UK Car Shipping to Turkey

Cost of Shipping a Car from the UK to Turkey (Izmit, Izmir, Aliaga, Gemlik, Derince, Borusan, Istanbul, Autoport, Haydarpasa)

The total cost of shipping depends on the vehicle make, model and most importantly size. We work directly with all shipping lines in the UK to arrange regular and reliable vehicle exports from the UK to Turkey (Izmit, Izmir, Aliaga, Gemlik, Derince, Borusan, Istanbul, Autoport, Haydarpasa).

Approximate — call for the latest rates. These are indicative shipping rates from our published rate table for Izmir, Mersin. They move with the market and with the vehicle, and a full export quote covers the UK-side work listed below as well, so treat them as a guide rather than a final price. The table does not publish a RoRo rate for Turkey, so that one is quoted per booking — we do sail it, and the schedule below shows the departures. See the full rate table or ask us for an itemised quote.

What a full export quote covers

• Loading and lashing vehicle into ship
• UK customs export and clearance
• UK port handling charges
• DVLA documentation and export certification
• Export documentation (e.g. Bill of Lading)
• Posting of the Export Documents from UK by UPS/DHL
• Shipping of the vehicle from the UK to Destination Port

Not covered

• Pre-Export Inspection (if required)
• Marine Insurance (container only)
• Collection and/or delivery of the vehicle
• All destination country's import fees

Apart from import duty, taxes, port storage and demurrage at the destination, which the importer always pays, we can add any of these to your quotation, priced separately, along with customs clearance, registration and delivery to your door through a local agent.

Shipping to Turkey

The sailings on this page discharge at Izmit, Izmir, Aliaga, Gemlik, Derince, Borusan, Istanbul, Autoport and Haydarpasa. Two of Turkey's vehicle ports, Derince and Yarimca, are on the Gulf of Izmit in Kocaeli province, east of Istanbul. Port Yarimca, at Körfez, is a RoRo port for vehicle imports and exports, set up as a joint venture of the OYAK group and NYK. In Turkey customs comes under the Ministry of Trade's General Directorate of Customs, and a car that is to be plated is registered by a notary or by a traffic registration office of the General Directorate of Security (Emniyet Genel Müdürlüğü).

Steering is not the only hurdle. The Ministry of Trade makes the import of old, used or refurbished goods subject to its permission, and cars are no exception, so a used car cannot simply be shipped in and cleared. For someone who lives abroad, the practical route for a UK car is temporary import on its UK plates. The Ministry's customs guide to foreign-plated vehicles (August 2026) lets a person with a home abroad, who has spent at least 185 of the past 365 days outside Turkey, bring in one vehicle registered in their name where they live. A foreign national without a Turkish residence permit gets 90 days in any 180. Turkish citizens living abroad, and foreigners with a residence permit, can keep the car there for up to 730 days. It cannot be sold in Turkey. The guide is written for travellers arriving with their car, so if yours is shipped ahead of you, ask a customs agent at the port how it will be entered. We can arrange clearance and delivery to your door through a local agent, quoted separately, or work with an agent of your choice.

We work directly with the shipping lines serving Turkey, delivering to Izmit, Izmir, Aliaga, Gemlik, Derince, Borusan, Istanbul, Autoport and Haydarpasa, and handle the whole UK side for you: sourcing the vehicle, tax-free supply from the selling dealer where the car qualifies, collection, UK customs clearance and export documentation, and loading onto the ship. Sailings leave from Felixstowe, Southampton and Portbury.

Documentation Required for Booking

• Car Registration Document (V5 or Logbook) and Vehicle Invoice (or value).
• ID (one government-issued photo ID and one utility bill showing address).

Payment Terms / Modes

• A £1,000 deposit secures a vehicle we source or buy for you. It is part of the price, not an extra fee. If you cancel, our terms and conditions say what is refunded.
• The balance is due in full, in cleared funds, before the vehicle is loaded, unless your quotation sets out different terms.
• Bank transfer preferred. Card payments up to £5,000, with no fee on personal debit or credit cards.
• Letters of credit, cheques, money orders and cash are not accepted.

Our Other Services

Car Sourcing and Buying on your behalf

Buying and exporting a car to Turkey doesn't need to be stressful. UK Vehicle Exporters specialises in sourcing and exporting vehicles from the UK, with trusted shipping partners and support at every stage, from choosing the vehicle through to loading it onto the ship.

Tax-Free Vehicle Supply and UK VAT

UK Preferential Origin (Reduced Import Duty)

Some UK-built vehicles may qualify for reduced or zero import duty. That depends on the UK having a trade agreement with the destination country and on the car meeting that agreement's rules of origin. During your quote, we'll confirm whether the vehicle you're interested in qualifies.

VAT-free Supply of VAT-Qualifying (VATQ) Cars

A VAT-registered dealer can sell a new car, or a used car that carries VAT on its full price, free of UK VAT when it is exported and HMRC's conditions are met. Used cars of that kind are known in the trade as VAT-qualifying: typically ex-rental or ex-lease cars, where the hire or leasing company reclaimed the VAT when it bought them. On a VAT-inclusive price, the VAT is one-sixth. A used car sold under the second-hand margin scheme is different: VAT is due only on the dealer's margin, and HMRC does not let a dealer zero-rate it as an ordinary export. We are not VAT registered, so the saving comes off the dealer's price, not as a refund from us. We arrange the export to Turkey and give the dealer the proof of export it needs.

HMRC's Personal Export Scheme (PES)

The Personal Export Scheme lets overseas visitors and UK residents who are leaving the UK, and will stay outside it with the car for at least six months, buy a car free of VAT and use it here before it is exported. Only VAT-registered businesses can operate the scheme, so you buy from a dealer that runs it. The car must leave within 12 months of delivery for an overseas visitor, or 6 months for a UK resident, or the VAT becomes payable. It can suit anyone relocating to Turkey: we find a dealer that runs the scheme and ship the car when you are ready. How the scheme works.