What Is the A.TR?
The A.TR Movement Certificate is issued under the 1995 Customs Union Agreement between Turkey and the European Union. It allows industrial goods to circulate freely between the two parties without customs duty. Ireland, as an EU member, accepts A.TR like any other EU state.
A consignment travelling with a valid A.TR enters Ireland at 0% customs duty; only the 23% Irish VAT applies — and most commercial importers can reclaim or offset that VAT.
Which Products Qualify?
A.TR covers industrial goods only:
- Textiles and ready-to-wear apparel
- Automotive parts
- Plastic products
- Chemicals (with some exceptions)
- Machinery and components
- Electrical / electronic equipment
- Furniture, metalware, glass
Outside A.TR scope:
- Primary agricultural goods (fresh produce, cereals, olive oil)
- Processed agricultural products (limited quotas)
- ECSC (coal–steel) products — governed by a separate agreement
- Fishery products
Agricultural goods use EUR.1 instead, and duty under EUR.1 is not always zero — it depends on the product.
How an A.TR Is Issued
- Exporter fills it in — using the template approved by the local Turkish Chamber of Commerce
- Chamber of Commerce stamp — the authorised officer signs and stamps
- Turkish customs endorsement (vize) — the most critical step: a customs officer stamps the certificate during export clearance
- Travels with the cargo — the original certificate moves with the carrier
- Presented at Irish customs — submitted alongside the AIS import declaration
An Unendorsed A.TR Is Invalid
The single most common mistake we see is an A.TR leaving Turkey without the customs vize stamp. An unendorsed certificate is invalid at Irish customs and the goods become subject to duty — a problem that is painful to fix after the fact.
Belated Endorsement
If an A.TR is unendorsed when it reaches Ireland, it can be sent back to Turkish customs marked "Issued retrospectively" for endorsement. The process takes 4–6 weeks and Irish customs will not release the goods in the meantime — storage costs add up.
Validity Period
An A.TR is valid for 4 months from the date of issue. Beyond that window EU customs may refuse it.
Irlanda Transit's Process
We review every exporter-prepared A.TR before loading: date, endorsement, product description, HS/CN code alignment with the invoice. Contact us for your shipment.