euros because even after we had used a recommended (by an expat blogger) agent to bring our goods to Turkey (and like you we had no electrical goods, furniture or Antique replicas (God forbid that would have been a whole other issue). What we had was mainly clothes, books and personal bric-a-brac. So after filling in all the required paperwork at our country of origin (Romania) and getting it all duly notorised, stamped etc... we provided the original TAPU, residency, passport and various other info like tax file numbers only to be told (the day after we were told all was ok and the goods would be with us the following day after customs clearance) that they "forgot" to ask for the new paperwork required as of July this year which includes:

1) Giris-Cikis belgesi (Entry records) – is taken by you only from
01.01.2011, but customs officer needs it for whole period (at least 3 years, since 01.01.2008)

2) Personal records documents (yours and your husbands) – This document must contain your names, birth places, birth dates, address abroad, father’s name, mother’s name, id number. This document must be approved by a British Embassy (in Fethiye there is one) (if possible made in Turkish language) 

3) 24 months living abroad document – in this document there must be written that you at least 24 month was living abroad (in Romania or UK), that’s all. This document must be approved by a British Embassy(in Fethiye there is one) (if possible made in Turkish language)

Now that wouldn't be so bad except I am 46 years old and have nothing with my parents details on it save my birth certificate which is from Australia and therefore unlikely to be certified by the British Embassy. (I travel in Europe on my UK passport)
My husbands details shouldn't come into it at all because he is not the one technically moving or owns the property etc.....I am technically immigrating on my own. And anyway, he is Danish and also unlikely to have his details verified by the UK Embassy. 
The Giris-Cikis belgesi is a ridiculous piece of paper that the police here in Fethiye couldn't understand why I needed it and the first one took 2 days to obtain. To go back and ask them to do it again from previous out of date passports would have been met with a look or two of disgust and possibly a bribe or two.
The original Giris-Cikis belgesi is what cost us the extra days and 700 Euros in 'storage' costs so to have to do that plus extra all again was simply out of the question. In the end I told them to ship the whole lot back to Romania and give me my money back. What they did do was (after 24 hrs) get back to me stating that it had all been sorted as the manager of the company had long standing friendships with the customs people etc.. etc... and they had agreed to waive the additional paperwork "just this time" as it seems we had been caught in the middle of a change of procedures. So a 700 Euro storage invoice later..Mmmmmmm

So good luck with your move but take nothing for granted and make sure you do everything via email so you have records - you'll probably need them!


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## Cazzie (Jul 5, 2011)

*Moving to Turkey !*



TjRain said:


> We've just been hit with a 700 Euro bill and that is AFTER we had paid the original upfront price of 2,100 Euros because even after we had used a recommended (by an expat blogger) agent to bring our goods to Turkey (and like you we had no electrical goods, furniture or Antique replicas (God forbid that would have been a whole other issue). What we had was mainly clothes, books and personal bric-a-brac. So after filling in all the required paperwork at our country of origin (Romania) and getting it all duly notorised, stamped etc... we provided the original TAPU, residency, passport and various other info like tax file numbers only to be told (the day after we were told all was ok and the goods would be with us the following day after customs clearance) that they "forgot" to ask for the new paperwork required as of July this year which includes:
> 
> 1) Giris-Cikis belgesi (Entry records) – is taken by you only from
> 01.01.2011, but customs officer needs it for whole period (at least 3 years, since 01.01.2008)
> ...


Hi TjRain

So sorry I haven't responded sooner to your post - I haven't been on to the site recently as everything is on hold with us at the moment.

It does seem that bribery is sometimes the only way through Turkish bureaucracy and the rules and regs. are designed to make this happen. You're not the only one with this sort of horror story, but thank you so much for taking the time to give me the benefit of your experience. Forewarned is possibly forearmed, but by the time we get round to actually moving, no doubt the bits of paper needed will have changed!

In the meantime, thanks again. Incidentally, we were in Fethiye over the New Year. We've got some friends in Kemer and saw the New Year in in Uzumlu. When we got back to our apartment in Dalaman we'd acquired a moat ! It sure knows how to rain in Turkey, doesn't it.

Regards - Cazzie


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