UK–Türkiye Free Trade Agreement
How the FTA takes tariffs to zero on the products we trade: origin declarations, the HS codes that matter in this corridor, and the transit trap that silently destroys preference.
The agreement in one paragraph
The UK–Türkiye Free Trade Agreement carried the substance of the old EU–Türkiye arrangements into the post-Brexit world: for the goods in our corridor, originating products trade at 0% tariff in both directions. "Originating" is the load-bearing word — the preference belongs to goods that meet the agreement's rules of origin and can prove it, not to goods that merely depart from a Turkish or British port.
Origin declarations in practice
For our shipments, preference is claimed with an origin declaration: prescribed wording placed on the invoice or another commercial document identifying the products, completed by the exporter. Practical discipline:
- The declaration wording must be exact and the document must identify the goods it covers.
- The exporter making the declaration is responsible for being able to substantiate origin — production records at the Turkish plant, supplier declarations for inputs.
- Customs can verify retrospectively; a declaration that cannot be substantiated becomes a duty demand plus penalties, years later, at the importer's door.
This is why our documentation packs treat the origin declaration as a controlled document alongside the batch declaration: both are only as good as the records behind them, and we contract for access to those records.
The HS codes of this corridor
| HS code | Covers | Our products |
|---|---|---|
3915 |
Waste, parings and scrap of plastics | All Flow B scrap grades (3915.10 PE, 3915.90 others) |
3907.61 |
PET in primary forms (≥30% recycled context) | rPET flakes, rPET pellets |
3901 / 3902 |
PE / PP in primary forms | rHDPE, rLDPE, rPP pellets |
3920 |
Non-cellular plates, sheets, film | PET/PP/HIPS sheet (3920.62 PET) |
3921 |
Other plates and sheets (incl. laminated) | Laminated sheet variants |
3923 |
Articles for conveyance/packing of goods | Refuse sacks, bin liners, carrier bags (3923.21 PE bags) |
6305 |
Sacks and bags of textile materials | Woven PP/FIBC where traded as textile sacks |
Tariff classification decides more than duty: it interacts with the Plastic Packaging Tax (finished packaging under 3923 is in scope for the importer) and with waste controls (3915 movements need the Annex VII framework regardless of tariff preference). We state the classification on every contract.
The transit trap
The preference chain has a rule that catches real shipments: goods must travel between the parties without entering the commerce of a third country. Route a Turkish consignment through an EU hub where it is customs-cleared into free circulation — a Rotterdam consolidation gone wrong, a distributor "briefly" importing it — and the UK–Türkiye preference is gone. The goods are now EU-status goods facing the UK's third-country treatment, and the 0% rate does not apply.
Transit and transhipment under customs supervision are fine; clearance into an intermediate market is not. Our standard routings are direct deep-sea (Ambarlı, Gemlik, Mersin, İzmir → Felixstowe, London Gateway, Southampton) or road under transit procedures, precisely so the preference survives the journey.
What this is worth commercially
Zero tariff is part of why Turkish-produced sacks, sheet and pellets land in the UK at prices EU converters struggle to meet, and why UK scrap is attractive to Turkish reprocessors. But the preference is an asset that must be maintained: correct declarations, substantiated origin, clean routing. When we quote DAP with preference, the paperwork behind that quote is already in order — that is the point of buying from a trader who treats customs documentation as a core competence rather than an afterthought.
This page is general guidance, not legal or customs advice. See the "last reviewed" date above.