As a shipping company from Makkah to Turkey, Gulf International Shipping picks up your furniture and cartons at your home in Makkah, drives them about 80 km to the quay at Jeddah, and stows them in a box that crosses the Red Sea northbound and transits Suez on its way to Mersin or one of the Sea of Marmara ports; once Turkish customs release the goods, we deliver them in Istanbul, Bursa, Sapanca, Ankara or any other Turkish city. By sea, Mersin and Adana are reached roughly 14–20 days after loading and Istanbul, Bursa, Yalova and Sapanca in 18–28 days, while a parcel flown out of Jeddah airport is at an Istanbul address within 3–5 working days. Our Makkah rates open with SAR 138 for parcels to 5 kg, SAR 410 per shared cubic metre, SAR 920 for a bedroom set, SAR 4,140 to have a 20 ft container to yourself and SAR 14 per kilo by air.
After Jeddah itself, Makkah is the Saudi city closest to the quay where Turkey-bound containers are loaded. Our truck leaves your street in the morning and is at the port gate before noon, whereas a load from Riyadh has to cover around 950 km to reach the same berth. That is why most Makkah prices on this page sit below those of cities further from Jeddah. Below you will find which Turkish port suits your town, how long each destination takes, what every item costs, what Turkish customs require for used furniture and cars, and what must never go into the shipment at all.
At a glance
- Route: your Makkah district → roughly 80 km by truck → the container terminal at Jeddah Islamic Port → north via Suez → Mersin or a Marmara port → Turkish clearance → your door
- Sailing: one weekly service runs Jeddah–Mersin in roughly five days at sea and Jeddah–İskenderun in roughly eight; Istanbul and Bursa rely on other loops or a transshipment
- Door to door: about two to three weeks for Mersin and Adana (14–20 days), 16–22 for Ankara, Konya and Antalya, 18–28 for Istanbul, Bursa, Sapanca and İzmir, 21–30 for Trabzon
- Air: from King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah to Istanbul on a flight of about 3 hours 45 minutes, from SAR 14 per kg
- Prices: bedroom SAR 920 and up, large fridge SAR 735, small parcel SAR 138, full 5-piece lounge SAR 2,665, a forty-foot box SAR 6,440
- Cars: packed into a closed box at Jeddah for SAR 5,060 upwards, but only when Turkish customs will take the car
- Customs: used furniture of a returning Turkish citizen is duty-free under conditions, a foreign resident needs a residence permit and a tax number, and new items pay duty plus 20% VAT
Route: Makkah → Jeddah → Suez → Mersin / Istanbul · Time: 14–28 days by sea, 3–5 days by air · 0568829975
Which Turkish port will your Makkah shipment arrive at?
Turkey is a large country with coastlines on four seas, so not every shipment lands at the same port. We pick the arrival port according to the town where you or your family live, because the distance between port and front door affects time and cost more than most people expect. A container discharged in Mersin in the south still needs about 500 km by truck to reach Ankara, whereas one heading for Sapanca normally comes ashore at a Marmara port an hour or two from the house.
Most of what we send from Makkah ends up in the Marmara region: flats in Istanbul, summer homes in Sapanca and Yalova, villas in Bursa on the slopes of Mount Uludağ. Ambarlı, Gemlik and İzmit serve this area, and the voyage there from Jeddah is longer than the run to Mersin because the ship has to carry on from the Mediterranean into the Aegean and through the Dardanelles. On the other hand, some customers choose Mersin even when the goods are going to Ankara or Konya, since a short voyage plus a truck journey inside Turkey can beat waiting for a Marmara sailing.
We do not sell an overland route to Turkey
Some companies advertise trucking from Makkah to Turkey through Jordan and Syria. On that road the cargo is unloaded at the Syrian frontier and reloaded onto a second truck, which is why at Gulf International Shipping we use only sea and air for Turkey: a sealed container from Jeddah to a Turkish port, or a flight from Jeddah airport to Istanbul.
How long does shipping from Makkah to Turkey take?
