Import Customs Clearance

Product-specific control, conformity, or quarantine certificates should, as a rule, be planned before the goods arrive, at the procurement-decision stage. If the certificate is only sought after the shipment arrives, the goods wait at the port and storage and container demurrage costs start to accrue. The correct order is: clarify the GTİP first, check which permit that GTİP is subject to, then submit the application before shipment.

The order depends on whether the product falls within the scope of medical devices; if it does, the relevant registration and conformity certificates must be ready before the import declaration. Tender-based purchases add a second timeline: the delivery date. When these two timelines clash, the goods are usually placed in a customs warehouse and released once the permit is in place. Which certificate is required must first be determined from the product's GTİP and device class.

The customs authority compares the declared value with data on similar goods; if it has doubts, it requests additional information and documents. If the company can support the value with the contract and bank payment records, the declaration is accepted. If it cannot, the authority may determine the value itself and levy additional duty; a guarantee may then be required to release the goods. This is why the invoice and the actual payment flow need to confirm each other.

For a shipment from which a sample has been taken, the declaration is not finalised until the test result arrives. Where the legislation permits, release of the goods against a guarantee may be possible, but this does not apply to every product group. Because the testing period depends on the laboratory's own schedule, no date can be promised from our side; this possible wait should be factored into the shipping schedule.

Duties are calculated using the customs exchange rate in effect on the date the declaration is registered. In other words, the cost is fixed on the day the declaration is filed, not the day the goods were purchased. In periods of high exchange-rate volatility, the timing of registration directly affects cash planning; it is therefore an advantage to keep the gap between document preparation and registration short.

The priority is to stop the clock on charges: container demurrage and port storage charges accrue while documents are awaited. If the missing document cannot be completed quickly, placing the goods in a customs warehouse is generally the more controlled option. Which route is cheaper depends on the type and volume of the cargo and the kind of document that is missing; the decision is made by calculation, not by guesswork.