As a shipping company from Riyadh to Turkey, Gulf International Shipping keeps the process simple: our crew picks up furniture, cartons and goods at your home in any Riyadh neighbourhood, our closed truck covers roughly 950 km to Jeddah Islamic Port, and from there the container heads north through the Suez Canal to Mersin, İskenderun or the Istanbul ports; after Turkish customs releases it, the load is delivered to your address in Istanbul, Ankara, Bursa or anywhere else in Turkey. Allow roughly 16–23 days from loading in Riyadh to delivery in Mersin or Adana, and about 20–31 days for Istanbul, Bursa or İzmir; a parcel flown out of King Khalid International Airport reaches Istanbul after 3–5 working days. The cheapest entry points from Riyadh: air at SAR 14/kg, shared sea space at SAR 410/m³, a bedroom dismantled and rebuilt at SAR 1,100, SAR 4,140 for a private 20 ft box, and SAR 5,060 to move a car that qualifies.
A common assumption among Riyadh customers moving to Turkey is that the container leaves from Riyadh itself, or from Dammam port because it is the closest seaport to the capital. In practice we move goods to Turkey only by ship and by plane, and every Riyadh container is loaded in Jeddah. That single fact changes how long the move takes and what it costs, so this page walks through each stage with real numbers: the road to Jeddah, the sailing schedule, the Turkish port that suits your city, what Turkish customs asks of returning Turkish citizens and of Arab residents, and exactly what you pay for each service.
At a glance
- Sea departure point: Jeddah Islamic Port, reached by closed truck from Riyadh after about 950 km
- Sailing time: roughly 5 days at sea to Mersin and roughly 8 to İskenderun, with more days for the Marmara and İzmir ports
- Door to door by sea: 16–23 days to Mersin and Adana, 18–25 to Ankara and Konya, 20–31 to Istanbul and Bursa
- Air freight: nonstop flights from Riyadh to Sabiha Gökçen Airport in Istanbul, delivery in 3–5 working days
- Prices from: SAR 14/kg by air, SAR 410 per cubic metre, SAR 4,140 per 20 ft box, SAR 6,440 per 40 ft box
- Cars: shipped sealed inside a container from Jeddah (SAR 5,060 upward), only if Turkish customs will admit the vehicle
- Delivery: door to door across both sides of Istanbul, Ankara, Bursa, Yalova, Sakarya, İzmir, Antalya and Trabzon
Route: Riyadh → Jeddah (Islamic Port) → Suez → Mersin / Ambarlı → your address in Turkey · Call or WhatsApp: 0568829975
How long does shipping from Riyadh to Turkey take?
A full container from Riyadh to Turkey takes roughly 16 to 31 days, and the spread depends almost entirely on the Turkish city you are moving to and the port where the box is discharged. A container bound for Mersin rides a weekly direct service that covers the Jeddah leg in about five days. A container for Istanbul or Bursa usually travels on another service or is transshipped on the way, so it spends longer at sea. Compared with Jeddah, Riyadh adds two to three days to any timeline: the time needed to load the truck and drive to the port.
Why does a shared shipment take about a week longer? Your goods wait in the warehouse until the container fills with other Turkey-bound loads, then join the next weekly sailing. All of these figures are estimates that move with the vessel schedule and the pace of clearance at the Turkish port, which is why we send you the actual sailing date before you book rather than a generic number.
Approximate shipping prices from Riyadh to Turkey
Gulf International Shipping’s shipping prices from Riyadh to Turkey begin at SAR 138 for a small air parcel, SAR 410 per cubic metre by sea and a reserved 20 ft container at SAR 4,140. We set these figures after comparing what Riyadh shipping companies publish for the same services and pricing below them. They cover collection from your home, packing, trucking to Jeddah and the sea leg. Turkish customs duties and VAT on new items or on a car are paid directly to Turkish customs and are not part of our price.
Note: sea freight from Riyadh takes 16–31 days depending on the port and Turkish city, while an air parcel needs 3–5 working days to reach Istanbul. Prices exclude Turkish customs duties and taxes.
Other items Riyadh customers often ask about
Why does a Riyadh container sail from Jeddah Islamic Port?
Every Riyadh container we send to Turkey is loaded at Jeddah Islamic Port. That is an operational choice at Gulf International Shipping, made for two clear reasons. First, Jeddah sits on the Red Sea, so a vessel heads north from there to the Suez Canal and into the eastern Mediterranean, where Mersin and İskenderun lie; no Saudi port offers a shorter sea route to Turkey. Second, Jeddah has a weekly direct service to the southern Turkish ports, so the box does not wait long or change ships before Mersin.
