If you have bought or rented an apartment in Istanbul and want to move your furniture from Dubai, the usual way is by sea: we collect the furniture from your flat in Dubai, pack it and load it as a shared (LCL) shipment or in a 20 ft container, and it sails from Jebel Ali to Ambarlı port in Istanbul or to Mersin in the south in roughly 3 to 5 weeks, followed by customs clearance and delivery to your door. The Al Basmah International Shipping team at our Deira branch on Port Saeed Street arranges all of it, and ships cars inside containers only after first checking that your car is allowed into Turkey. Urgent parcels and documents go by air and arrive within a few days.
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What makes a move to an apartment in Turkey different from other shipments is that the paperwork in Istanbul comes before the boxes in Dubai. Many people start by asking about container sizes; the better first question is whether you have a Turkish residence permit, a tax number and a rental contract or title deed. This guide follows that same order, from paperwork to packing to the furniture lift outside your new balcony.
Getting your Istanbul home ready
- Turkish residence permit and tax number before booking; without them personal effects are usually held at customs.
- A rental contract (often 12 months or longer) or a title deed (tapu) in the shipper’s own name.
- Studio or one-bedroom: usually a shared LCL shipment. Two or three bedrooms: a 20 ft container loaded at your door.
- Sea transit is roughly 3 to 5 weeks port to port, then clearance and trucking to your city.
- A car ships in a container only after its eligibility for Turkey and expected costs are checked.
- In most Istanbul complexes furniture goes up to the balcony by an external lift, which we arrange with the receiver and building management.
What we ship from Dubai to Turkey
From Dubai to Turkey we ship full or partial apartment and villa furniture, personal effects in boxes, cars inside containers after an eligibility check, and commercial goods for a registered importer in Turkey. Most of the requests we get for this route come from families and individuals who have bought or rented a flat in Istanbul and would rather find their own furniture there than buy everything again.
Apartment furniture
Bedrooms, living rooms, dining sets, kitchen items and appliances, dismantled and packed in Dubai and reassembled in Turkey on request.
Cars in containers
A car secured inside a closed container, booked only after we have checked that it can enter and what it will cost.
Boxes and personal effects
Clothes, books, household items and children’s toys in a shared shipment priced by cubic metre.
Commercial cargo
Goods for a registered Turkish importer, with invoice, packing list, certificate of origin and conformity documents where needed.
Before the boxes: the paperwork for your Istanbul flat
A foreigner moving household goods and personal effects to Turkey usually needs four things: a valid residence or work permit, a Turkish tax number, a rental contract or title deed for the home, and a detailed inventory, plus a bill of lading issued in their own name. That is the usual picture; the team reviews your specific case before we set a loading date, because every file is a little different.
Residence or work permit
The residence permit is the basis of the personal-effects procedure. If you have bought a flat and your permit has not been issued yet, it is better to wait for it before shipping, or to plan the sailing with us so the container arrives after the permit, not before, so it does not sit at the port collecting storage charges.
Turkish tax number
The tax number (Vergi Numarası) is requested at customs and in many other procedures in Turkey; if you bought property you most likely obtained one during the purchase. Make sure the name on it matches your passport and the bill of lading letter for letter, because a small difference in the Latin spelling of your name can stop the process.
Rental contract or title deed
Tenants usually present a rental contract of 12 months or more; owners present the title deed known locally as the tapu. The address on that document is where we deliver, so make sure it is complete: district, complex name, block number and flat number.
Inventory
We write the inventory with you while packing: every box gets a number and a description, and electrical items are listed with brand and serial number. The customs broker in Turkey asks for it, and it helps you at delivery to know where everything went.
Turkish citizens returning home after living in the UAE have different conditions from foreigners, and the team explains them for your case. We do not promise anyone a customs exemption; what we do is review your documents before shipping so you know what to expect.
Shared LCL or a 20 ft container for your flat?
A shared (LCL) shipment suits a studio or one-bedroom flat, or someone shipping only part of their furniture, because you pay for the cubic metres your goods take up in a shared container. A full 20 ft container usually suits a two- or three-bedroom flat; it is loaded outside your building in Dubai, sealed, and not opened until Turkey.
- Studio or one bedroom (roughly 8 to 15 m³): usually a shared shipment.
- Two or three bedrooms (roughly 20 to 30 m³): a 20 ft container, which is often cheaper than an LCL shipment of that size.
- Large flat, or furniture plus a car: a 40 ft container, decided by the team after the survey.