Door-to-door time is made of four stages: preparing the shipment, filing the export declaration and getting the container into port before cut-off (3–5 days); the voyage; clearance by Turkish customs (usually 4–5 working days); and the truck run from the port to your home. The Saudi road leg is very short in Makkah’s case, so our figures start almost where Jeddah’s do.
These are approximate figures for a container of your own. If you share a container, allow another 5–7 days, because cargo from several customers is gathered before the box is closed, and with weekly sailings a missed vessel means waiting for the next. The actual vessel schedule and how fast the Turkish port clears your goods also move these numbers. We review Red Sea conditions at each booking and confirm the actual vessel date before loading day, so you are not left sitting in an empty flat.
Approximate shipping prices from Makkah to Turkey
We looked at the prices shipping companies publish for Makkah to Turkey and then compared them with cities further from Jeddah port. Since every sea shipment to Turkey leaves from Jeddah, it makes no sense for a Makkah customer to pay more for the same item than someone in Dammam or Tabuk. So we brought Makkah’s rates down to the level of the nearest more distant city with a lower published price, and where Makkah publishes nothing we used Jeddah or Riyadh figures.
Note: sea freight from Makkah takes about 14–20 days door to door to Mersin and 18–28 days to Istanbul, Bursa and Sapanca, plus 5–7 days when the container is shared, while a flown consignment is in Istanbul inside 3–5 working days. Turkish clearance and insurance depend on the nature and declared value of the shipment, so ask for a figure on WhatsApp.
Price per item from Makkah to Turkey
Not every shipment is a whole house. Many Makkah requests are a wooden desk for a son studying in Istanbul, a fridge and washer for a flat the family bought in Bursa, or cartons of clothes for relatives in Adana. These are starting prices per item travelling in a shared container:
Some prices advertised for Makkah are far higher than these; you will see a bedroom from Makkah quoted at four thousand riyals or more. The gap exists because a Makkah shipment travels a shorter road to the port than one from Madinah or Riyadh, not a longer one, so we see no reason to charge you more. Compare all origin cities on shipping prices from Saudi Arabia to Turkey.
Who ships from Makkah to Turkey? Four cases and what suits each
A family with a home in Sapanca, Bursa or Yalova
This is the case we see most. A Makkah family has bought a flat or villa in Turkey and wants to furnish it with things they know: carpets, majlis seating, appliances, kitchenware. The key point is that the owner is a foreigner, so furniture entering Turkey for them is treated as a foreign resident’s goods and normally has to be backed by Turkish residence or a work permit, a Turkish tax ID, and the property deed or a notary-certified lease running a year or more. Without a residence permit the owner pays duty and tax on the goods. We therefore advise these families to send only what is hard to buy in Turkey, and to check their residence status before shipping.
A Turkish citizen living in Makkah and moving home for good
Turks who have spent at least two unbroken years (24 months) outside the country can take their used household goods home free of customs duty, supported by a relocation certificate that the Turkish mission in Riyadh or Jeddah issues. The catch is timing: the shipment may land at most two months ahead of the owner and no later than six months after they enter Turkey, so we plan the sailing around their travel date.
A student or employee moving to Istanbul
People relocating to Istanbul for study or work usually bring suitcases, cartons, a desk and a few appliances. If there is no rush, a shared container suits this small load; if the things are needed in the first week, per-kg air freight is the better fit.
A trader sending stock
Prayer beads, carpets, perfumes, clothing and dates leave Makkah for traders in Istanbul and Gaziantep. Trade consignments travel with an invoice, packing list and origin certificate, and the importer in Turkey pays duty by tariff line plus 20% VAT. Traders will find the full procedure under goods shipping from Saudi Arabia to Turkey.
Deliveries in Sapanca, Bursa and Yalova have their own quirks: many villas sit on hill roads or among trees where a big truck cannot always reach. There, the goods move onto a lighter vehicle close to the property, and we therefore need the exact address, a location pin and the number of someone who can receive the goods if you are not there. Owners of flats in Istanbul residential compounds are reminded to get management approval for the lift and truck parking.