What Riyadh pays for this is the road leg: roughly 950 km between the capital and Jeddah, which a closed truck covers in one or two days depending on the loading slot. We build that leg into the price from the first quote, so there is no surprise line called “port haulage”. For a full container we sometimes deliver the empty box to your street, fill it while you watch and fix the seal, so it reaches Jeddah unopened. For a shared load your belongings ride packed and numbered in our truck, then get stowed in the container at our Jeddah warehouse.
We check navigation before every booking
The route from Jeddah to Suez runs through the northern Red Sea. We review navigation conditions and the vessel schedule before confirming a sailing, and tell you about any change to the date as soon as we hear of it.
Your shipment from Riyadh to Turkey, stage by stage
This table helps if you are working around a flight date or the handover of a flat in Turkey. The days shown are for a full container going to Mersin; add the extra sailing days if you are moving to Istanbul or İzmir.
What delays Riyadh shipments most is not the sea but the paperwork: an incomplete inventory, a bill of lading whose consignee name differs by one letter from the passport, or a relocation certificate that has not been issued yet. So we go through the documents with you before the truck leaves Riyadh, not after the container lands.
Which Turkish port will your shipment use, and which cities does it serve?
Each region of Turkey has a port that serves it best, and picking the right one saves days of trucking inside Turkey. We choose the port for each Riyadh shipment according to the delivery address:
Our Riyadh customers usually head to one of three places: Istanbul, home to families, students and business people; Bursa, Yalova and Sapanca, where many Saudi and Gulf families own flats and summer homes; and Ankara, for civil servants and students. Ankara loads normally come in through Mersin and then travel about five and a half hours by road, which is faster overall than waiting for a ship to Istanbul and then driving to the capital.
Shipping from Riyadh to Istanbul
Shipping from Riyadh to Istanbul goes by sea to Ambarlı port on the European side or to the ports of the İzmit gulf, then by truck to your neighbourhood; or by air from Riyadh to Sabiha Gökçen Airport on the Asian side. We deliver to European-side districts such as Başakşehir, Beylikdüzü, Esenyurt, Fatih and Bakırköy, and to Asian-side districts such as Üsküdar, Kadıköy, Ataşehir and Pendik.
Istanbul is congested. Some of its older streets cannot take large trucks, and some buildings do not allow furniture in the lift. Ahead of delivery we check how wide the road is, which floor you live on and whether a lift is available; where necessary the goods are switched onto a lighter truck close to the building, or raised to the balcony with an external furniture hoist. That small detail is what keeps your furniture free of scratches over the last hundred metres of a journey thousands of kilometres long.
Moving furniture from Riyadh to Turkey: packing that survives weeks at sea
Your furniture will spend two to three weeks inside a steel container, going from Riyadh heat to Red Sea humidity and then to cool Mediterranean nights. So we pack a sea shipment to a different standard from a move across town. Wood gets a layer of paper first so the plastic does not stick to it, then bubble wrap, then heavy cardboard, and the outer layer is sealed in film that keeps moisture out. Desiccant bags go inside the container, and marble, glass and antiques get custom-made wooden crates.
We take beds, wardrobes and tables apart, bag the screws of each piece under its number, and write the same number on the carton and in the inventory. Every appliance is photographed and listed with make and serial number, since the Turkish inspector compares the machines with that list. The fridge and washing machine are drained two days before loading so no moisture builds up in the box, and the washer drum is secured with its shipping bolts where available.
Split what flies with you from what goes in the container
Keep your phone, gold, original documents and the medicines you need for the first weeks in your hand luggage, and leave in the container anything you can do without until it arrives. The container is not opened on the way; anything urgent should go by air.
Riyadh districts and nearby towns we collect from
We collect Turkey shipments from every Riyadh district with no district surcharge, and from nearby towns once the truck slot is agreed:
Shared container (LCL) or full container (FCL) from Riyadh?
Shared freight bills you only for the space your belongings take up, starting at SAR 410 a cubic metre, while loads from other customers fill the rest of the box. A full container is billed as a unit: a 20 ft box (about 33 cubic metres inside) is SAR 4,140 upward and a 40 ft box (about 67 cubic metres) SAR 6,440 upward.
The working rule from Riyadh is simple. Once your goods pass about 10 cubic metres, a 20 ft container becomes cheaper than shared freight, because ten metres at SAR 410 come to roughly SAR 4,100, the same as the whole box. Most two- or three-bedroom flats need 15–25 cubic metres, so a full container is the sensible choice for them, and it has the added benefit of being sealed at your home and opened only by Turkish customs. A student sending books and clothes, or a household moving one room plus some boxes, is far better off sharing.
Air freight from Riyadh to Istanbul
For small or urgent loads we fly from King Khalid International Airport to Istanbul, from SAR 14 per kilo; the smallest parcel, 5 kg or under, costs SAR 138 upward. Nonstop flights link Riyadh with Sabiha Gökçen Airport on Istanbul’s Asian side, operated by Pegasus and AJet at about 12–13 flights a week, with a flying time of roughly 4 to 4.5 hours. Allow 3–5 working days for delivery to an Istanbul address and 4–6 for the other big cities such as Ankara, Bursa or İzmir.
