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When a customs declaration is registered electronically in Türkiye, the customs system runs it through risk analysis and routes it to a "channel". The channel determines the check that applies to that declaration: will only the documents be examined, will the goods also be physically inspected, or will the declaration be accepted without checks?
Four colours are used in practice: red, yellow, green and blue. The declarant cannot choose the colour, but a complete file both speeds up the work in any channel and shortens the time spent in the red channel.
The four channels at a glance
| Red channel | Document check and physical inspection of the goods |
|---|---|
| Yellow channel | Document check; the goods are not physically inspected |
| Green channel | Cleared without a document check or inspection |
| Blue channel | For holders of a status such as Authorised Economic Operator; cleared without document check or inspection, with control carried out afterwards |
The channel can change after it has been assigned. Ministry of Trade circulars state that, based on the local risk analysis of the customs office where the declaration is registered, a declaration may be routed to the red channel ex officio or at the declarant's request.
Red channel: document check and physical inspection
In the red channel the customs officer first examines the declaration and its attachments, then inspects the goods and compares them with the declaration: type, quantity, weight, tariff position and, where necessary, origin. If the goods are in a bonded warehouse, the inspection usually takes place there.
Opening the container, unloading and counting packages and taking samples all require handling. If the cargo is waiting in a covered, orderly area, this is done faster and the goods are not exposed to the weather in an open yard. If the goods remain under customs supervision after the inspection, they are sealed again; we describe this step in our article on customs seals and warehouse inspection.
With a pre-arrival clearance authorisation, the declaration can be registered before the goods arrive. According to the Ministry's guide, goods whose declaration is assigned to inspection under the red-channel criteria are not covered by that authorisation; the inspection takes place in the normal way once they arrive. Allow for this when planning arrivals for cargo likely to go red.
Yellow channel: document check only
In the yellow channel the goods are not opened; the officer examines the declaration and its attachments. The Ministry of Trade's pre-arrival clearance guide likewise explains that in the yellow channel the inspection is carried out on the documents, and that duties become payable once it is completed with a positive result.
To avoid the document check stalling, everything the declaration needs must be ready: invoice, transport document (bill of lading or CMR), origin and movement certificates and, depending on the product, a TAREKS or TPS number and an analysis report. A single missing document can stretch a few hours' work in the yellow channel into days.
Green and blue channels: no checks at all?
In the green channel the declaration is concluded without a document check or inspection. This does not mean "never checked": customs can still examine the declaration and the commercial documents in a post-clearance audit after the goods have been released. Records therefore have to be kept in order for the statutory retention period.
The blue channel is a facilitation for firms whose reliability has been certified by customs, such as holders of Authorised Economic Operator status. Their declarations proceed without being held up by inspection or document checks; control takes place mainly after clearance. The conditions of the status and the facilitations it brings are set out in the relevant regulation.
Managing time and cost in the red channel
- Plan the move of the container for inspection and the handling team in advance; the inspection area means a separate queue.
- Prepare the packing list by pallet or package; the officer counts against that list.
- For products that will be sampled (chemicals, food, textiles and the like), add the analysis time to your schedule.
- If free time at the port is short, consider placing the goods under the bonded warehouse procedure and handling the next steps from there, so that demurrage does not build up while you wait.
The declarant cannot choose the colour, but whatever colour comes up, what usually drags the process out is missing documents and unplanned inspections. Reviewing the file before registration together with your customs broker and the warehouse operator prevents most of these delays.
