Household & Personal Moves to Turkey
Moving your home from the UAE to Turkey — packed to export standard, shipped, broker-cleared and delivered to your door in Istanbul, Ankara or the coast.
A household move to Turkey is rarely just about the boxes. It is timing the shipment around a residence permit and a school term, deciding what is worth shipping versus replacing, and trusting that the things that matter — the furniture, the keepsakes, the everyday objects that make a home — arrive intact. Seemleius household and personal relocation to Turkey is built around that reality.
We move individuals, couples and families from across the UAE to addresses throughout Turkey — İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir and the Antalya coast — keeping one coordinator with you the whole way, from the survey in your Dubai or Abu Dhabi home through to the last carton being placed in your Turkish one.
Door-to-door, not port-to-port
Our household service is genuinely door-to-door, and that is the line between a calm relocation and a stressful one. Collection from your UAE address, export packing on site, transport to Jebel Ali for sea or DXB for air, shipping, arrival at İstanbul’s Ambarlı terminals or Mersin, customs clearance through our broker, devanning and onward road delivery to your Turkish address, unpacking and placement — all under one coordinator. You never deal with the port agent, the customs broker or the delivery crew separately. Sea shipments typically run twelve to eighteen days from Jebel Ali to an İstanbul terminal, with a few more days for clearance and delivery; air arrives at İstanbul within four to five days.
What we move
Most household shipments are a mix of the bulky and the precious. We handle all of it:
- Furniture — wrapped, dismantled where needed, and reassembled on delivery
- Fragile items, glassware, art and mirrors — cushioned and crated as required
- Electronics and appliances — packed against handling and humidity in transit
- Personal effects, clothing, books and the everyday contents of a home
- Children’s belongings, toys and school equipment packed last and unpacked first
Inventory and valuation cover
Every carton is logged on a written inventory before it leaves the house — numbered, room-coded and described. This does three jobs: it underpins the Turkish customs declaration and the residence exemption, it gives you a reference at unpacking, and it is the basis for All-Risk transit insurance. Valuation is declared on replacement value, not purchase price, and high-value items such as art, watches and designer pieces are itemised separately so they are properly covered. We walk through valuation at the survey, and the claims window opens at delivery and runs for a defined period, so we recommend opening any cartons with fragile contents before signing off the inventory.
The residence permit and timing the move
Turkey’s used-household-goods exemption is granted against a valid residence permit (ikamet), and the goods generally have to arrive within a set window of your establishing residence — which means we book the freight schedule against your permit, not the other way around. We prepare the Turkish-language inventory and brief the customs broker before the shipment sails. Schools are the other timing pressure: most families aim to land at least two weeks before term so children settle before their first day, and we schedule the move backwards from that arrival date.
What is included
Export-standard packing
Materials and methods rated for the sea or air journey to Turkey.
Full inventory
Every carton logged, so you and Turkish customs both know what is in the shipment.
Customs both ends
UAE export and Turkish import paperwork prepared and cleared through our licensed broker.
Delivery & unpacking
Unloading, unpacking and placement at your home in Turkey.
How a household move runs
- Survey. We assess your home’s volume and contents, walk through the residence exemption and valuation, and recommend sea or air for your budget and timeline.
- Pack. Our crew packs to export standard and builds your inventory before anything leaves the house.
- Ship and clear. The shipment travels on the booked route; we manage UAE export and Turkish import customs in parallel.
- Deliver. We deliver, unpack and place your belongings so you arrive to a home, not a stack of boxes.
Whether it is a one-bedroom apartment or a full villa, the care is the same. Request your quote and we will plan the move around your dates, your term start, and your residence-permit timeline.
Common questions about this move
Anything specific to your situation? A specialist for this corridor is happy to help.
Contact usHow long does a move to Turkey take?
Transit time depends on the freight mode and the volume. Your coordinator gives you a realistic window when quoting — sea freight is slower and more economical, air freight is faster for time-sensitive moves.
Do you handle customs at both ends?
Yes. Export and import documentation is prepared and submitted on your behalf, and clearance is coordinated at both origin and destination.
Is my shipment insured in transit?
Transit insurance is available on every corridor. Your coordinator explains the cover options when quoting so you can choose what suits the shipment.
How far ahead should I book?
Two to four weeks is comfortable for most international moves, but we regularly handle urgent relocations. The earlier you reach out, the more flexibility you have on dates and freight space.
Will I have one point of contact?
Always — a dedicated coordinator owns your move from first quote to final delivery, including the customs and freight handovers in between.