Packing Makkah furniture for a sea voyage to Turkey
A container bound for Turkey spends a week or more at sea, then days in the Turkish port yard, and may reach Istanbul in a cold, rainy winter after leaving the heat of Makkah. That swing in temperature makes moisture condense inside the box, which ruins wood, books and electronics unless they are well protected. Our packing for a sea voyage therefore differs from packing for a move across town:
- Wood and sofas: a moisture-barrier poly layer, corrugated board on the edges, then tight stretch film.
- Books and Qur’ans: small cartons one person can lift, lined with a plastic bag inside.
- Glass, marble and ornaments: wooden crates built to size.
- Appliances: washer and fridge drained two days before packing, moving parts secured.
- Securing in the container: straps and timber bracing so nothing slides when the ship rolls.
- Numbering: every piece gets a number matching the inventory, and is photographed before the doors close.
Turkish customs ask for a detailed inventory and, for electrical appliances, the brand and serial number. We write this list with you during packing, not afterwards, copying the fridge, washer and TV numbers off their labels before they disappear under the wrap. That small step can save you a day or more at the Turkish port when the officer asks to match the appliances.
Label cartons in Arabic and Latin script
Write on each carton its inventory number, the receiver’s name, Turkish phone number, district and city in Latin letters as well. Drivers in Turkey read Latin script, which speeds up delivery in large compounds.
Collection from Makkah districts and nearby towns
We collect from every district of Makkah. Newer areas such as Al-Awali, Al-Shawqiyah, Al-Naseem, Al-Aziziyah and Batha Quraysh mostly let the truck park right outside. In older districts near the central area, where streets are narrow and steep, a small vehicle ferries the goods in rounds to the large truck. That is why we ask for a photo of the street and the building entrance before pricing, so we know the crew size and vehicle from the start and you face no surprise charge on the day.
We also collect across the Makkah region: Al-Jumum, Khulais and Rabigh to the north, Al-Lith and Al-Qunfudhah to the south. Trucks from Rabigh, Al-Lith and Al-Qunfudhah take the coastal road straight to Jeddah without entering Makkah. During the Hajj days truck movement inside Makkah follows special traffic arrangements, so we bring loading forward or push it back with you so the container still makes its vessel.
Used furniture customs in Turkey: returning Turks and Arab residents
A Turk coming home to settle pays no customs duty on used household furniture if they have spent two continuous years abroad, or any five of the past ten. The pieces must be second-hand and their own, and they must land inside a fixed window: alongside the owner, no more than two months ahead, or during the six months after the owner arrives, accompanied by the relocation certificate from the Turkish consulate. The exemption is a once-per-household right and a follow-up consignment is accepted inside the same six months as long as nothing in it duplicates the first. The owner must attend customs in person. Television sets still carry a “bandrol” fee even under the exemption.
For a non-Turkish resident, such as an Arab family from Makkah relocating to Turkey, the list is: a Turkish residence card or work permit in force, a Turkish tax ID, and proof of a long-term home, meaning a title deed or a rental contract certified by a notary for twelve months or longer. If any of that is lacking, customs may let the goods in temporarily for a refundable deposit; if not, tax is charged on them. Anything new, or still sitting in its retail packaging, attracts duty plus 20% VAT whatever the case.
Confirm the conditions before shipping
This is the general framework Turkish customs work to; your own case may differ in detail. Check with Turkish customs or your consulate ahead of loading, and we will review the documents with you before the doors are sealed. Our full guide: used household goods customs in Turkey.
Car shipping from Makkah to Turkey
Before asking what car shipping to Turkey costs, know that Turkish customs accept only specific cases, and we only book cars that fit one. The clearest case is a Turkish national coming home after at least two years abroad: they may import a car for good if it is three model years old or newer, has stood in their name on the vehicle register abroad for at least six months before they last entered Turkey, is declared within half a year of arrival, and they have not used the right in the past five years. Even then the waiver removes customs duty alone; the special consumption tax (ÖTV) and VAT must still be paid, and because ÖTV climbs with engine capacity and price it can end up larger than the value of the car.
