Moving from United States to Turkey
A practical guide to shipping a household from the United States to Turkey, clearing Turkish customs on your used effects, and getting your tax number and residence permit once you land.
Moving from the United States to Turkey, in one honest summary.
A move from the United States to Turkey is an ocean freight move. Your household goes into a container at a port such as New York, Norfolk or Savannah and sails across the Atlantic and through the Mediterranean to the Turkish coast, most often the container terminals around Istanbul at Ambarli, or to Izmir at Aliaga and Mersin in the south. Plan on roughly four to seven weeks door to door once you include packing, the ocean leg, and Turkish customs clearance at the other end.
The cost is driven by volume far more than by distance. A studio that fits in a shared container is a different order of expense from a four bedroom house that needs a full forty foot box. As an indicative 2026 range, a two to three bedroom home runs about 5,500 to 16,000 US dollars door to door, with smaller and larger homes either side of that. The numbers below break this down by home size and by whether you share a container or take one to yourself.
The part that surprises Americans most is not the shipping but the sequence of paperwork in Turkey. Almost nothing happens until you have a Turkish tax number, the vergi numarasi, and your residence permit application is moving through the Presidency of Migration Management. Customs clearance of your goods is tied to evidence that you are genuinely settling in Turkey, so the smart order is to start the residence and tax steps before your container lands rather than after.
Below you will find indicative 2026 costs by home size and mode, a realistic timeline for the ocean route, how Turkish customs treats used household goods for people transferring their residence, the residence routes that fit a typical mover on this corridor, and how to choose a mover without guesswork.
What it costs in 2026, by home size and method.
These are indicative 2026 ranges in US dollars for the United States to Turkey move, door to door. Your volume in cubic feet, the port pair, the season, and how far the final delivery runs inside Turkey move the number more than the ocean distance does.
A shared container, where your goods travel as part of a consolidated load, is the most economical choice for a studio or a partial home but moves on the consolidator schedule. A full container carries only your household and clears as a single shipment, which is faster and the sensible choice for a two to three bedroom home or larger.
- +Lowest cost for small volumes
- +You pay only for the space you use
- −Slower, your goods wait for a full load
- −Wider, less certain delivery windows
- +Your goods travel and clear alone
- +Faster and more predictable transit
- +Right for a two to three bed home or larger
- −You pay for the whole box even if part full
- +Fastest way to get essentials to Turkey
- +Useful while a container is still at sea
- −Rarely economical for a full household
- −Priced by weight, so heavy items hurt
Get moving quotes for United States to Turkey.
Tell us your home size and timing and we put your United States to Turkey move in front of vetted movers who run this ocean lane. Free, no obligation.
A realistic schedule for this route.
A realistic schedule for the United States to Turkey sea move. The ocean leg is the long pole, and Turkish customs clearance depends on your residence and tax paperwork being ready, so start those early.
Get quotes and book
Request a binding pre move survey from movers who run the United States to Turkey lane. Book early for a summer move, when container space and trucking are tight at both ends.
Start Turkish paperwork
Apply for your Turkish tax number, the vergi numarasi, and begin your residence permit application with the Presidency of Migration Management. Customs clearance later leans on this evidence that you are settling.
Pack and load
Movers pack over one to two days and load the container. Keep passports, your itemized inventory and rental or property documents with you, not in the box, since you need them for customs and registration.
Atlantic and Mediterranean crossing
The container sails from the US East Coast across the Atlantic and through the Mediterranean to the Turkish terminal. Sailing frequency and any transshipment set the exact number of weeks.
Clear customs and deliver
Your goods clear Turkish customs against your residence and tax documents and the inventory, then deliver to your home. Complete your address registration so banking, utilities and health cover can follow.
How Turkey treats your used household goods.
Turkey allows people transferring their normal residence into the country to import used household goods and personal effects with relief from import duty, provided the goods are genuinely used and the move is tied to credible evidence that you are settling. That evidence is the heart of the file: a residence permit application in progress, an address that matches your rental contract or title deed, a Turkish tax number, and a clear itemized inventory of what is in the container.