The difference is not only price. A shared shipment waits until the container fills and is unloaded at a depot in Turkey before it reaches you, so it passes through more hands and needs stronger packing. A full container leaves roughly when you choose and stays sealed from Dubai until it is opened at Turkish customs or at your door. So if you have heavy wooden furniture or pieces you worry about, ask the team to compare both options for your case rather than deciding on price alone.
Pickup areas in Dubai
We collect from every part of Dubai, and our branch in Deira on Port Saeed Street is close to old Dubai and to the roads leading to Jebel Ali port. Requests reach us on WhatsApp at any hour, and then we set the survey and packing dates.
- Towers and apartments: Dubai Marina, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Downtown Dubai, Business Bay, Jumeirah Village Circle, Al Barsha, Discovery Gardens.
- Villa and family areas: Mirdif, Al Warqa, Arabian Ranches, Dubai Hills, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Palm Jumeirah.
- Old Dubai: Deira, Al Qusais, Al Nahda, Karama, Bur Dubai, International City.
- Free zones: Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai South and Dubai Airport Free Zone, for commercial cargo.
If you live in a tower, many Dubai buildings require a move-out permit from building management and a booked service lift at a set time. Request both well before packing day, because the loading crew cannot start without them.
The sea route from Dubai to Turkey
There is no road route we use for furniture from Dubai to Turkey; shipments go by sea or by air. By sea the container leaves Jebel Ali, crosses the Red Sea and the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean, and arrives at one of three main ports: Ambarlı on the European side of Istanbul, Mersin on the south coast, or Izmir on the Aegean. The port is chosen by the city you are moving to, and the container or shipment then continues by truck to your address.
For anyone moving to Başakşehir, Esenyurt or Beylikdüzü, Ambarlı is the nearest port and the distance to these districts is relatively short. For Gaziantep or Mersin itself, Mersin port is the better fit.
Transit time from Dubai to Turkey
By sea the approximate time is 3 to 5 weeks port to port, plus customs clearance and inland trucking in Turkey. By air it is usually 2 to 5 days door to door, including clearance. All times here are approximate and depend on sailing schedules and customs.
| Method | Approximate time | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full container FCL (20 or 40 ft) | 3–5 weeks port to port + clearance | Two bedrooms or more, a car in a container | Loaded at your door and sealed until Turkey |
| Shared LCL | 3–5 weeks + consolidation wait and depot unloading | Studio, one bedroom, boxes | Priced per m³, needs stronger packing |
| Air freight | About 2–5 days door to door | Documents, urgent parcels, light items | Not for furniture; some items restricted |
Air freight from Dubai to Turkey
Air freight from Dubai to Turkey usually arrives within 2 to 5 days door to door and suits what you need quickly before the container lands: official papers, the children’s school clothes, a work laptop or spare parts. Shipments leave Dubai’s airports for Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gökçen on the Asian side, or for Ankara, Antalya and other airports depending on the city.
- Chargeable weight: price is based on actual or volumetric weight, whichever is higher. Volumetric = length × width × height in cm ÷ 6000. A 60×50×40 cm box counts as 20 kg even if it actually weighs 8 kg.
- Not suited to air: furniture and large appliances; the cost makes no sense compared with sea.
- Restricted items: loose lithium batteries, liquids and perfumes are subject to airline limits, so ask the team before putting them in a box.
A common approach for people relocating: a sea container for the furniture and a small air shipment with what they will need in the first weeks, so they can move in and manage until the container arrives.
Shipping cars from Dubai to Turkey in containers
Shipping your car from Dubai to Turkey starts with one question before any booking: is it allowed in? Turkey restricts imports of used cars by individuals and taxes them heavily, mainly through the special consumption tax (ÖTV), which depends on engine size and value; many personal cars cannot be imported at all, or are allowed only temporarily for foreign residents. So the team checks your specific car and the expected costs before we reserve space for it.
If your car turns out to be eligible, we ship it from Dubai inside a closed container: the car is driven in and its wheels are secured with straps and wooden chocks so it cannot move at sea, and it stays out of the sun, salt and humidity. Some customers ask about putting the car together with furniture in one 40 ft container; that is reviewed case by case, since customs may treat the car separately from personal effects.
- Car registration in your name and an export certificate from Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority.
- The owner’s passport and Turkish residence permit.
- No outstanding fines or bank lien, or a letter from the bank if the car is financed.
