Alcohol regulations in Turkey

Licences needed

Establishment Permit (Kurma İzni), Production/Operation Permit (Üretim İzni / İşletme Belgesi), workplace opening and operation license from the local municipality, environmental compliance permit

Authority

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Tobacco and Alcohol Department - TADAB)

Documents

Application form, capacity report, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval/certificate, architectural drawings and machinery layout, equipment specifications and distillation capacity documents, trade registry gazette, signature circular, title deed or lease contract

Fees

Statutory application and annual licensing service fees determined annually by the Ministry under Law No. 4733 based on production capacity

Time to obtain

not confirmed

Who can import

Corporate entities registered in Turkey with a valid tax ID and commercial registration holding an Alcoholic Beverage Distribution Authorization Certificate (Dağıtım Yetki Belgesi)

Licences or registrations

Alcoholic Beverage Distribution Authorization Certificate (Alkollü İçki Dağıtım Yetki Belgesi), Import Conformity Certificate (Uygunluk Belgesi) per product line, and TAREKS customs registration

Authority

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (TADAB) and Ministry of Trade (Customs Administration)

Documents

Trade Registry Gazette, tax registration certificate, signature circulars, authorized agency/distribution agreement from the foreign manufacturer, Certificate of Free Sale, Certificate of Origin, Certificate of Analysis, specimen label layouts

Fees

Annual distribution authorization certificate fee and conformity certificate fees per product SKU set annually by Ministry tariff

Time to obtain

Approximately 1 to 3 months

Required

yes

Process

Importers and domestic producers must submit product formulations and label designs to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to obtain a Certificate of Conformity (Uygunluk Belgesi) prior to import or distribution. Products must comply with the Turkish Food Codex Distilled Spirits Communiqué. Importers must apply physical banderols (excise tax stamps) procured through the Revenue Administration (GİB) / Ministry tracking system.

Authority

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Tobacco and Alcohol Department) and Revenue Administration (Gelir İdaresi Başkanlığı)

Documents and samples

Certificate of Analysis issued by producer or accredited laboratory, Certificate of Free Sale, detailed ingredient specification, original foreign label and proposed Turkish label mock-up, bottle samples if requested for customs laboratory testing

Fees

Conformity assessment fees per SKU and unit costs per physical tax banderol stamp

Renewal

Conformity is valid as long as recipe, specifications, and label contents remain unchanged; distribution license renewed annually

Time to obtain

Typically 2 to 6 weeks

Requires an authorized Turkish importer of record holding a TADAB distribution certificate. State monopoly is abolished (private commercial import permitted). Mandatory physical tax banderols (excise stamps) must be affixed to every bottle prior to market release. Shipments require commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin, and laboratory certificate of analysis. Distilled spirits must be packaged in glass containers only, with pack sizes strictly limited between 5 cl and 300 cl (volumes <5 cl or >300 cl are banned). Importation of alcohol via postal mail, e-commerce, or fast courier is strictly illegal. U.S.-origin distilled spirits face an additional 70% retaliatory tariff.

0% for goods originating from the European Union with an A.TR certificate under the EU-Turkey Customs Union; 0% standard MFN customs duty on most spirits under HS 2208, but imports of spirits originating from the United States are subject to an additional 70% retaliatory customs tariff.

Special Consumption Tax (ÖTV - List III-A) levied as a specific excise tax assessed per litre of pure alcohol (exceeding 1,300 to 1,500+ TRY per litre of absolute alcohol, adjusted biannually to PPI inflation), plus 20% Value Added Tax (KDV) calculated on the CIF customs value + duty + ÖTV. Credit-based imports are also subject to a 6% Resource Utilization Support Fund (KKDF).

Private licensed retailers (specialty Tekel shops, supermarkets, groceries) and licensed on-premise establishments (bars, restaurants, hotels) holding retail sales certificates from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Off-premise retail sale of alcohol is strictly prohibited between 22:00 and 06:00. On-premise licensed venues may serve alcohol for consumption on-site during operational hours, but are forbidden from selling takeaway drinks. Sales are banned within 100 meters of schools, student housing, and places of worship.

banned (Law No. 4250, Article 6 prohibits any sale, marketing, ordering, or delivery of alcoholic beverages via the internet, telephone, mail order, vending machines, or courier delivery services).