Air suits documents, clothing, gifts, small spare parts and whatever you need in your first days in Turkey before the container arrives. It does not suit furniture: a single cubic metre is charged by air at a volumetric weight of about 167 kg, which is more than SAR 2,300, against a sea price from SAR 410. Flight details from every Saudi city are on our page on air freight from Saudi Arabia to Turkey.
Shipping cars from Riyadh to Turkey: the rules come before the price
Before we ask about the model, we ask one question: will Turkey let the car in? We only move cars that satisfy Turkish customs, and the rules are far tighter than people are used to in the Gulf. A Turkish national who has lived abroad for 24 months or more and is going home for good may import one car aged 3 years or less by model year, provided it carried their name on its foreign registration for the full 6 months before they last entered Turkey, it is cleared within 6 months of their return, and the right has not been used in the previous 5 years. Only the customs duty is waived. The special consumption tax known as ÖTV is still due, along with VAT, and for big engines ÖTV alone can be more than the car is worth.
A foreign resident in Turkey may only import a car temporarily, for as long as their residence or work permit lasts, and may not sell or lend it to anyone living in Turkey. General imports of used cars need prior permission that is rarely granted. So we check your car’s papers before giving you any date. Once it is confirmed eligible, we cover it, strap it inside a closed container and sail it from Jeddah, starting at SAR 5,060, Turkish taxes excluded. We do not fly cars to Turkey or send them on roll-on/roll-off vessels.
On the Riyadh side we handle the export formalities: export plates through Absher once fines are settled, a valid registration card, the export declaration on Fasah, and a letter from the financing bank lifting its lien. The full process is explained in car shipping from Saudi Arabia to Turkey.
Turkish customs on furniture: returning Turkish citizens and Arab residents
If you are a Turkish citizen settling back home, your used household goods enter free of customs duty once you have spent two unbroken years (24 months) abroad, or five of the past ten years. The goods must belong to you and have been in use, and they must arrive inside a set window: with you, no more than two months ahead of you, or at most six months after you land. You will need the relocation certificate issued by the Turkish mission: residents of Riyadh apply to the Turkish Embassy in Riyadh, and those in the west to the Consulate General in Jeddah. You attend clearance in person, and a special fee applies to television sets.
Arab and other foreign nationals who relocate to Turkey need three things to bring their used furniture in: an unexpired residence or work permit, a tax number issued in Turkey, and proof of a home, either the title deed of the flat or a notarised rental contract running twelve months or more. Without those, the options are a temporary entry backed by a cash deposit or a bank bond, or paying the taxes. Anything new, which includes items never taken out of their original carton, pays duty and 20% VAT. These conditions are confirmed with Turkish customs before shipping, and the details are in Turkey used household goods customs.
Phones do not go in the shipment
Turkish customs refuses mobile phones that arrive by post or courier, so your handset belongs in your hand luggage, never in the container or a parcel. A foreign phone works in Turkey for a limited period and then needs its IMEI registered for a fee.
Documents required for shipping from Riyadh to Turkey
The bill of lading must show the consignee exactly as written in the passport, letter for letter; even a small difference can hold clearance up for days. Our team files the Saudi export declaration electronically on Fasah, so you never need to visit customs in Riyadh or Jeddah yourself.
Prohibited and restricted items for shipping to Turkey
- Fully prohibited: weapons and ammunition, narcotics, explosives and fireworks, currency and securities, pornographic material, drones.
- Not allowed inside household goods: food and drink, meat products, live or dried plants, animals, aquariums with water, jewellery and precious stones.
- Dangerous goods we do not load: flammable aerosols, paint, bleach, gas cylinders, gunpowder.
- Restricted: medicines (with a prescription only), large quantities of cosmetics and cleaning products, telecom equipment, and used electronics beyond the needs of one household.
- Saudi export rules: heritage items and antiquities, subsidised goods, and weapons without a permit cannot leave the Kingdom.
Shipping commercial goods from Riyadh to Turkey
For Riyadh traders and shop owners we move goods to Turkey as consolidated freight from SAR 2,760 for a small container, or in full 20 ft and 40 ft boxes. In Turkey the goods pay customs duty according to their tariff line and then 20% VAT, and the Turkish importer needs their tax number. Dates and foodstuffs ship only as commercial cargo with the importer’s permits, in reefer containers where needed. More detail is in goods shipping from Saudi Arabia to Turkey.
