Importing Marble from Türkiye: Documents, Customs

Marble shipments from Türkiye move on a core set of documents — commercial invoice, packing list, transport document, proof of origin and test reports — and the HS heading that applies depends on whether the stone arrives rough or roughly cut (heading 2515) or worked and finished (heading 6802). This page lists what each document must contain, who issues it, where shipments get held up, and what to confirm with your customs broker before the container is sealed.

What documents come with a marble shipment from Türkiye?

Two of these travel with the goods and three are checked at the border, but every one of them describes the same shipment. The packing and container loading page covers how crate marks and numbering tie the paperwork to what is physically inside the box. Send the destination country and the Incoterm through request a quote and we will quote with the documents and customs papers that shipment needs.

It also helps to know who produces each document, because most delays trace back to an assumption that someone else was handling it. The producer issues the invoice, packing list and test reports, and takes the stone to the gate; the forwarder books the transport, issues or collects the transport document and prepares the export declaration on the Turkish side; the chamber of commerce issues the certificate of origin against the producer's paperwork; your customs broker files the import declaration in the destination country and reads the tariff with you; and the importer supplies its EORI or local registration number, arranges the import clearance and pays whatever duty and tax the declaration calls for. None of these roles is interchangeable in practice, and a document that everyone assumed someone else had is the classic gap found only at the border.

How is marble classified: HS 2515 or 6802?

The heading turns on how much processing the stone has had. A buyer importing rough blocks for their own gangsaw sits in a different heading from a buyer importing polished, cut-to-size lobby tiles, and the wrong heading changes both the duty treatment and the data trail on the declaration.

In short: sawn into a block or slab and nothing else done, and the crude-stone heading applies; cut, polished, profiled or carved, and the worked-stone heading applies. Classification is a legal statement, so confirm it against the destination tariff database — TARIC for the EU, HTS for the United States, or the national tariff elsewhere — and with your customs broker before the declaration is filed, not after the goods arrive. Trade sources also describe classification rulings from other authorities as the way borderline cases get settled; a ruling for one importer does not automatically extend to another's goods.

What must the commercial invoice say?

The invoice is the document the declaration is built from, so a vague description is the single most common reason a marble shipment is queried. Fields worth checking before you approve the pro-forma:

Invoice description checklist

• Stone name as sold — the trade name, plus the scientific or generic type where the buyer's rules require it (marble, travertine).


• Finish — polished, honed, brushed, sandblasted, flamed; "natural" is not a finish.


• Dimensions and thickness — in millimetres, with the thickness tolerance if one was agreed.


• Quantity — in square metres and/or tonnes, consistent with the packing list.


• Net weight — per crate and in total; the weight that appears on the transport document must agree.


• HS or CN code as classified, with the heading named on the declaration.


• Incoterm and named place — "CIF İzmir" is a term; "CIF" alone is not.


• Producer or shipper identity — the legal name that matches the other documents.

Incoterms for marble: FOB, CIF, DAP

The pattern behind the table is that cost and risk move together only at the loading point. A DAP quotation looks simpler but embeds the forwarder's margin and takes away your control of freight; an FOB quotation gives you that control and makes the landed cost your own calculation. The rules are published by the ICC; ask for the three-letter term and the named place in every quotation. The Incoterms line also decides who arranges the insurance certificate when Table A says it is required.

Duties, origin proof and trade agreements: what to check

This page does not state duty rates, because the rate that applies to your shipment is the one in the destination country's tariff on the day it is declared, and it can differ by origin and by measure. What to do instead:

1. Look the heading up in the destination tariff. TARIC for EU imports, HTS for the United States, the national tariff schedule elsewhere. Read the duty line together with any measure listed against it.


2. Establish which origin you are claiming. Preferential treatment depends on valid origin proof — a EUR.1 movement certificate, an A.TR for trade with Türkiye–EU arrangements where applicable, or an origin declaration by an approved exporter. Absent valid proof, normal treatment applies.


3. Confirm the treatment with the broker before production ends. If preferential treatment changes the landed cost materially, the paperwork needs to be right from the first document, not corrected at the border.


4. Check whether any measure applies to your goods beyond duty. Your broker reads the same TARIC or HTS entry you do; the point of naming it here is that the check exists and has to be run per shipment.

Ports and loading in Türkiye

İzmir is commonly described in trade sources as the main marble export port for the Aegean and Marmara quarry belt, which is where the Afyon, Denizli and Balıkesir clusters sit. Aliağa, Mersin and Antalya are further examples to confirm with the producer against your actual FOB point — the port on the quotation is the one that matters, and a trucking leg from an inland plant changes both cost and timing.