Mandatory Turkish language information including commercial name, category, brand, producer/importer name and physical address, country of origin, nominal volume, batch/lot number, actual alcoholic strength (% vol). Must carry three mandatory pictorial health warning icons (prohibiting persons under 18, forbidding driving, forbidding pregnant women) accompanied by the statutory Turkish warning text: 'Alkol Dostunuz Değildir' (Alcohol is not your friend). A fiscal excise banderol stamp must be affixed across the bottle closure.

Completely banned under Law No. 4250. Prohibits all forms of direct, indirect, and digital alcohol advertising, including TV, radio, cinema, billboards, print media, social media, and influencer endorsements. Brand sponsorship of sports events, concerts, festivals, or clubs using alcohol brand names or logos is forbidden. Brand stretching/brand extensions to non-alcoholic products are prohibited. Offering alcohol as promotional free gifts, loyalty incentives, discounts, or tastings to consumers is banned.

Regulated under Turkish Food Codex Communiqué on Distilled Spirits (No. 2016/55): Whisky: minimum 40.0% ABV; Rum: minimum 37.5% ABV; Vodka: minimum 37.5% ABV; Gin / London Gin: minimum 37.5% ABV; Brandy: minimum 36.0% ABV; Rakı: minimum 40.0% ABV (produced exclusively in Turkey from grapes/raisins using traditional copper pot distillation of minimum 65% suma with Turkish aniseed); Neutral ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin: minimum 96.0% ABV.

Nationwide ban on sales and consumption at motorways, highway service stations, health institutions, student dormitories, educational institutions, indoor sports arenas and stadiums during sporting events. Sales are prohibited within a 100-meter radius of educational institutions and places of worship. Municipal dry areas exist where conservative local municipalities refuse to designate 'alcohol-permitted zones' (içkili yer bölgesi), preventing businesses from securing on-premise alcohol licenses.

• On December 25, 2024, the government implemented an unscheduled 12.5% increase in the Special Consumption Tax (ÖTV) on imported distilled spirits (whisky, gin, vodka, rum), followed on January 3, 2025, by an automatic 7.56% PPI-linked inflation hike, compounding taxes on imported spirits by ~21% while excluding domestic rakı from the irregular raise.
• On February 6, 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry published the Communiqué on the Packaging and Tax Stamping of Ethyl Alcohol, mandating strict tax-stamping (banderol) and tracking requirements across distribution to curb illicit alcohol production.
• Administrative fines for violating the 22:00 to 06:00 retail sales ban and selling alcohol to individuals under 18 were sharply increased for 2025-2026 (reaching between 616,308 TRY and 3,034,170 TRY), with repeat violations leading to mandatory license cancellation.
• Full enforcement of container restrictions enacted under Official Gazette No. 32092, which banned all distilled spirit packaging under 5 cl and over 300 cl and mandated that spirits (excluding beer) must only be sold in glass bottles.

Despite prohibitive excise taxes and strict advertising bans, premium imported spirits—particularly Scotch and Irish whiskies, premium vodka, and tequila—enjoy robust demand across urban centers and coastal tourism destinations.

• Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry - Tobacco and Alcohol Department (T.C. Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı Tütün ve Alkol Dairesi Başkanlığı)
• Ministry of Trade (T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı)
• Revenue Administration (T.C. Hazine ve Maliye Bakanlığı Gelir İdaresi Başkanlığı)

1. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service: Türkiye - Unscheduled Increase of Special Consumption Tax (February 2025)
2. International Trade Administration (ITA) Commercial Guide: Turkey - Import Tariffs and Documentation
3. Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry: Communiqué on Packaging and Tax Stamping of Ethyl Alcohol (Official Gazette No. 32804)
4. Türk Gıda Kodeksi Distile Alkollü İçkiler Tebliği (Tebliğ No: 2016/55)
5. Law No. 4250 on Spirits and Alcoholic Beverages Monopoly (İspirto ve İspirtolu İçkiler İnhisarı Kanunu)