Four steps
Buying veneer from Russia looks complicated to a plant that has never imported. In practice the transaction goes through the same four steps every time, and each has its own page:
1. How the process works — the end-to-end structure: who prepares what, where each document comes from, and in what order the money and the goods move. Start here if you have not imported before.
2. Customs clearance — classification under HS 4408.90, customs duty, 20% VAT, the 6% KKDF and when it arises, the phytosanitary certificate and importer registration. The whole tax calculation lives here.
3. Payment methods — direct SWIFT, payment agents and the current status of letters of credit, the compliance pack your bank will ask for, and the KKDF advantage of paying in advance.
4. First order — the sequence from sample to trial container, the clauses to fix in the contract, the payment structure and the checks to run on arrival.
The numbers
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| HS code | 4408.90 |
| Customs duty | 0% |
| Turkish VAT | 20% |
| KKDF | 6%, deferred payment only |
| İGV | status unverified |
| Minimum lot | one 40’HC container, 33–42 m³ |
| Railcar | 102 m³ |
| Transit to Marmara ports | 22–32 days |
| Contract currency | USD or EUR |
This table stays the same at every step. The only variable is the road leg from port to your plant, which depends on your region — that calculation is on the regions page.
Where it actually goes wrong
Taxes are the easy part of importing: the rates are published and your broker does the arithmetic. The difficulty concentrates in three places.
Classification. 4408.90 is the correct heading for rotary-cut veneer, but confusing it with a neighbouring heading is a common mistake and an expensive one to undo — changing the tariff after the declaration is filed costs both time and money. Thickness, degree of processing and species have to be stated consistently across the declaration.
The payment channel. The longest part of a transaction is usually not the transfer itself but your bank assembling its compliance pack. Having that pack prepared before the contract is signed saves weeks on a first shipment.
The contract on the first lot. The moisture band, the thickness tolerance, the grade distribution and your right to measure on arrival all have to be written down. Without that there is nothing to argue from later — which is why the first-order page lists the clauses one by one.
The one thing worth doing before reading any of it
Ask for a sample. They are free and go by courier. Until you have seen the moisture, the thickness tolerance and the surface on your own line, all four steps above stay theoretical — and if the material does not suit you, there is no point calculating customs at all.
Prices and formats: price list and product catalogue. Freight and transit: logistics.