Commerce Ministry Raises Surveillance Threshold for Mobile Phone Imports from $200 to $250

The Commerce Ministry's regulation raising the commercial import surveillance threshold on certain smartphones from $200 to $250 came into effect on August 10. The 30-day transition period from the decision published in the Official Gazette on July 11 expired today.

The regulation directly affects the cost calculation of phones with declared import values below the $250 threshold; higher-priced models above this ceiling fall outside the scope. Experts expect the pressure to first hit entry and mid-range imported phones. Whether the full cost increase will be passed on to retail prices remains unclear.

The ministry applied a similar surveillance threshold in 2022; at that time, price increases of 3-5 percentage points were observed in entry-segment phones. The regulation is expected to have the most impact on imported Android models sold in the 3,000-6,000 TL price band.