Seed import compliance in Türkiye
Authorities reviewed 2026-10-23
Short answer
Commercial seed imports need prior import permission (ön izin) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's Seed Import Implementation Circular (2019/1), granted to authorised seed companies for the species they are authorised for. Plant-health entry controls follow the Plant Quarantine Regulation.
The circular and regulation are in Turkish and are amended from time to time; confirm the current text and any species-specific conditions with the Ministry before contracting.
Responsible authorities and official sources
- Variety Registration and Seed Certification Centre (TTSM), Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Variety registration, seed certification and the seed import prior-permission procedure.
- Seed Import Implementation Circular 2019/1 (Tohumluk İthalatı Uygulama Genelgesi)
Sets who may receive prior import permission, including authorised seed companies for species within their authorisation.
- General Directorate of Food and Control (GKGM) — plant import procedures
Plant-health import, export and transit procedures for plants and plant products.
- Plant Quarantine Regulation (Bitki Karantinası Yönetmeliği)
Official plant-health controls on entry of plants and plant products into the Turkish customs territory.
Documents to prepare
- Confirm the importer holds the seed authorisation that covers the species, so prior import permission can be granted.
- Obtain the prior import permission before shipment.
- Phytosanitary certificate from the exporting country's plant-protection organisation, checked against the Plant Quarantine Regulation.
- Seed lot label and test data (germination, purity) matching the contract.
This is orientation, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm the current requirement with the authority for each crop, origin and shipment.
Next steps
- Start a seed sourcing request (qualified requests from USD 250,000)
- Seed price calculator (historical import unit values by HS code, not supplier prices)
- Seed import market map (UN Comtrade HS 1209 and HS 120991 imports by country, 2024)
- Seed, greenhouse and crop output journeys