The single most important early step is the Turkish tax number, the vergi numarasi, which you can obtain from a local tax office and which underpins almost everything else, from the residence permit to opening a bank account. Many movers appoint a customs broker in Turkey under a narrow power of attorney with sworn translations, so the clearance at Ambarli or your arrival port runs smoothly while you handle settling in.
A few categories carry their own rules regardless of the residence relief. Vehicles are treated separately and are complex to import, so most people sell before they leave rather than ship a car. Alcohol and tobacco beyond small personal quantities, firearms, and certain electronics can attract duty or controls. If you hold a Turkish passport, separate conditions apply, including a requirement to have lived abroad continuously, so confirm your own position before you ship.
Keep a clear, valued inventory even beyond what customs asks for, because it is also what protects you on the insurance side if anything is lost or damaged on the long ocean leg.
The routes in for this corridor.
Most people moving from the United States to Turkey come on a work assignment, to retire or live on income, or to join family. Each route is summarised in two sentences. None of this is immigration advice, so confirm the current rules before you rely on them.
The short term residence permit, the kisa donem ikamet, covers people living in Turkey on income, owning a home, or staying for an extended period, and is the route many Americans use. You apply through the Presidency of Migration Management and register your address once approved.
A work permit is sponsored by a Turkish employer and is processed largely through the Ministry of Labour, with the residence right flowing from it. It suits people moving for a job rather than independent means.
Spouses and children of a Turkish citizen or a permit holder can apply for a family residence permit. The sponsor and the relationship drive the paperwork and the renewal cycle.
Buying property in Turkey can support a short term residence permit, and larger qualifying investment can open a route to Turkish citizenship. Thresholds and rules change, so check the current figures before you commit.
How to pick a mover for this route, without the guesswork.
We do not rank or recommend individual companies. We teach you the criteria that separate a safe international move from an expensive mistake, then put your request in front of vetted movers who run this lane.
Look first for membership of FIDI or IAM, the two international moving networks whose members are audited for financial stability and quality. A mover that runs the United States to Turkey lane regularly will know the sailing schedules from your coast, the clearance routine at Ambarli or your arrival port, and how to coordinate with a broker so your goods are not sitting in demurrage while paperwork catches up.
Insist on a binding pre move survey, in person or by video, so the quote reflects your actual volume rather than a guess. Ask precisely what the price includes: export packing and materials, the ocean freight, destination port handling, Turkish customs clearance, delivery and unpacking, and any long carry or shuttle where a truck cannot reach the door in an older Istanbul building.
Compare like with like. Get two or three quotes on the same scope and the same service level, check each carries proper marine transit insurance with a clear claims process, and read recent reviews from other movers on transatlantic routes into Turkey. The cheapest headline number is rarely the cheapest move once you add what was left out.
Questions people ask about this move.
How much does it cost to move from the United States to Turkey?
As an indicative 2026 range, a one bedroom home runs roughly 2,800 to 8,000 US dollars and a two to three bedroom home roughly 5,500 to 16,000 US dollars door to door, depending on volume, the port pair, the season and whether you share a container or take a full one.
How long does shipping from the United States to Turkey take?
Plan on about four to seven weeks door to door for a full container, including the Atlantic and Mediterranean crossing and Turkish customs clearance. A shared container takes longer, often six to nine weeks, because your goods wait for a consolidated load.
Do I pay duty on my furniture moving to Turkey?
People transferring their residence into Turkey can usually import used household goods with relief from import duty, provided the goods are genuinely used and your file shows you are settling, with a residence permit in progress and a Turkish tax number. Verify the current rules before you ship.
Can I bring my car from the United States to Turkey?
Importing a vehicle into Turkey is treated separately from household goods and is complex and often costly, so most people moving on this corridor sell the car before they leave rather than ship it. Confirm the current rules if you are set on bringing one.
What is the vergi numarasi and why do I need it?
The vergi numarasi is the Turkish tax number, available from a local tax office. You need it to apply for a residence permit, open a bank account, and clear your household goods, so treat getting it as one of the first jobs on arrival.
Last reviewed: 10 January 2026. We refresh this guide as costs, customs, and visa rules change.