Steps to ship from Riyadh to Turkey
- 1Send us your shipment details
Photograph your items or list them, give your Riyadh district and the Turkish city, and send it to WhatsApp 0568829975. - 2Get the cost and sailing date
We tell you which fits best, a shared box, a container of your own or a flight, and quote it with the first ship leaving Jeddah. - 3Review the papers with us
Before anything is loaded we check your papers: the returnee relocation certificate, or for residents the permit, tax ID and notarised lease. - 4Packing and loading in Riyadh
Our crew dismantles, sea-packs and numbers your furniture, then the closed truck sets off for Jeddah. - 5Export and sailing
Our team lodges the Fasah export entry; once the ship leaves, you receive the box number and B/L reference for tracking. - 6Clearance in Turkey
The broker files the declaration at the Turkish port under your power of attorney, and you attend inspection if it is a final-return household move. - 7Delivery and reassembly
At your Turkish address the crew unloads every carton and rebuilds the furniture where you want it.
How is the cost of shipping from Riyadh to Turkey worked out?
Several things set the price: the volume in cubic metres for sea freight, the actual or volumetric weight for air, the type of container (shared or full), the discharge port and the road distance from it to your city, the level of packing and insurance. Because the container sails from Jeddah, the road leg from Riyadh is a fixed part of the cost, which is why Jeddah and Makkah prices are slightly lower than Riyadh’s.
A worked example: a family in An Narjis moving a three-bedroom flat to Bursa, about 22 cubic metres in all. Shared, that would come to around 22 × 410 = SAR 9,020, whereas a whole 20 ft box costs from SAR 4,140, meaning the full container saves over half. Delivery from Gemlik port to the house and clearance in Turkey are added according to the shipment. A student sending 6 cubic metres of books and clothes to Ankara pays about SAR 2,460 shared, less than half the price of a container.
The cheapest way to ship from Riyadh to Turkey
- Choose sea over air: a cubic metre by sea starts at SAR 410, while by air it costs more than five times as much.
- Measure before you decide: under 10 cubic metres shared freight is cheaper; above that, a 20 ft container wins.
- Leave behind what is not worth the trip: for some bulky low-value pieces the freight is higher than the price of a new one in a Turkish shop.
- Keep boxed new appliances out of the container: anything still in its original carton counts as new and pays duty and 20% VAT, so buying it in Turkey may be cheaper.
- Book early: at least two weeks before the holiday season, so you make this week’s sailing rather than the next one.
Common mistakes when shipping from Riyadh to Turkey
- Believing an advert for “road freight from Riyadh to Istanbul in a week”: the land route through Jordan and Syria means that at the Syrian frontier the goods go onto a different truck; for Turkey we therefore use only ships and aircraft.
- Putting a phone, gold or original documents in the container.
- Shipping furniture before the relocation certificate is issued or before the Turkish lease is notarised.
- Spelling the receiver’s name on the B/L differently from the passport.
- Buying a car in Riyadh to ship to Turkey without checking the three-year age rule and the registration period.
- Leaving water in the fridge or washing machine, which creates damp that ruins neighbouring cartons.
Shipping from Turkey to Riyadh
We also work in the other direction: furniture you bought in Turkey, stock for your shop in Riyadh, or the belongings of a family coming back to the Kingdom. The sea leg from Mersin to Jeddah is about 8 days; then the box clears Saudi customs and a truck brings it to Riyadh. Pricing differs from the outbound route, so ask for your quote on WhatsApp with the Turkish city and the type of goods.
Why Gulf International Shipping for Riyadh to Turkey?
A route we spell out
We tell you from the start that the container sails from Jeddah to Mersin or Istanbul; we do not sell a route we do not run.
Port haulage included
The 950 km from Riyadh to Jeddah is in the price from the very first message.
Sea-grade packing
Layers that keep moisture out, wooden crates for fragile pieces, and a number on every item.
Paperwork at both ends
Fasah export declaration, a broker at the Turkish port, and an exemption check before loading.
Straight answers on cars
We tell you before you pay whether Turkey will accept your car.
One number
Call or WhatsApp 0568829975 from the survey in Riyadh to delivery in Turkey.
Find out what your Riyadh to Turkey shipment costs
Photograph your belongings, tell us your Riyadh district and where in Turkey they are going, and you will get the price together with the first available ship out of Jeddah.
Related Turkey articles
- Shipping company from Saudi Arabia to Turkey and furniture moving from Saudi Arabia to Turkey
- From other cities: shipping from Jeddah to Turkey, shipping from Dammam to Turkey and shipping from Tabuk to Turkey
- Sea freight guide from Saudi Arabia to Turkey, air freight from Saudi Arabia to Turkey and car shipping from Saudi Arabia to Turkey
- Shipping prices from Saudi Arabia to Turkey, Turkey used household goods customs and cartons and parcels to Turkey
- International furniture moving, customs clearance and all destinations from Saudi Arabia