Foreign residents can usually bring a car in only temporarily, for as long as their permit runs, and may neither sell nor lend it within Turkey. That is why we often advise Arab customers to work out the taxes before shipping; selling the car in Saudi Arabia and buying another in Turkey may come out cheaper.
- How it travels: inside a closed container from Jeddah port, wrapped and secured with straps and bracing. We do not offer ro-ro or air freight for cars to Turkey.
- Price: SAR 5,060 and up for a compact car; whatever Turkey levies on arrival is separate.
- Saudi side: Absher export plates, no outstanding traffic fines, an unexpired registration, the Fasah export declaration and, if the car is on finance, the lender’s clearance.
Car paperwork and Turkish taxes get their own page: car shipping from Saudi Arabia to Turkey, and the service is described on our car shipping page.
Air freight from Makkah to Turkey via Jeddah airport
With no international airport in Makkah itself, our air consignments depart from Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz airport, roughly an hour’s drive from most districts. Jeddah–Istanbul is one of the busiest links between the Kingdom and Turkey: Saudia, flyadeal and Turkish Airlines run around 55 flights a week to Istanbul Airport, plus services to Sabiha Gökçen. The flight takes about 3 hours 45 minutes, and the cargo rides in the hold of these aircraft.
Air cargo is billed on the heavier of two numbers, the weighed kilos or the dimensional kilos, so an oversized light box can surprise you. We therefore ask for the carton dimensions as well as the weight, and sometimes suggest splitting the goods: essentials by air, the rest by container. Every Saudi airport and its Turkey flights feature in air freight from Saudi Arabia to Turkey and on our air freight service page.
Shared or own container? Choosing sea freight from Makkah to Turkey
LCL (less than container load) means your bill covers only the cubic metres your belongings fill inside a box shared by several customers, starting at SAR 410 a metre. With FCL (full container load) you hire a twenty-footer (SAR 4,140 upwards) or a 40 ft one (from SAR 6,440) for yourself alone: it is sealed in front of you in Makkah and opened in front of you in Turkey.
Rule of thumb: once your goods pass roughly ten cubic metres, compare the per-metre total with a full 20 ft container; the private box is often cheaper and quicker. For ports and services in more depth, read the guide to sea freight from Saudi Arabia to Turkey.
Shipping cartons and parcels from Makkah to Turkey
Parcels weighing 5 kg or less begin at SAR 138, those of 5–10 kg at SAR 230, and a personal carton of 10–20 kg at SAR 276. These rates are for parcels consolidated by sea; anything urgent is charged per kg by air. Two Turkish rules matter before you tape the box shut: Turkey turns away any phone sent by post or courier, and a duty-paid personal parcel has a 30 kg gross ceiling and may not hold goods for resale. Since the earlier simplified scheme ended, e-commerce purchases go through the normal import procedure. More at cartons and parcels shipping to Turkey.
Documents required for shipping from Makkah to Turkey
The detail that trips people up most: Turkish officers compare the name on the bill of lading with the passport, character by character, and a single mismatch can freeze the release until the bill is corrected. We confirm the spelling with you before booking and lodge the Saudi export declaration through Fasah ourselves. For clearance in Turkey, see our customs clearance service.
Main prohibited and restricted items for Turkey
- Banned outright: arms and ammunition, explosives, drugs, drones, cash and bonds, pornographic material, and any living animal or plant.
- Not allowed in household goods: anything that burns or pressurises, from spray cans to paint, bleach and gas bottles, plus meat products and jewellery or gems.
- Mobile phones: never in parcels or courier shipments. Keep yours in your hand luggage when you fly rather than among the cargo.
- Restricted: medicines need a prescription, cosmetics and cleaning products only in household quantities, electronics in numbers that fit the household size.
- Food: usually refused in household goods; dates and commercial food travel as cargo with their papers.
- Saudi side: antiquities, old manuscripts and subsidised goods may not be exported.
