16.12.2025 07:01
Ercan Özboyacı, the Chairman of the ITO Jewelry Committee, stated that MASAK's practices have paralyzed trade in the jewelry sector and brought up the issues experienced through the example of Amazon. Özboyacı described the request for Jeff Bezos's passport to be apostilled from an exporting company as a demand that is "incompatible with international trade," emphasizing that MASAK inspections, the apostille requirement, and heavy penalties have created serious pressure on the sector.
The increasing inspections and MASAK practices in the jewelry sector continue to be discussed. Ercan Özboyacı, the Chairman of the Jewelry Committee of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, highlighted the problems created by these practices in the field with striking examples during his speech at the ITO's December assembly meeting.
According to a report by Yener Karadeniz from Ekonomim newspaper, Özboyacı stated that the demands faced by a large exporting company in its trade with Amazon do not align with the realities of international trade. He shared that company officials informed him, "I have a customer named Amazon. MASAK is asking for a wet-signed and apostilled copy of the passport of Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos. Otherwise, it is said that you cannot make the sale."
"INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES ARE ABANDONING PURCHASING FROM TURKEY"
Özboyacı emphasized that such demands are not limited to documentation, noting that the small number of Turkish consulates in particularly large countries complicates the apostille requirement even further. Citing the example of the USA, Özboyacı mentioned that some foreign customers have had to fly for hours to reach a Turkish consulate to get their passports apostilled, stating that this situation has deterred international companies from purchasing from Turkey.
"TIGHTENING CONTINUES UNINTERUPTED"
Özboyacı expressed that the example of Jeff Bezos is just one of the most striking headlines of the problems the sector has faced recently, reminding that the jewelry sector has been undergoing an intense inspection process for about 1.5 years. He noted that the tightening from MASAK and the finance side continues uninterrupted, stating that the constantly changing regulations create serious uncertainty in the field. He also added that as the ITO Jewelry Committee, they hold regular meetings to inform their members and strive to keep industry representatives updated with the booklets they prepare.