- A near-empty fuel tank and no personal belongings inside the car.
Warning: Do not buy a car in Dubai intending to take it to Turkey until we have checked whether it can enter and what that will cost; the taxes on some cars can approach or exceed their value, and some are not allowed in at all.
Packing: preparing apartment furniture for a long sea voyage
Furniture that spends weeks in a container at sea needs packing that can take humidity, vibration and repeated handling. Our crew dismantles and packs in your Dubai flat and numbers every piece so it is easy to reassemble in Istanbul.
- Wardrobes, beds and large tables dismantled, with screws in numbered bags tied to the piece they belong to.
- Mattresses in thick plastic covers; sofas wrapped in blankets and then stretch film.
- TVs, mirrors and glass in dedicated cartons, or wooden crates for large items.
- Kitchenware and plates wrapped piece by piece in paper and bubble wrap, with heavy items in small boxes.
- Moisture absorbers inside boxes and wardrobes, especially for shared shipments.
- The room name written on every box in Arabic and English, so the delivery crew in Turkey knows where it goes.
Tip: leave the fridge and washing machine open for a full day before packing so they dry completely; moisture trapped in a closed container for weeks means a bad smell and possibly mould when it is opened.
Documents for shipping from Dubai to Turkey
Documents depend on the type of shipment: personal effects of someone moving to live there, commercial goods, or a car. These are the usual lists, and the team reviews your file and tells you what is missing before shipping.
Furniture and personal effects
- Passport and Turkish residence or work permit.
- Turkish tax number.
- Rental contract (often 12 months or longer) or title deed.
- Detailed inventory, with brand and serial number of electrical items.
- Bill of lading in the owner’s name.
Commercial goods
Commercial goods pay customs duty in Turkey, and UAE origin does not automatically exempt them; Turkish VAT (KDV), with a standard rate of 20%, is added on top, and some products need conformity documents. The importer in Turkey must be registered, and the usual set is a commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin and bill of lading.
Cars
Car registration, the Dubai export certificate, and the owner’s passport and residence permit, plus whatever Turkish customs requires for the type of entry, permanent or temporary. The decision rests with Turkish customs, which is why we review the car’s eligibility before booking.
Prohibited and restricted items
Keep out of your shipment anything Turkish law bans or restricts; finding it at customs can delay the whole container, not just one box.
- Prohibited: narcotics, weapons and ammunition, counterfeit goods.
- Restricted: drones, some medicines and some foods, which need permits.
- Mobile phones in quantity: they need IMEI registration in Turkey, so do not ship several with your furniture.
- Restricted by air: loose lithium batteries, liquids and perfumes.
Shipping prices from Dubai to Turkey
The cost of shipping from Dubai to Turkey varies with volume, method and city, so we do not quote a fixed figure for any service. Send the details on WhatsApp and you will receive the price: the type of shipment, number of rooms or a list of items, your area in Dubai, the city and district in Turkey and, if possible, photos of the furniture or a short video of the flat.
What decides the price?
| Factor | How it affects the price |
|---|---|
| Shipping method | FCL is priced per container, LCL per cubic metre, air by actual or volumetric kilo. |
| Container size | 20 ft, 40 ft or 40 ft high cube; larger costs more but less per cubic metre. |
| Volume | In a shared shipment, the number of cubic metres is the basis of the whole price. |
| Arrival port and city | Ambarlı, Mersin or Izmir, then the trucking distance to your city and district. |
| Packing | Dismantling, packing and wooden crates for delicate pieces add to the cost. |
| Documents and clearance | Complete papers save time; missing ones can mean storage charges at the port. |
| Delivery in Turkey | External furniture lift, high floors and reassembly. |
| Car | Container shipping plus Turkish taxes and fees if the car is eligible. |
For optional insurance on your shipment, ask the team about the options before loading. You can also fill in the quote request form on the site.
How to ship from Dubai to Turkey, step by step
- A WhatsApp message: shipment type, your area in Dubai, the city and district in Turkey, and furniture photos.
- Document review: residence permit, tax number, contract or tapu, and car eligibility if there is one.
- Survey and sizing: we decide with you between LCL, a 20 ft or a 40 ft container.
- Price and date confirmed: once you receive the price and agree, we book space on the nearest suitable sailing.
- Packing and loading in Dubai: dismantling, packing, numbering and inventory, then loading and sealing.
- Sailing: from Jebel Ali via the Suez Canal to Ambarlı, Mersin or Izmir, with updates from the team on WhatsApp at each stage.
