Why the road starts here
Türkiye is by far the largest supplier of chocolate and confectionery to Iraq, and most of it goes by road. Gaziantep sits on that road: our factory is here, and the truck leaves from next to the plant, through the Habur–Ibrahim Khalil crossing to Zakho, then Erbil, Mosul or Baghdad. Basra and the south are served by sea from Mersin to Umm Qasr. Iraqi buyers search for how far Gaziantep is from the border for a reason; the answer is the shortest supply line Turkish confectionery has to any export market.
The unit: one full truck
On this route the unit of sale is one full truck, or a container via Umm Qasr, mixed across as many lines as you like: chocolate, dragées, Turkish delight, confectionery and pistachio products from our own factory, each line on its own pallet, one set of documents. Chocolate and chocolate-coated lines travel at a controlled temperature; for the warm months, which on this road are long, a reefer truck is quoted. The mixed-container page explains how the load is built; the same logic applies to a trailer.
The Arabic label
The Iraqi market requires the mandatory information in Arabic, on the pack or on a sticker; Kurdish is added where the distributor wants it. For lines in our standard packs we confirm what the export pack already carries and what the importer adds. For an own brand we prepare the label content in Arabic and English from our technical data sheet and check your artwork before anything is printed. The Iraqi private label page goes through it.
The conformity certificate and the documents
Food consignments into Iraq carry a certificate of conformity under the Iraqi standards authority’s pre-shipment programme. The programme’s details change; the offer states what applies on the day and which documents we supply for it, and nothing about it is printed on this site. Alongside travel the commercial invoice, packing list per pallet, certificate of origin, analysis report and our certificates, Halal among them, named per line. There is no free trade agreement between Iraq and Türkiye; the offer states the tariff line and the duty that applies on the day. The document set is on the how we work page.
Agency, distribution and your own brand
Much of the Iraqi trade runs on agency: an importer becomes the agent of a Turkish brand for Iraq or for the Kurdistan Region. Most lines here are available in our standard packs, and an agency or exclusive distribution is agreed with us in writing. Importers who want their own name on the pack take the other route, private label on selected lines. Both can share one truck. The agency article compares the two.
What to send first
The product references from the product pages, the quantity per line, the crossing or port, whether the load is a truck or a container, and whether any line carries your own brand. The written offer follows within two working days, in US dollars, with the certifying body named per line. The Iraq page lists what stays the same on every offer.
Truck or container?
Truck through Habur for Erbil, Mosul and Baghdad; container from Mersin to Umm Qasr for Basra and the south. The offer names the crossing or port and the delivery term.
Who arranges the conformity certificate?
The importer’s side files it; we supply the documents it needs, named per line in the offer, and the offer states what applies on the day.
Can we visit the factory?
Yes. Gaziantep is the Turkish city nearest the Iraqi border, and a factory visit is arranged before or after the first order.
