Commercial Quality Inspection of Certain Agricultural Products in Export and Import – Communiqué No: 2026/21 (Türkiye)

Scope

The Communiqué applies to agricultural products listed in Annex-1 and Annex-2 and covers:

• Exports under the Export Regime and Inward Processing Regime, and
• Imports under the Release for Free Circulation and Inward Processing Regime.

The regulation explicitly excludes food safety controls, which continue to fall under separate legislation.

Inspection Framework and TAREKS Implementation

Commercial quality inspections are conducted by authorized Trade Inspectors under a risk-analysis-based system managed via TAREKS.Key elements include:

• Mandatory firm registration and user authorization in TAREKS prior to any application.
• Electronic submission of applications, documents, inspection results, and notifications exclusively through TAREKS.
• Possibility of direct clearance without physical inspection where the risk analysis does not require it.

Inspection decisions are influenced by factors such as:

• Firm classification and past compliance history,
• Product characteristics, seasonality, pricing, and transport conditions,
• Previous non-conformities, rejections, and international feedback.

Export Controls – Key Operational Rules

• All products presented under the same application or vehicle are assigned one single batch number.
• Batch number and official markings must appear on the packaging; otherwise, export is not permitted.
• Inspections must be completed within 24 hours from the scheduled time in TAREKS.
• Upon conformity, a TAREKS reference number is issued and must be declared in Box 44 of the customs declaration.
• For certain exempt scenarios (e.g. inward processing, free-of-charge exports, or out-of-scope goods), predefined fixed TAREKS reference numbers must be used.

Import Controls

• Import inspections follow Article 181/4 of the Customs Regulation and are fully integrated with TAREKS.
• Required documents must be uploaded electronically within one business day following the application.
• Failure to upload documents within the granted period results in automatic cancellation of the inspection request.
• Products found non-compliant may be corrected within up to 30 days and resubmitted for inspection.

Sampling, Analysis, and Laboratories

• Physical and/or chemical analyses are performed where required.
• Analyses may be conducted in:
• In case of multiple analyses, Ministry laboratories act as the reference laboratory.

Appeal Mechanism

Firms may object to inspection results within two business days.Objections are reviewed by a three-member Expert Committee, and where re-analysis is required, the second analysis result is final and binding.

Enforcement and Compliance Risk

• Firms remain fully responsible for compliance regardless of whether an inspection is carried out.
• Incorrect or misleading declarations may trigger sanctions under:
• Repeated non-compliance directly increases inspection frequency through risk profiling.

Repealed Regulation and Entry into Force

• Communiqué No: 2025/21 is repealed.
• The new framework entered into force on 1 January 2026.

Compliance Assessment

From a customs-compliance perspective, this Communiqué does not introduce radical new concepts but formalizes and centralizes established practices under a clearer, risk-driven structure.Companies exporting or importing agricultural products should:

• Ensure TAREKS registrations and user authorizations are fully up to date,
• Align packaging, batch numbering, and documentation processes with inspection requirements,
• Closely monitor prior inspection outcomes, as these directly affect future risk scoring and clearance timelines.

Failure to manage these elements proactively may result in systematic inspection delays, rejected consignments, and elevated compliance costs.

See the legislation document.