The majority of the thirty-four regulations published in the Official Gazette (Resmî Gazete) during the week of 6-12 July 2026 concern foreign trade and customs. This week the Ministry of Trade published several communiqués introducing a surveillance certificate requirement for imports, updates to existing surveillance tables, changes to customs classification and inspection rules for various product groups, and three separate safeguard measure files. In addition, the education regulations of seven different universities were amended, and a comprehensive amendment to the law governing the status of specialist sergeants and security personnel entered into force. No court decisions were published this week.
Fifteen of the thirty-four items consist of texts headed “surveillance certificate for imports” and “import surveillance updated”, which are very similar in content and differ only in the communiqué number or minor details. To make efficient use of our readers’ time, we have grouped these repetitive items and summarised them under a single heading, while regulations containing actual product, date and amount information are covered individually.
Foreign Trade and Customs Regulations: The Main Agenda of the Week
Twenty-six of the thirty-four items published this week relate directly to imports, customs inspections and foreign trade procedures. This concentration shows that the Ministry of Trade brought a large number of communiqués into force simultaneously in mid-July. We have grouped the topics under four main headings: new surveillance certificate requirements, updates to existing surveillance tables, product-based inspection/classification changes, and safeguard measure files. Our practical suggestion for importing businesses is to compare the customs tariff statistical position (GTİP) codes of the products they import with the changes below and to share this list with their customs brokers.
Communiqués Introducing a New Surveillance Certificate Requirement
Through at least three separate communiqués, Nos. 2026/39, 2026/41 and 2026/44, the Ministry of Trade made the import of products under certain customs tariff statistical positions (GTİP) and below a certain value threshold subject to a surveillance certificate requirement. What these communiqués have in common is that the customs declaration for the relevant products is not registered unless a surveillance certificate has been obtained. Applications are made with an electronic signature via the Customs Single Window System or the e-Devlet (e-Government) portal; the certificate is issued electronically, entered with a 23-digit number in box 44 of the declaration, and its validity period has been set at six months. According to the communiqués, the entry-into-force dates vary between 10 and 30 August 2026.
Who is affected? Companies importing the product groups within the scope, customs brokers and businesses providing foreign trade consultancy.
Practical consequence: Importers must apply for and obtain approval of a surveillance certificate electronically before bringing goods to customs; if the application information is inconsistent or incomplete, the certificate is not issued and the import may be delayed. Businesses in Alanya operating in the supply chains for hotels, restaurants and construction materials need to check in advance whether the product groups they import fall within the scope of these communiqués.
Table Updates to Existing Surveillance Communiqués
In addition, eight further communiqués were published updating the product table in Article 1 of earlier surveillance communiqués No. 2018/10, No. 2020/6 and the communiqué dated 19 September 2025. Almost all of these texts state, in virtually identical wording, that “the table has been updated and will enter into force thirty days later”; the texts do not specify in detail which products have been removed from the table and which have been added.
Within this wave of updates, two texts contain concrete and specific information. One abolished the “2B-Exporter-Producer Information Form” requirement for inputs used in the production of animal bedding, provided that a capacity report is submitted. The other introduced the same form exemption for products under a specific GTİP code (7007.19.80.00.15) used in the production of solar panels. Both exemptions apply only to producers/exporters able to submit the specified capacity report; businesses without a capacity report will continue to submit the form as before.
Who is affected? Companies importing/exporting product groups subject to surveillance; in particular, producers/exporters of animal bedding and solar panels.
Practical consequence: The general table updates require importers to re-check which products fall within the scope of inspection; for animal bedding and solar panel producers, the administrative burden is reduced (submitting a capacity report is sufficient and no separate form is required). Given the growing solar energy investments in the Alanya region, this procedural simplification is noteworthy for local businesses importing solar panel components.
Products With Changed Product Safety Inspection and Customs Classification
The Ministry of Trade also published six separate communiqués updating inspection and classification rules for various product groups:
- Machinery imports: One row in the annex table of the inspection communiqué (Annex 2, row 8) was removed entirely; the relevant requirement no longer applies. The amendment is deemed effective from 1 January 2026.
- Toy imports (two separate communiqués): One communiqué made the customs classification codes for toys more specific; the other introduced additional control and certification steps into the communiqué on the import inspection of toys.
- Tattoo inks: In the communiqué on the import inspection of consumer products, the customs tariff number and product description were taken out of the “others” category and assigned to a separate line as “tattoo inks”.
- Electrical products within the scope of the CE marking: Electrical connection apparatus with motion detection (8536.50.80.00.10) was added to the table as a new category subject to CE marking inspection.
- Radio equipment: Smartwatches (8517.62.00.90.11) and wireless headphones (8518.30.00.90.11), previously in a single category, were split into separate customs codes.
Who is affected? Companies importing the relevant product groups, customs brokers and retailers selling these products.
Practical consequence: Importers must use the correct classification code in their customs declarations; incorrect coding carries the risk of delays or penalties. Businesses in Alanya supplying souvenirs, electronics and hotel equipment are advised to review the changes, particularly in the toy and radio equipment categories, together with their suppliers.