Loading discipline matters as much as the paperwork: photographs of the empty container, the lashing, each layer and the sealed doors are the evidence that settles damage arguments later, and they start the file your broker and insurer will want if something goes wrong. The packing and container loading page sets out the loading questions worth asking before the box is booked.

Payment terms and the document flow

The documents in Table A are also what gets paid against, so the payment structure and the document set have to be designed together. A deposit against the pro-forma with the balance against copies of shipping documents is the usual pattern on a first order: the buyer sees the documents before releasing the balance, and the seller has the deposit to finance production. With a letter of credit, the bank pays against documents that comply with the credit, which means the description, weights and dates on the documents must match the credit exactly — a one-word difference in the goods description is a classic refusal reason.

Whichever structure runs, tie each payment milestone to a document you control: an inspection certificate, a photograph set, a signed packing list. The buyers guide sets out the options and the risk each carries for both sides.

Where do shipments get delayed, and how do you avoid it?

Delays at the border are almost always documentary rather than about the goods themselves:

• Name mismatch. The invoice says one company, the bill of lading another, the origin certificate a third. Keep the legal name identical across documents.


• Wrong or missing HS code. The declaration needs the code you classified; an obviously wrong heading invites a check.


• Packing detail that does not add up. Piece counts, crate marks and weights that disagree between the invoice, packing list and labels are what a physical inspection is looking for.


• Thickness or finish not stated. For worked stone these attributes can matter to classification, so their absence is a question.


• Origin proof that does not match the claim. Claiming a preference without the certificate the agreement requires stops the treatment in its tracks.

The practical habit that prevents most of this is building one reference — the order number, or the crate numbering scheme — into every document from the first day. When the invoice, packing list, labels, transport document and origin certificate all carry the same reference, a clerk comparing them at the border can see in seconds that they describe one shipment, and the file you keep on your side matches the file your broker builds on theirs. It costs nothing at the point of writing and it is very hard to add afterwards.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which HS code applies to marble slabs?

It depends on how far the slab has been worked. Roughly cut slabs of square or rectangular shape generally fall under heading 2515; slabs that have been cut to size, polished, profiled or otherwise worked fall under 6802, with 6802.91 the subheading used for worked marble and travertine. Confirm the classification for your specific goods with your customs broker against the destination tariff database before filing.

Which HS code applies to polished tiles?

Polished, cut-to-size marble tiles are worked stone, so they are classified under heading 6802 rather than 2515. A ruling issued to another importer for glazed marble tiles does not classify your goods — get your own confirmation.

Do I need EUR.1 or A.TR for marble from Türkiye?

It depends on the destination and on whether a preferential arrangement is being claimed, so it is a question for your broker rather than a fixed rule. If a preference is claimed, valid origin proof in the form the agreement requires has to accompany the declaration; without it, normal treatment applies.

What should the invoice description include?

The trade stone name, the finish, dimensions and thickness, quantity in square metres and/or tonnes, net weight, the classified HS or CN code, the Incoterm with its named place, and the producer or shipper identity. The same wording should appear on the packing list and match the crate labels.

Who pays for export clearance in Türkiye?

That is set by the Incoterm in the contract: under FOB the seller's responsibility ends once the goods are on board, and export clearance sits with the seller before that point; other terms allocate it differently. Read the term and the named place together rather than assuming a label settles it.

How long do customs checks take?

It depends on the destination, the document set and whether the shipment is selected for a physical inspection, so no reliable day count exists in advance. The way to reduce the risk is the checklist above: consistent documents, correct classification and origin proof agreed before departure.

Can I get test reports for the shipment?

Yes, and for most project buyers it is standard practice: request reports for the specific stone and lot, with the laboratory, date and sample origin visible, and align them with the invoice description. The technical data and standards page explains which test answers which question.

Sources and standards

• TİM — Türkiye Exporters Assembly — aggregate export data by sector and year, useful for market context.
• ICC — Incoterms — publisher of the Incoterms 2020 rules used in the term tables above.
• Destination customs authority publications where known — TARIC for EU imports, HTS for the United States, or the national customs site for other destinations, for the current classification and duty text.

To plan the documents, customs papers and delivery for your shipment, contact us and we will quote the whole package.

Related pages

Marble overview · Marble buyer's guide: the ten-step import process · Packing and container loading · Quality inspection and claims · Technical data and test standards · Price drivers explained · Request a quote