Free zones are special areas that are located within the political borders of a country but are considered outside the customs line in terms of foreign trade, tax, and customs legislation. In these zones, broader exemptions and incentives are provided for industrial and commercial activities compared to the practices applied throughout the country. In Türkiye, free zones are included within the Customs Territory of Türkiye; however, for goods that are not in free circulation, they are considered areas where no customs regime is applied and are regarded as outside the customs territory in terms of tax, trade, and foreign exchange regulations. Goods in free circulation are subject to export regime provisions.
In other words, free zones are special areas where legislation related to commercial, financial, and economic fields is either fully or partially not applied, where investment and trade activities are encouraged, and which are physically separated from other parts of the country.
According to Free Zones Law No. 3218, the establishment and operation purposes of these zones can be summarized as follows:
- To support export-oriented production and investment,
- To accelerate foreign direct investment inflows and technology transfer,
- To encourage businesses to export,
- To increase international trade volume.
From a broader perspective, free zones are established to:
- Increase foreign investment and foreign trade,
- Improve the competitiveness of domestic producers by enabling them to obtain inputs at world prices,
- Develop export-oriented industries,
- Increase foreign exchange earning activities,
- Create employment,
- Strengthen the economic structure by introducing modern production and management techniques to the country.
In addition to their economic contributions, free zones offer companies a modern investment and trade environment through their flexible and contemporary management structures; they are also widely used in Türkiye as important logistics centers.
However, despite all these advantages, uniform practice cannot always be ensured in the relations of companies operating in Türkiye with companies established in free zones, or in transactions between branches in free zones and company headquarters. This situation creates various risks for companies trading through free zones.
Our company ensures that customs procedures in free zones are carried out smoothly and securely within the framework of current legislation and existing practices, while providing comprehensive consultancy to its customers on free zone applications.
Our Main Services
- Consultancy on free zone customs practices
- Import procedures from free zones into Türkiye and solutions to related issues
- Issuance of A.TR and EUR.1 movement certificates
- Information on funds applied in free zones
- Management of storage and logistics processes
- Transit trade transactions
- Cost and expense analyses for free zone selection
- Evaluation of free zones within the scope of trade with the European Union
As GGM, we also provide services for companies planning to operate in free zones, including project development, management of application processes before relevant institutions and organizations, obtaining the necessary permits and licenses, and completing company and/or branch establishment procedures quickly and completely.
