The Republic of Turkey is located between the continents of Asia and Europe, and Turkey is one of the countries with cultural, religious, intellectual, geographical and historical diversity. Turkey is also a manufacturing country for many industries, exports and technology.

The United Arab Emirates is also considered one of the developed countries in the field of infrastructure and innovation and contributes to improving per capita GDP.

Also, the trade relations between the United Arab Emirates and the Turkish Republic; It witnessed a great development after the signing of several agreements between countries and the exchange of official visits between the heads of the two states.

According to official statistics, the rate of trade turnover between the two countries amounted to 8 billion dollars annually, and therefore the United Arab Emirates ranks first in the Arab world in the volume of trade turnover with Turkey.

The UAE ranked twelfth in the world in importing Turkish goods, as Turkish exports to the UAE reached about $3.5 billion in 2019.

Both Turkey and the UAE aim to be a strategic and logistical center for international trade, by establishing a land route between them through Iran. It is expected that a railway project will be launched parallel to this land road.

Until the implementation of that land project, trade and goods transport between Turkey and the UAE depends on two shipping methods, namely air freight and sea freight.

Shipping methods between Turkey and the UAE:

Air freight between Turkey and the UAE:

The air freight process between the two countries is carried out through huge airports such as Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Maktoum and Dubai International Airports.

Air transport is the fastest means of transport in the world, but it is expensive compared to sea freight, but it is recommended when transporting small quantities of goods, as the cost of air freight is generally 4-5 times the cost of land transport and 12-16 times the cost of sea freight, as it ranges Air freight costs are usually from $3.00 to $6.00 per kg.

Medicines, fashion clothing, factory samples, electronic consumables, and perishable agricultural and fish products are examples of commodities that are imported from Turkey to the UAE by air, as these commodities have high production values or are very time-sensitive.

Sea freight between Turkey and the UAE:

Sea freight between Turkey and the UAE is handled on the rest of the goods that do not require air freight, where ships depart from various Turkish ports in all Turkish states and cities, examples of Mar Port, Istanbul Port, Comfort, Ambarli Port, Asia port and other ports, passing through the Mediterranean Sea to the Suez Canal, and then crossing the Red Sea to the Bab al-Mandab Strait passing through the Gulf of Aden and the Gulf of Oman on the Indian Ocean until it reached the waters of the Arabian Gulf after crossing the Strait of Hormuz, and until it reached the ports Examples are Jebel Ali Port, Zayed Port, Rashid Port, Khorfakkan Port and others.

It is recommended to use sea freight when transporting large quantities of goods, as it is less expensive than air freight, and sea freight is divided into two types:

• Full Container Load (FCL): This is the best option when you have goods that fill a full container load
• Less Than Container Load (LCL): This option is best when the goods being shipped are less than a container load so they can be placed with other customers' goods within the same container.

Which is better in importing from Turkey to the UAE, sea freight or air freight?

Freight is often the most expensive component of the supply chain, so companies must take care of the logistics of shipping and additional costs that may affect their profit margins.

Fees, GST, storage fees, demurrage, detention fees, inspection fees, waiting time, fuel surcharges, etc. must also be taken into account.

Some of the key factors to consider when choosing a mode of transportation:

• Air freight is much faster but is usually more expensive than sea freight.
• Both forms of transportation are reliable, but both may have unforeseen delays.
• Sea freight is generally considered to be more environmentally friendly than air freight. Sea freight is more suitable for larger loads than air freight.
• Before making a decision, always examine the urgency of the market, the terms of customer contracts, and the activities of your competitors. If you are in an urgent need to transport goods quickly, air freight is preferred here. If you do not have to, it is preferable to use sea freight.
• Ask your freight forwarder to compare different air or sea freight lines to get the best option for your business in terms of time and cost.

The cost of shipping goods from Turkey to the UAE

When transporting goods from Turkey to the UAE weighing less than 200 kg, the cost of sea freight versus air freight generally does not differ much, and in such circumstances many companies choose the faster alternative, which is usually air freight.

Depending on the following factors, the cost of transporting goods from Turkey to the UAE is:

• The nature of the items you are transporting
• Dimensions, weight and volume of those materials
• Preferred mode of transportation
• The distance between the place of origin and the point of destination
• The type of delivery service you are looking for such as port to port or door to door

Terms and conditions for importing from Turkey to the UAE:

The general trend that the Turkish government is currently taking is to raise the volume of its exports to support the national product, and based on this, it provides facilities in export procedures from the country in general.

Those papers that guarantee export are extracted without any significant problems or obstacles by commercial mediation companies, which provide customs clearance services in Turkey with the Customs Clearance Exchange Company and ensure the safety of export smoothly and with ease.

As for the Emirati side, with the exception of products that endanger health and safety, the UAE operates an open market with all countries on the basis that there are no restrictions on other than those products, so it is easy to import from Turkey to the UAE, except that there are some documents required to complete that task, Which:

• Bill of lading
• commercial invoice
• Certificate of Origin
• packing list
• Authorization document