For an importer in Germany, Italy, France, Spain or the Netherlands, Turkey occupies an unusual position: not an EU member, but inside the Customs Union for industrial goods. In practice that means bathroom furniture moves without customs duty, on a short transit, with a single document doing most of the work. Here is what that document is and what else needs to be right.
Turkey and the EU have been in a Customs Union since 1995. It covers industrial products — furniture included — which therefore enter EU member states free of customs duty. It is worth being precise about the scope: the Customs Union is not the same as EU membership and does not cover agricultural goods or services. For a bathroom furniture buyer, though, the relevant part is straightforward and favourable.
The A.TR movement certificate is what evidences that goods are in free circulation within the Customs Union, and it is what your customs entry needs in order to apply zero duty. Ask the supplier before the order whether they issue A.TR as standard — any Turkish manufacturer exporting regularly to the EU will — and make sure it travels with the shipping documents rather than following behind them.
One distinction worth carrying away, because it causes real and expensive confusion: A.TR works for the EU and does not secure preference for a UK import. Post-Brexit, UK consignments are handled under the separate UK-Turkey free trade agreement with proof of origin, typically EUR.1. If you buy for both markets, they are two different documents and two different processes.
We ship to EU and UK destinations regularly and issue the correct documentation for each. Tell us the destination country and we will confirm what travels with the goods.
Import VAT still applies at your member state's rate on the customs value of the goods plus freight and insurance. For a VAT-registered business this is usually recoverable and in many member states can be deferred or accounted for on the return rather than paid at the border, but the mechanism differs by country and has to be set up with your broker. Budget for the cash flow even where the cost is ultimately neutral.
Bathroom vanities are storage furniture, and the European standards that describe their performance are EN 14749 for domestic units and EN 16121 for non-domestic and contract use. For any project specification, and certainly for public-sector or hospitality work, ask for test reports rather than a statement of compliance. Add the declared formaldehyde emission class for the panel — E1 is the common baseline, lower classes are available — and request the supporting documentation with it.
Wood-based products placed on the EU market carry due diligence obligations on the legality of the timber supply, and the EU framework in this area has been tightening. Whatever the current state of the rules when you read this, the practical answer is the same: ask the manufacturer now what documentation they can provide on the panel source, and keep it on file. It is straightforward to obtain in advance and awkward to produce retrospectively when a customer or an auditor asks.
Sea freight from Turkish ports to the Western Mediterranean and Northern Europe runs to roughly one to two weeks depending on the route, and road freight is a genuine option for urgent or part-load consignments — which it simply is not from the Far East. The result is less capital tied up in goods in transit, smaller safety stock, and the ability to correct a problem inside the same project programme rather than the next one.
This article is general guidance, not customs or tax advice. Treatment depends on your commodity code and your member state — confirm with your customs broker before committing to an order.
Projebaz manufactures bathroom vanities and mirror cabinets in Denizli, Türkiye — 41 collections, 250+ finishes, exporting to more than 35 countries. Browse the collections
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