Fit-out contractors in Dubai and Abu Dhabi often carry the joinery and FF&E inside a larger interior package. Turkey can make that part: wall panelling, doors, wardrobes, vanities, reception and bar counters, headboards, casegoods and loose furniture. Rovers prices every line with the Turkish partner factory that fits the job, sends shop drawings for approval, runs samples, follows production, inspects before packing, ships and installs on site.
Routes and transit from Turkey to the UAE
| Route | How it runs | Transit reported | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road, TIR | Sealed truck from Turkey through Iraq and Saudi Arabia to the UAE | 10 days door to door (one operator’s run) | IRU, Oct 2025 |
| Road, TIR via Iraq | Turkey to Ibrahim Khalil (Iraq), into Saudi Arabia at Arar, then on to the UAE, no change of truck at the borders | Quoted per booking | Iraq Business News, Apr 2026 |
| Sea, then truck | Container from Mersin through Suez to Jeddah, then by road across Saudi Arabia to the UAE | Quoted per booking | Loadstar, Mar 2026 |
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. Every route ends on a truck at the site gate, so a phase can arrive one floor at a time or on a fixed day. The freight quote for each option goes on the same priced schedule, so the choice is made on numbers.
Duty and documents
| Item | What applies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Customs duty | 5% of CIF value, the GCC common external tariff | UAE portal; ICP |
| CEPA rate | The UAE–Türkiye CEPA has been in force since 1 Sep 2023. It removes or cuts duty on most tariff lines; the rate is checked per HS code and claimed with the CEPA certificate of origin | MoET |
| Invoice attestation | Import invoices of AED 10,000 or more are attested by MoFAIC, fee AED 150 per invoice | PwC alert on the MoFAIC rule |
| Document set | Commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, bill of lading or CMR/TIR carnet | Standard set; the broker confirms per shipment |
| Incoterm | FCA Turkey for a contractor with a forwarder; DAP site for a delivered price | Agreed per order |
The packing list follows the contractor’s site logic: one line per item code, floor and room, so the store team can call off by area.
Conformity questions UAE buyers get asked
The UAE Fire and Life Safety Code is the reference that consultants and Civil Defence check against. The questions that come back on a joinery and FF&E package are usually these:
- Upholstered seating and mattresses: fire test reports for the fabric and filling. The code accepts results from British, European and US test methods, such as BS 5852 and EN 1021-1.
- Curtains, drapes and hanging fabric: these must meet flame-spread criteria and be listed and approved by Civil Defence. The fabric is chosen from the listed range, or tested before the order.
- Doors: a fire-rated door set is a separate product with its own test evidence. It is priced and documented as its own line.
- Board and finish: board grade, edge type and finish code per item, matched to the approved sample.
These answers sit with each line from the first quote, so the consultant’s submittal does not wait on the factory.
Free registry checks on a Turkish supplier
Before any deposit, a contractor can check a Turkish company in two free public sources:
- Trade Registry Gazette (ticaretsicil.gov.tr). Search by company title to see its registration, address and change notices.
- TİM membership lookup (tim.org.tr). Search by tax number to see which exporters’ association the company belongs to; Turkish exporters are required to join one.
Rovers can be checked in both, the same way.
What the contractor keeps and what Rovers does
The fit-out contractor runs the site, the programme and the client. Rovers takes the joinery and FF&E lines from the BOQ or drawings, prices each one with the factory that fits, issues shop drawings for approval, runs samples, follows production on the floor, checks each piece before packing, ships, and installs on site to the approved drawings, and one team answers for those lines until handover.
What to send us
Send the BOQ or the joinery and FF&E drawings, the site city, the target delivery date and any finish samples already approved. If there is no BOQ yet, the drawings or a room count are enough to start a priced schedule.
- IRU: Global TIR transit system opens faster Türkiye–UAE route (29 Oct 2025) · accessed 2026-10-04
- The Loadstar: Jeddah as the container gateway for the Gulf, with carriers' road corridors onward to the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq (17 Mar 2026) · 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
- IRU: Türkiye–Jordan trade corridor via Iraq under TIR, Istanbul–Amman in five days (5 Aug 2025) · 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
- UAE Government portal: customs duty and tariff · accessed 2026-10-04
- ICP: Customs Union for GCC States · accessed 2026-10-04
- UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism: the UAE–Türkiye CEPA · accessed 2026-10-04
- PwC Middle East: UAE attestation fees on commercial invoices for imports (MoFAIC, from 1 Feb 2023) · accessed 2026-10-04
- Dubai Civil Defence: UAE Fire and Life Safety Code of Practice · accessed 2026-10-04
- Türkiye Ticaret Sicili Gazetesi (Trade Registry Gazette): title search · accessed 2026-10-04
- TİM (Turkish Exporters Assembly): membership lookup · accessed 2026-10-04