Turkey restricts some footwear deliveries

Targeted products often enter Turkey within small e-commerce deliveries.

Restrictions on the importation of several products – including footwear – via postal and express delivery services have been introduced by the Turkish Ministry of Trade as a reaction to concerns raised over these items’ safety.

This decision targets products entering the country under simplified customs declarations, which is commonly used for small e-commerce shipments. It follows testing which revealed that 81 per cent of the 182 products analysed failed to meet national standards due to excessive levels of hazardous substances such as cadmium, lead, PAHs and phthalates. Footwear, toys and leather goods have been identified as the top three high-risk product categories.

Such products will no longer be allowed to enter Turkey as online orders or by express couriers without full customs clearance. This action is intended to tighten the oversight of low-value shipments, which are said to often escape thorough inspection.

The restriction is not a complete ban on imports. Footwear can still enter the country through standard commercial channels, as long as it meets existing safety regulations and undergoes full customs checks. Any items that fail to meet these standards may be detained, returned or subjected to additional scrutiny.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 3 of the November 2025 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

Other articles from this issue »

---