Most hotel furniture leaves Turkey one of two ways: on a truck through the Balkans, or in a container from a Marmara, Aegean or Mediterranean port. Which one fits depends on where the hotel is, how many rooms ship at once, and whether joinery has to arrive in a set order on site.
Transit times by destination
These are planning ranges quoted by forwarders, freight platforms and transport bodies, labelled as market data and dated by the day we read them. They are not Rovers’ figures, and sailings change every season. Sea times are port to port; add trucking at both ends, customs and unloading.
| Destination | Usual mode | Planning range | Source (accessed 2026-10-04) |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Road (full truck) | 7–9 days Istanbul–London; 8–12 days groupage | Brosan Logistics; KG Logistics (Nov 2025) |
| United Kingdom | Sea | 9–19 days | KG Logistics (Nov 2025) |
| Germany / EU | Road (full truck) | 3–6 days Istanbul–Frankfurt, plus border waits | Canxansa (June 2026) |
| France / Italy | Ro-ro trailer + road | Yalova–Sète about 80 h; Pendik–Patras–Trieste about 34 h at sea | DFDS |
| Saudi Arabia, west | Sea, Mersin–Suez–Jeddah | No dated figure we could verify; ask for a current sailing | Loadstar (Mar 2026) |
| Riyadh, the Eastern Province, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE | TIR road, or sea to Jeddah then truck | About 10 days by TIR truck to the UAE through Saudi Arabia (one run, Oct 2025); by road from Jeddah about 950 km to Riyadh, 1,400 km to Dammam | IRU; Loadstar (Mar 2026) |
| Iraq | Road through Habur–Ibrahim Khalil | Gate to Erbil 209 km, about 4 h; gate to Basra 1,091 km, 48–72 h | Logistics Cluster |
| Jordan | TIR road through Iraq | 5 days Istanbul–Amman (first run, Aug 2025) | IRU |
| US East Coast | Sea | 17–26 days Istanbul–New York/Newark, direct services | ShipScanner |
| US West Coast | Sea | No dated figure we could verify; ask for a current sailing | n/a |
| West Africa (Lagos, Tema) | Sea | No dated figure we could verify; direct weekly Med–West Africa service via Mersin since 20 Oct 2025 | Container News |
| Central Asia (Kazakhstan) | Road via Georgia and Azerbaijan | 12–18 days | Canxansa |
Sea routes into the Gulf have been disrupted during 2026, so we quote Gulf deliveries by land and via Jeddah, with the route and its validity written on the quotation.
Road, sea or both
| Road (truck) | Sea (container) | Combined (ro-ro + road, or sea + truck) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fits | UK, EU, Balkans, Caucasus, Central Asia, Iraq, the Gulf | Jeddah and the Red Sea, US, Africa, far markets | Southern EU, UK via Italy or France; inland Saudi Arabia and the Gulf via Jeddah |
| Unit | 13.6 m trailer, door to door | 20’ or 40’ container | Trailer on a ship, then driven |
| Handling | Loaded once at the factory, unloaded at site | Trucked to port, lifted, trucked from port | Trailer stays loaded |
| Good for | Phased deliveries in room-floor order | Large volumes, lower cost per m³ | Skipping slow land borders |
| Watch | Border queues (Kapıkule) | Port dwell time, terminal risk under FOB | Fewer sailings per week |
For a hotel, road freight to Europe lets each truck carry one floor or one room type, so the site can install in order. Sea freight suits a full package going far, packed so the first container holds what is fitted first.
Main Turkish ports for furniture
| Port | Where | What it serves |
|---|---|---|
| Ambarlı | Istanbul, European side | Container terminals including Marport and Kumport; the main gateway for Istanbul and Thrace factories (Logistics Cluster) |
| Gemlik | Bursa province, Sea of Marmara | Container, ro-ro and general cargo; the nearest port for Bursa and İnegöl furniture makers (Logistics Cluster) |
| İzmir (Alsancak, Aliağa) | Aegean coast | Ports for Aegean factories, a short truck run from Manisa and Denizli |
| Mersin | East Mediterranean | Turkey’s largest container port (Mersin International Port); the shortest sea leg to Suez and Jeddah |
Documents from Turkey
| Document | Used for | Issued or made by |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial invoice and packing list | Every shipment | Seller |
| A.TR movement certificate | Goods to the EU: proves the goods are in free circulation under the EU–Türkiye Customs Union, so industrial goods such as furniture enter without customs duty | Turkish customs, at export (European Commission) |
| EUR.1 movement certificate | Preferential origin under a free trade agreement | Turkish customs (Ministry of Trade) |
| Origin declaration | UK: under the UK–Turkey trade agreement the exporter’s declaration on origin supports 0% preference; valid 24 months for UK import | Exporter (GOV.UK) |
| Certificate of origin | Non-preferential origin: Gulf, US, Africa, Central Asia; some countries also ask for legalisation | Turkish chamber of commerce |
| Bill of lading or CMR | Sea / road transport contract | Carrier |
| Fire and test certificates | Market rules on upholstery and beds | Factory or test lab |
Who is importer of record
The importer of record is the party that clears the goods in your country and owes duty and import tax: the seller under DDP, and the buyer or the buyer’s customs broker under EXW, FCA, FOB, CFR, CIF, DAP and DPU.