Safeguard Measures on Imports: Three Separate Files
Three separate safeguard measure files were published this week:
- Wire rod: Upon the application of the domestic industry, a new investigation was opened to assess whether the existing safeguard measure on wire rod imports should continue. Interested parties must complete the questionnaires and apply to the Ministry of Trade’s Directorate General of Imports within thirty days; the investigation will be completed within nine months (extendable by six months if necessary).
- Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) chips: On the same grounds (an increase in imports, deterioration in profitability/employment in domestic production), a similar safeguard review investigation was launched for PET chips; the application period and process work in the same way.
- Resins and polymers (Communiqué No. 2026/4): An additional financial obligation (in the nature of an additional customs duty) was imposed for three years on resin/polymer products above a certain viscosity value (GTİP 3907.61.00.00.00); developing countries were granted an exemption.
Who is affected? Companies importing or producing these products, domestic manufacturers, and businesses operating in the chemicals/construction materials sector.
Practical consequence: It is critical that businesses wishing to become parties to the wire rod and PET chips investigations do not miss the thirty-day application period; otherwise they cannot take part in the process. Since wire rod is one of the basic raw materials for the production of reinforcing steel and wire/mesh, the outcome of this investigation (continuation, removal or modification of the measure) may indirectly affect input costs for the construction sector in Alanya. The additional financial obligation on the resin/polymer group, on the other hand, means a cost increase for supplier industries and packaging businesses that use these products; since the communiqué grants an exemption to developing countries within the framework of the World Trade Organization Agreement on Safeguards, importers also need to check whether their supplier country falls within this scope.
Regulation Amendments at Higher Education Institutions
This week, amendments to the internal regulations of seven different universities were published in the Official Gazette. These regulations bind only students enrolled at the relevant university; they do not constitute a general legislative change.
- Necmettin Erbakan University: The definition of the postgraduate thesis defence period was clarified; the number of courses/seminars in thesis-based master’s and doctoral programmes in health fields may now be increased (provided that total credits are not less than 27 and 30 respectively).
- Kırıkkale University: Comprehensive amendments were made to the associate and bachelor’s degree regulation — an occupational health and safety course became compulsory, the possibility of double major programmes was extended, a 90% weighting was given to the placement score in lateral transfers, the period for applying for exemptions was limited to five working days, and the two-year retention of examination papers and the penalty for cheating were clarified.
- Istanbul Beykent University (summer school): The exception excluding the faculties of medicine and dentistry from summer school was removed; students will also be able to take courses they have never taken before in the summer term for the purpose of raising their grades.
- Istanbul Beykent University (Turkish Teaching Centre): The expression “foreign nationals” in the regulation was updated to “international students”; a terminological change.
- İzmir Kâtip Çelebi University: Female postgraduate students who give birth were granted, upon request, an additional two semesters not counted towards the maximum period.
- Trakya University: The attendance requirement in the preparatory classes of the School of Foreign Languages was raised from 70% to 80%; it will apply from the 2026-2027 autumn semester.
- Turkish Aeronautical Association University: The regulation on the foreign language preparatory programme was completely renewed; stages such as the placement test, proficiency exam and level progression exam, as well as the 80% attendance requirement, were redefined.
Who is affected? Only students enrolled or enrolling at the named universities, and the academic/administrative units of these universities.
Practical consequence: None of these changes is directly connected with legal practice in Alanya; they are listed briefly for information purposes.
Amendment of Law: Revision of the Legislation on Specialist Sergeants and Security Personnel
Law No. 7588, published on 11 July 2026, introduced comprehensive changes concerning the status of specialist sergeants, non-commissioned officers and contracted personnel serving in the Armed Forces, the Gendarmerie, the Coast Guard and the Police. Performance-record year and score thresholds were redefined (for example, for transfer to non-commissioned officer status, the average score of the last four years must be 90% or more of the full performance score); the transfer of contracted personnel who have completed at least seven years of service to public positions such as enforcement officer, night watchman and forest protection officer was facilitated. The Law also contains technical provisions on administrative court procedure and on the legal stability of expropriation files relating to immovable properties allocated to state services in the period up to 1956.
Who is affected? Officers, non-commissioned officers, specialist sergeants and contracted personnel serving in the Turkish Armed Forces, Gendarmerie, Coast Guard and Police; former personnel who have left these institutions and are seeking new positions in the public sector.
Practical consequence: Career transition paths for military and security personnel have become more flexible; in serious administrative proceedings such as those concerning links with terrorist organisations, court decisions will now be implemented only after the decision has become final. This regulation has no direct connection with legal practice in Alanya.
Conclusion
The defining theme of the week of 6-12 July 2026 was the series of communiqués published by the Ministry of Trade on import and customs legislation: new surveillance certificate requirements, updates to existing surveillance tables, inspection/classification changes for various product groups, and three separate safeguard measure files. Businesses in Alanya operating in the tourism, construction and trade sectors that import regularly would benefit from reviewing this week’s communiqués against their own product groups. If you are facing a specific legal situation, it is advisable to consult a lawyer to assess how the current legislation applies to your particular circumstances.
Source: Official Gazette (Resmî Gazete).
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