Steps for shipping from Makkah to Turkey
- 1Send photos and the Turkish city
Photograph the rooms or items and send them with your Makkah district and Turkish city to 0568829975. - 2Choose the method
We suggest a shared or own container or air freight, and name the arrival port nearest your home. - 3Prepare the Turkish customs papers
A relocation certificate for a returning citizen, residence and tax number for a resident, or goods and car papers. - 4Loading day in Makkah
Dismantling, wrapping, numbering and an inventory with serial numbers, then loading the truck or container. - 5Export and sailing from Jeddah
Export declaration on Fasah, then the container enters port and sails north through Suez. - 6Clearance in Turkey
We follow customs at the Turkish port and tell you when to attend if your case requires it. - 7Delivery and reassembly
A truck to your address in Istanbul, Sapanca or any city, and reassembly of whatever we took apart.
What will your Makkah to Turkey shipment cost?
Message us photos, your district and where in Turkey the goods are going; you get a price back plus the next sailing date from Jeddah.
How is the cost of shipping from Makkah to Turkey worked out?
- Volume or weight: furniture is measured in cubic metres, parcels are weighed, and air cargo is billed on the larger of real or dimensional weight.
- Container type: shared, 20 ft or 40 ft.
- Arrival port: Mersin is the shortest sailing, the Marmara ports a little longer.
- Inland leg in Turkey: Ankara and Trabzon are further from the ports than Mersin and Istanbul.
- Special packing: wooden crates for glass and marble.
- Access: upper floors without a lift in Makkah, or hillside villas in Turkey.
- Insurance and clearance: based on value and type of goods.
Worked example: a family in Al-Awali furnishing a flat in Sapanca sends a bedroom, a sofa set, a large fridge, a washer and ten cartons of clothes. At starting prices that is 920 + 1,380 + 735 + 735 + 640, or roughly SAR 4,410 before insurance and clearance. Because a twenty-foot container of their own costs from SAR 4,140, which is less than that total, the container is the smarter choice here: more room and a faster arrival. The final price is set after a photo survey.
Cheapest way to ship from Makkah to Turkey
- Use a shared container for small loads, and your own once you are close to filling 20 ft.
- Ask for Mersin if the goods are going to Ankara, Konya or Adana.
- Dismantle everything that comes apart; each cubic metre saved comes straight off the bill.
- Fly only light, urgent items.
- Do not ship cheap, heavy furniture; buying it in Turkey may cost less.
- If you are a returning Turkish citizen, prepare the exemption papers before loading, since missing papers mean full duty or port storage.
Common mistakes when shipping from Makkah to Turkey
- Believing promises of furniture reaching Turkey in three days, or of a direct overland route.
- Shipping a car without checking the age, registration and ÖTV rules.
- Packing a phone, or new appliances in their original boxes, into the shipment.
- A bill of lading whose spelling of your name differs from the passport.
- Moving out of your Makkah home before the real vessel date is known.
- Leaving appliance serial numbers off the inventory.
- Letting the furniture reach Turkey after a returning citizen’s six-month window has closed.
Why Gulf International Shipping for Makkah to Turkey?
Loading port 80 km away
Only 80 km of road before the quay, which shows in both price and timing.
Prices below the market
Our starting prices sit under the lowest published rates for the city.
The right port for your town
Mersin for the south and Ankara, Marmara ports for Istanbul, Bursa and Sapanca.
Turkish customs know-how
Inventories with serial numbers and the returnee and resident rules.
Sea and air only
No overland promises, and no cars that fail the rules.
Direct contact
Call or WhatsApp 0568829975 at every stage.
Related Turkey articles
- The full country guide: shipping company from Saudi Arabia to Turkey
- Relocating an entire household: furniture moving from Saudi Arabia to Turkey
- Where the ships load: shipping company from Jeddah to Turkey
- From nearby Taif: shipping company from Taif to Turkey
- From Madinah: shipping company from Madinah to Turkey
- For the capital: shipping company from Riyadh to Turkey
- Useful pages: international furniture moving, sea freight service and destinations we ship to