- Clearance in Turkey: submitting the documents to customs and following them through to release.
- Delivery: trucking to your address, the furniture lift if needed, and reassembly on request.
Delivery in Istanbul: Başakşehir and residential complexes
Most people moving from Dubai to Istanbul live in large residential complexes, and Başakşehir is a clear example: complexes with a gate, security and management, tall blocks, and parking that may not fit a large truck. Delivery here needs more planning than delivery to a detached house.
- Notice to complex management: many complexes want to be told when furniture is coming in and may set specific hours.
- External furniture lift: lifts in many blocks cannot take a wardrobe or a large sofa, so furniture is raised by an external lift straight to the balcony.
- The receiver: if you will not be in Turkey on delivery day, appoint someone you trust and we coordinate with them by phone.
- Measurements: measure the balcony and the flat door before shipping, especially for large sofas and bedroom sets.
We also deliver to Esenyurt, Beylikdüzü, Bahçeşehir, Küçükçekmece, Şişli and Sarıyer on the European side, to Kadıköy, Ataşehir and Üsküdar on the Asian side, and to the rest of Turkey. This table shows the usual arrival port for each area:
| City or area | Usual arrival port | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Istanbul – European side (Başakşehir, Esenyurt, Beylikdüzü, Şişli) | Ambarlı | Closest to the port; most complexes need a lift |
| Istanbul – Asian side (Kadıköy, Ataşehir, Üsküdar) | Ambarlı | Crosses one of the bridges; best delivered outside rush hours |
| Ankara | Ambarlı or Mersin | Then inland trucking |
| Bursa and Yalova | Ambarlı | A relatively short drive from Istanbul |
| Trabzon | Ambarlı | Long trucking along the Black Sea coast |
| Antalya and Izmir | Izmir or Mersin | Depends on sailing date and city |
| Mersin and Gaziantep | Mersin | Closest for the south and southeast |
If you are moving from another emirate, we have separate guides, including shipping from Abu Dhabi to Turkey for villa moves in 40 ft containers, shipping from Sharjah to Turkey, and the general guide to shipping from the UAE to Turkey.
Tips before you close the door on your Dubai flat
- Do not fix a loading date until you are sure when your Turkish residence permit will be issued.
- Get rid of what you do not need before the survey; every cubic metre less lowers an LCL price.
- Keep your passport, flat documents and essential medicines in your hand luggage, not in the container.
- Mains voltage is similar in the UAE and Turkey, but the plug shape differs; have a few adapters ready.
- Photograph valuable furniture before packing; the photos help at delivery.
Warning: Differences in how your name is spelled on the passport, the tax number and the bill of lading are one of the most common causes of delayed customs release. Check the Latin spelling of your name on all three before booking.
Frequently asked questions about shipping from Dubai to Turkey
How long does shipping from Dubai to Turkey take?
By sea roughly 3 to 5 weeks from Jebel Ali to Ambarlı or Mersin, then clearance and delivery to your address. By air usually 2 to 5 days door to door.
Do I need a Turkish residence permit before shipping my furniture from Dubai?
In most cases, yes. A foreigner moving personal effects usually needs a valid residence or work permit, a tax number and a rental contract or title deed, and the team reviews your case before booking.
Is a shared shipment enough for a one-bedroom flat?
Usually, if the goods come to roughly 8 to 15 m³. Above that a 20 ft container may be cheaper, and we decide after photos or a survey.
Can I ship my car from Dubai to Turkey?
The team first checks whether your car is allowed in and what it is likely to cost, because Turkey restricts used-car imports by individuals and taxes them heavily. If it is eligible, we ship it in a closed container.
How does furniture get up to a tenth-floor flat in Başakşehir?
By an external furniture lift that raises the pieces straight to the balcony, after the time is arranged with complex management and the receiver.
How will I know where my shipment is?
The team sends you updates on WhatsApp at each stage: loading, sailing, arrival at port, clearance and the delivery appointment.
Can I send some items by air alongside the container?
Yes, and many customers do: furniture by sea and a small air shipment with what they need for the first weeks.
How do I get a price for shipping from Dubai to Turkey?
Send the details on WhatsApp and you will receive the price: shipment type and size, your area in Dubai and the city in Turkey.
Your Istanbul home is waiting for its furniture
Send us the number of rooms, your area in Dubai and your district in Istanbul, and you will receive the price and a shipping plan.
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