Import Inspection of Consumer Products – Communiqué (Product Safety and Inspection): 2026/12 (Türkiye)

Scope

• Products covered: Consumer products listed in Annex-1 (GTIP-based list), including (illustratively) stationery-related items, certain disinfectants, tattoo inks, phone/tablet cases and screen protectors, imitation jewellery and watch-related items, laser products under GTIP 9013.20.00.00.90 (with important scope guidance referenced in related administration letters), lighters, toothbrushes, and selected furniture fittings/hardware items.
• Customs regime: Applies to imports under Release for Free Circulation.
• Exclusion: Does not cover goods returning under Outward Processing.

Core legal/technical references inside the Communiqué’s purpose clause

• KKDIK (Turkish REACH): Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (published 23 June 2017, Official Gazette 30105 (repetitive)).
• General Product Safety Regulation (published 11 March 2021, Official Gazette 31420) where no technical regulation exists or where the technical regulation does not include health & safety provisions.
• Biocidal Products Regulation (published 31 December 2009, Official Gazette 27449 (4th repetitive)).
• Communiqué on Conformity Assessment for Certain Consumer Products (published 3 May 2016, Official Gazette 29701).

Application and Review Process

• System: All import inspection procedures are conducted via TAREKS, based on risk analysis.
• Prerequisites: The importer must be defined in TAREKS and must authorize at least one firm user, in line with the general TAREKS framework (UGD: 2025/28 referenced).
• Timing: Inspections are performed before registration of the customs declaration (Customs Regulation Art. 181/4 referenced in the structure).
• Risk analysis data points (as framed in the Communiqué): firm information in TAREKS, past import inspection and market surveillance results, manufacturer/importer and firm user data, entry customs office, product type/brand/model, price/quantity, origin/export/dispatch/trade country, and other risk indicators.

Two practical outcomes

• Not routed to physical inspection: TAREKS directly generates the “importable” decision and a TAREKS reference number.
• Routed to physical inspection: the importer must upload additional documents (and respond to any extra requests); failure to provide documents on time leads to a negative result.

Key Compliance Topics Embedded in Annex-1

Annex-1 is not only a GTIP list; it also ties each product set to:

1. Applicable legislation (KKDIK / Biocidal / Certain Consumer Products Conformity Communiqué, etc.), and
2. Control focus (what the authority is effectively looking for).

From the excerpt you provided, the most operationally critical control themes are:

• Restricted substances / chemical safety controls (KKDIK-driven):Frequent control parameters include azo colorants/azo dyes, lead, cadmium, chromium VI, dimethyl fumarate (DMF), PAH, nickel, organotin compounds (e.g., tributyltin (TBT), dioctyltin), and phthalates (notably for cases/films and similar consumer-contact items).
• Biocidal product licensing controls:Certain hand/skin and surface disinfectants are controlled via license/authorization verification under the Biocidal Products framework.
• Standards-based safety checks under “Certain Consumer Products” Communiqué:Examples in the list include:

Practical takeaway: This Communiqué is heavily test-report driven for chemical restrictions and certain safety standards. If you import into any of the listed GTIPs, you should treat the product as “documentation-led” and anticipate laboratory report scrutiny.

Documents Required in TAREKS (Annex-2)

The Communiqué’s Annex-2 sets the working file that should be ready before the declaration stage:

1. Relevant customs/transport documents depending on the shipment status (summary declaration, transit/transport document such as B/L–CMR–CIM, free zone forms, prior declarations for warehousing/temporary import, etc.; and customs declaration if requested).
2. Invoice or proforma invoice.
3. Accredited laboratory test reports (original or laboratory-approved copy) and product photos taken in the customs-controlled area (in practice these are often the “make-or-break” documents).
4. For products in Chapters 34 and 38, license/authorization (where applicable per product category and regulatory framework).

Important integrity rule: If the uploaded test reports or other requested documents are found not to be issued/confirmed by the relevant party, the physical inspection is concluded negatively, even if everything else looks fine.

Validity and Legal Effect

• The TAREKS reference number must be entered into Box 44 of the customs declaration by the importer.
• The reference number is valid for 1 year from the date it is issued.
• A positive TAREKS outcome / reference number does not mean the product is proven fully safe/compliant; it is an import-control output and does not replace the importer’s liability.

Enforcement and Compliance Risk

• Importers remain responsible for ensuring compliance with the relevant chemical safety / product safety / biocidal rules even if the product is not physically inspected, under Law No. 7223.
• If post-clearance controls later determine the imported product’s GTIP is covered by Annex-1, the customs administration notifies:
• Sanctions apply under:
• Additional TAREKS governance sanctions may include suspension of firm user authorization (1–12 months) and routing the firm’s applications to physical inspection (1–12 months) depending on severity, frequency, and history.

Repealed Regulation and Entry into Force

• Communiqué 2025/12 is repealed.
• Entry into force: 1 January 2026.
• Transition: For shipments dispatched before 1 January 2026 (transport document issued or goods presented to customs), imports may—upon TAREKS application and importer request—be processed under the repealed Communiqué until 28 February 2026 (inclusive).

Compliance Assessment

From a compliance and clearance-risk angle, this Communiqué creates a very clear “operational checklist” for importers:

• GTIP hygiene matters: Many items (e.g., laser products, phone cases/films, certain jewellery/watch parts, stationery) can be misclassified or broadly defined. GTIP disputes can push shipments into the wrong control lane and trigger delays and retroactive notifications.
• Lab reports must be aligned to the control focus: Test reports should explicitly cover the restricted substances listed for the specific product group (e.g., PAH, phthalates, heavy metals, nickel release, DMF, organotin, etc.). “Generic” reports that do not map to the Annex-1 control set often fail in practice.
• Licenses are decisive for Chapters 34/38 items: For relevant disinfectants and similar products, the license check is not negotiable; missing or mismatched licensing is a high-probability rejection trigger.
• Document authenticity is a hard gate: The Communiqué’s approach is strict: if a report is not deemed legitimately issued/verified by the relevant lab/issuer, the outcome is negative even if the product itself might be compliant.
• Have a bonded-area photo workflow: Because product photos are explicitly required, operational readiness at the warehouse/customs area reduces avoidable time loss.

See the legislation document.