In the US, the importer of record is the owner or purchaser, or a licensed customs broker they name. A foreign company acting as importer of record needs a US-based surety on its bond and a resident agent in the state of the port of entry (CBP). For US hotel projects, Rovers manufactures and delivers; installation is by the owner’s local contractor.
Packing for export
- Crates and pallets: solid wood over 6 mm thick must meet ISPM 15: treated (for example, heat-treated so the wood core reaches 56 °C for 30 minutes) and stamped with the IPPC mark. Crates made only of plywood, OSB or fibreboard are exempt (IPPC).
- Casegoods: corner guards, foam or cardboard sheeting, stretch wrap, and a carton or crate per piece.
- Upholstery: wrapped in film over a breathable layer, so condensation in a container does not mark fabric.
- Labels: each box carries the item code, room or floor, and box count (for example 2 of 3), matching the packing list and the FF&E schedule.
- Loading order: last on the site programme goes in first.
What to send us
Send the site address, the opening date, the drawings or BOQ, and how many deliveries the site can take. We price each Turkish factory’s lines, pick road or sea with the forwarder, and tell you the Incoterm, the documents and the delivery plan floor by floor. Outside the US we install; in the US we deliver.
- European Commission, Access2Markets: EU–Türkiye Customs Union (A.TR movement certificate) · accessed 2026-10-04
- Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Trade, Origin of goods (certificate of origin, EUR.1, A.TR) · accessed 2026-10-04
- GOV.UK, Trade with Turkey: UK–Turkey trade agreement (rules of origin, declarations on origin) · accessed 2026-10-04
- IPPC, Explanatory document for ISPM 15 (regulation of wood packaging material) · accessed 2026-10-04
- U.S. CBP, Importing into the United States: A Guide for Commercial Importers · accessed 2026-10-04
- Logistics Cluster, Türkiye LCA 2.1.8 Port of Gemlik · accessed 2026-10-04
- Logistics Cluster, Türkiye LCA 2.1.9 Port of Ambarli · accessed 2026-10-04
- Daily Sabah, Turkey's largest port Mersin to gain 0.8M TEU capacity in expansion · accessed 2026-10-04
- DFDS Türkiye, current ro-ro lines (Yalova–Sète about 80 h, Pendik–Patras–Trieste about 34 h) · accessed 2026-10-04
- Market data: Canxansa, Turkey to Germany road freight (June 2026), FTL Istanbul–Frankfurt 3–6 days · accessed 2026-10-04
- Market data: KG Logistics, Turkey shipping guide (Nov 2025), UK road 8–12 days, sea 9–19 days · accessed 2026-10-04
- Market data: Brosan Logistics, Istanbul to London, road 7–9 days · accessed 2026-10-04
- IRU: Global TIR transit system opens faster Türkiye–UAE route via Saudi Arabia, 10 days (29 Oct 2025) · accessed 2026-10-04
- IRU: Türkiye–Jordan trade corridor via Iraq under TIR, Istanbul–Amman in five days (5 Aug 2025) · accessed 2026-10-04
- Iraq Business News: new TIR freight corridor Turkey–Iraq–Saudi Arabia, Ibrahim Khalil to Arar, no trans-shipment (15 Apr 2026) · accessed 2026-10-04
- Logistics Cluster, Iraq LCA 2.3.4: Ibrahim Khalil (Habur) border crossing, Erbil 209 km, Umm Qasr 1,091 km · accessed 2026-10-04
- The Loadstar: Jeddah as the container gateway for the Gulf; road about 950 km to Riyadh and 1,400 km to Dammam (17 Mar 2026) · accessed 2026-10-04
- CargoLinked: Red Sea and Gulf shipping update, Gulf routing and Bab el-Mandeb capacity (25 Sep 2026) · accessed 2026-10-04
- Market data: ShipScanner, Istanbul to New York/Newark, direct 17–26 days port to port · accessed 2026-10-04
- Market data: Canxansa, Central Asia freight, Caucasus truck route 12–18 days · accessed 2026-10-04
- Container News, Arkas merges two loops into new Med–West Africa connection (MAS, from 20 Oct 2025) · accessed 2026-10-04