How to import biscuits from Turkey

If you want to import biscuits from Turkey, you are buying from a country with a long baking tradition and a large biscuit industry. Turkish manufacturers make everything from plain shortbread to filled, coated and savoury cookies, and many of them already ship to importers, distributors and retailers abroad. This guide walks through the steps of a first import: finding and checking a supplier, sampling, agreeing the commercial terms, classifying the goods, preparing documents and shipping. It is general guidance for buyers; the rules in your own country always come first, so involve your customs broker early.

Step 1: Decide what you want to import

Before you contact suppliers, write a short brief. It saves time on both sides and gets you comparable quotes.

• Product types: Sweet biscuits, shortbread, savoury cookies, sandwich cookies, mini cookies or cocoa-coated cookies? Each behaves differently in transit and on the shelf.
• Brand: Will you sell the manufacturer’s brand, or do you want your own label? If it’s your own brand, read our guide on private label cookies: MOQ, cost and timeline.
• Pack format: Retail packs, family packs, or formats for cafés and hotels.
• Volume: An estimate per order and per year, even if it’s rough.
• Market rules: Labelling language, ingredient restrictions and any certification your buyers expect (for example halal for many Gulf and Muslim-majority markets).

Step 2: Find and check a Turkish cookie manufacturer

Turkey has many biscuit producers, from large industrial groups to specialist family companies. When you shortlist suppliers, check the following:

1. Manufacturer or trader? Buying direct from the factory gives you a direct line to the people who plan production and packaging.
2. Range: Can they cover several product groups, so you can consolidate orders into one shipment?
3. Export experience: Have they shipped to your region before? A supplier that already exports knows the paperwork and packing expectations.
4. Documents: Ask which certificates and registrations the facility holds, request copies and verify them with the issuer.
5. Shelf life: Ask for the shelf life of each product. Transit time eats into it, so you need enough left when the goods reach your shelves.
6. Communication: Who will handle your account, and how quickly do they answer technical questions?

Harika Tatlar Diyarı is a cookie and biscuit manufacturer in Sultanbeyli, Istanbul, making more than 100 varieties across six product groups and exporting to more than 30 countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Kingdom, Germany and the USA. You can see what we offer importers on our cookie manufacturer in Turkey page.

Step 3: Samples and product approval

Never place a first order without samples. Use them to check taste, texture, breakage, pack quality and label content. Share them with your own buyers or retail partners if you can; their reaction is the best predictor of sell-through.

Look at the whole range, not just one product. For example, a mixed order of assorted cookies and shortbread cookies can fill a container more efficiently than a single item. Once you approve a sample, it becomes the reference for production, so keep a few packs.

Step 4: Agree terms, including Incoterms

Incoterms are the standard trade terms, published by the International Chamber of Commerce, that define where the seller’s responsibility ends and yours begins. They decide who pays for transport and insurance, and at which point the risk passes to you. The terms you will see most often for biscuits shipped from Turkey are:

Incoterm	What it means in practice
EXW (Ex Works)	You collect from the factory and handle everything, including export clearance in Turkey.
FCA (Free Carrier)	The seller hands the goods, cleared for export, to your carrier at an agreed place.
FOB (Free On Board)	Sea freight only. The seller clears export and loads onto the vessel at the Turkish port; you pay the ocean freight.
CFR / CIF	Sea freight only. The seller pays freight to your port; with CIF the seller also buys minimum insurance. Risk still passes when goods are loaded in Turkey.
DAP (Delivered At Place)	The seller delivers to your named place; you handle import clearance and duties.

Which term is best depends on how experienced you are and whether you already have a freight forwarder. First-time importers often find CFR or CIF simpler; buyers with their own forwarder often prefer FCA or FOB for more control over freight costs. Always state the Incoterm with a named place and the version, for example “FOB Istanbul, Incoterms 2020”. For containerised cargo, the ICC itself recommends FCA rather than FOB, because containers are usually handed over at a terminal before they are loaded on board.

Step 5: Classification, documents and shipping

HS code. Biscuits are classified under heading 1905 of the Harmonized System, which covers bread, pastry, cakes, biscuits and other bakers’ wares. Sweet biscuits usually fall under subheading 1905.31, while savoury and other bakery products may fall elsewhere within 1905. Your country adds its own digits to the six-digit code, and the final code decides your duty rate, so confirm it with your customs broker before you order.

Documents. Every destination has its own list, but importers of biscuits commonly deal with:

• a commercial invoice and a packing list;
• a transport document (a bill of lading for sea freight, a CMR for road freight);
• a certificate of origin, which can matter for preferential duty rates;
• health or food-safety documents, where your authority requires them;
• certification documents your buyers ask for, such as halal.

Your customs broker and your supplier should agree the exact list before production starts, so nothing holds the goods at the border.

Shipping. Turkey ships to Europe and the Middle East by road as well as by sea; further markets are usually served by sea. For full container loads, plan your order in cartons and pallets from the start. Our cookie container loading guide explains how. If your order includes cocoa- or white-coated cookies, check storage conditions: our catalogue marks most coated varieties “store 18–22°C”, which matters on hot routes and in summer.

Common mistakes on a first import

• Ordering before the HS code and duty rate are confirmed.
• Choosing products with a shelf life that is too short for the transit and distribution time.
• Leaving label translation and local labelling rules to the last minute.
• Comparing quotes with different Incoterms as if they were the same price.
• Not checking certificates directly with the issuing body.

Summary

To import biscuits from Turkey, start with a clear brief, shortlist manufacturers with export experience, approve samples, agree an Incoterm with a named place, confirm the HS code (heading 1905) with your broker, agree the document list early and plan your shipment in pallets and containers. Check shelf life and storage conditions for every product, especially coated cookies on hot routes.

To start with samples and a quote for your market, send us your brief through the quote form.