Receiving an export payment in a Turkish bank: documents, İBKB and what happens on arrival
When an export payment reaches your Turkish bank, crediting the account is only part of the work. The bank accepts the amount as export proceeds, ties it to a customs declaration and issues the İBKB or DAB. This guide follows that moment step by step, based on the Central Bank Export Circular as read on tcmb.gov.tr on 11 November 2026 and on Communiqué No. 2018-32/48.
What the bank asks for when the money arrives
An incoming transfer does not become export proceeds by itself. The bank has to accept it as the price of a specific shipment, relying on your written statement and on documents. Under Article 25 of the Export Circular, closing an export account requires the customs declaration or its data, the related İBKB, the sales invoice and proof of any deductions.
- Customs declaration (GB) number and date; box 22 shows the value, box 28 the bank and the payment form.
- The commercial invoice, and the contract or proforma where the bank asks for it.
- A written statement naming the declaration the payment belongs to.
- The payment message showing sender, amount and purpose text.
The Circular does not require the transfer to quote an invoice number: under Article 11 a payment from abroad may be accepted for the declaration the exporter names, with or without a reference. A clear purpose text still shortens the checks the bank runs under Law No. 5549.
How the receipt is tied to the customs declaration: İBKB and DAB
The clock starts on the actual export date, which the Circular defines as the date the export declaration is closed. From that date the value in box 22 must be brought to Türkiye and an İBKB issued within 180 days (Communiqué, Article 3; Circular, Articles 4 and 8). The intermediary bank is the one in box 28, or one you agree with by presenting the declaration.
The İBKB, the export proceeds acceptance certificate, records the amount, the date it reached your account and the declaration it covers. Until the Ministry’s tracking system is in use a bank may issue a DAB instead, but only one of the two per transaction (Article 30).
- One certificate may cover several declarations (Article 8).
- If the money is moved to another account before the İBKB is issued, acceptance needs the first bank’s written statement with the SWIFT message.
- No second certificate is issued for the same amount.
The mandatory sale share and the rate applied
Part of the proceeds must be sold. Temporary Article 4 of the Export Circular, in the text on the Central Bank’s website read on 11 November 2026, requires at least 35 percent of proceeds tied to an İBKB or DAB to be sold to the issuing bank until 31 January 2027 inclusive. The permanent rule behind it, Additional Article 3, sets at least 25 percent.
The bank sells that amount to the Central Bank the same day and pays you the full lira equivalent. The Implementation Instruction defines the rate as the buying rate the Central Bank announces at 11:00 on the day of conversion. Sales are made in US dollars, euro or sterling; other currencies are converted by the bank first.
The share has changed several times since 2022, and the temporary article was last extended by a Ministry letter of 30 July 2026. Ask your bank which share applies on the day the certificate is issued, and plan currency needs on the remaining part.
Advance payments, third-party payers, short and over payment
Money received before shipment is accepted as an advance: the export must follow within 24 months (Communiqué, Article 4), and an İBKB can be issued within that period. An advance that is neither exported against nor returned in full in one payment falls under pre-financing rules, and a refund may go only to the person who sent it.
| Situation | What the texts say |
|---|---|
| Payer is not the buyer | May be accepted for the declaration you name (Circular, Article 11); the bank still runs its own checks |
| Less than declared | Documented deductions or a price-reduction invoice explain the gap (Articles 15, 21) |
| More than declared | A price-increase invoice lets the difference be accepted (Article 15) |
| Different currency | Allowed (Communiqué, Article 3) |
Small unexplained shortfalls can be written off within limits set per declaration (Communiqué, Article 10; Circular, Article 28). The two texts we read show different lower limits, so ask the bank which one it applies before you treat an account as closed.
What delays crediting and what to prepare in advance
Delays at this stage rarely come from the transfer itself. In practice the bank waits because it cannot match the payment to a declaration, the sender’s name differs from the buyer in the declaration, the amount does not equal the invoice, or the money arrived at a bank other than the one in box 28.
- Agree the payer name, currency and purpose text with the buyer before invoicing.
- Give the bank the contract and invoice ahead of the first payment.
- Keep declaration numbers and closing dates in one list with the 180th day.
- Notify the bank in writing of third-party payers and deductions, with proof.
- Request the İBKB before moving the funds.
Review open export accounts with the bank every month; what happens after day 180 is covered in our guide on export proceeds. If you would like this handled for your company, contact us and we will take the case from the first payment onward.
Sources
- tcmb.gov.tr — Central Bank of Türkiye: Export Circular (İhracat Genelgesi), Articles 3–6, 8, 11, 15, 21, 23–25, 28, 30, Additional Article 3 and Temporary Article 4 (text read on 11 November 2026)
- ms.hmb.gov.tr — Communiqué No. 2018-32/48 on Decision No. 32, Articles 3, 4, 7, 8 and 10 (Ministry of Treasury and Finance copy, March 2023 consolidation)
- tcmb.gov.tr — Implementation Instruction on foreign exchange sales to the Central Bank under the Export Circular (text dated 1 October 2026)
- mevzuat.gov.tr — Decision No. 32 on the Protection of the Value of the Turkish Currency and Law No. 5549 (the site blocks automated readers; cited through the Communiqué and the Circular)
Questions
Does the transfer have to quote the invoice number?
The Export Circular does not require it: under Article 11 a payment from abroad may be accepted for the declaration the exporter names, with or without a reference. A clear purpose text still makes the bank’s checks shorter.
When is the İBKB issued?
When the bank accepts the amount as export proceeds on the basis of your statement and documents. It must be issued within 180 days of the actual export date and records the date the money reached your account.
How much of the payment must be sold?
Under Temporary Article 4 of the Export Circular, as read on 11 November 2026, at least 35 percent of proceeds tied to an İBKB or DAB until 31 January 2027 inclusive. The share has changed before, so confirm it with your bank.
Can someone other than the buyer pay?
Article 11 of the Circular allows a transfer from abroad by a person other than the buyer in the declaration to be accepted. The bank still applies its own checks and may ask for documents on the payer.
What if the money arrives before shipment?
It is accepted as an advance. The export must be made within 24 months, and an advance that is not exported against or fully returned in one payment falls under pre-financing rules.