CrashTestDummy

I appreciate the responses from everyone. I wasn't aware I should get it fumigated. I'll look into that as well.

Hello,

I recently purchased large wood carving that I'd like to have shipped back to the US. I'm in no hurry to get it there - just looking to get it there in one piece. I'm hoping someone here has a recommendation for a Chiang Mai business that can handle both packaging and shipping of this fragile item. Yes, I'm aware shipping is likely exceed the cost of the item itself. So be it.

I live in the San Pu Loi area of Chiang Mai. Thank you.

This is helpful. Thank you all for the responses.

I don't believe I'll be going in and out of the county much, so it sounds like my best option is the single entry non immigrant O visa and plan to get a one-year extension while inside Thailand.

I will be moving back to Thailand in September from the US. My wife is Thai, so I intend to get a Non-Immigrant Visa (O). It looks like I can apply for the visa via thaievisa.go.th I have no experience using that service/website.

My question is this: When should I apply for the visa? Is it effective immediately upon issuance or upon entry? I don’t want to apply too soon and cut myself short a couple months, assuming it becomes effective immediately (may not be the case?). If I apply soon, is it possible for the visa to not be valid until September? I need to utilize the full year of the visa, so I don’t want to cut myself short by getting the visa too early.

Any advice would be appreciated.

1 hour ago, oxo1947 said:

Do you mean your wife is mixed raced-half Thai/half American.   Or that she is a full Thai who just took out USA citizenship. 

She's mixed race, half Thai/half American. I didn't know if this would somehow disqualify our child for Thai citizenship, since they'll only be 1/4 Thai. Based on other responses, it sounds like it will not.

Greetings,

My wife was born in Thailand and is half Thai/half American. She has dual Thai/American citizenship. I am American. We are expecting to have a child soon. Is it possible for my child (1/4 Thai) to get dual Thai/American citizenship? The child will be born in American.

I'm particularly interested in this because my wife owns a home in Thailand and I want to ensure the home can be inherited by our child someday.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

On 8/22/2017 at 8:07 PM, sfokevin said:

Have you seen the boxes that HomePro sells?

 

There is this place near Kamthiem... but they may only sell in bulk?
https://goo.gl/maps/E4ZVXv1GRxT2

I thought I'd report back here in case anyone finds this thread helpful in the future... Lanna InterPack will custom make boxes in whatever dimensions you request. We were able to order a box to the specific size we needed and it was ready in a few days. Cost was 200 baht for a giant box. Just what I needed!

1 hour ago, sfokevin said:

Have you seen the boxes that HomePro sells?

 

There is this place near Kamthiem... but they may only sell in bulk?
https://goo.gl/maps/E4ZVXv1GRxT2

This looks promising! I'll check it out. Thanks. 

Greetings,

I need to find a large cardboard box for shipping some bulky stuff, but I'm having no luck. I went to the Baan Tawai area today to check with the various shipping companies. No luck. 

Largest box at Thai Post isn't quite big enough either. Box must be no less than 70cm x 50cm x 50cm.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

-CTD

5 hours ago, TunnelRat69 said:

Mark your Customs Form "Returning used US Goods"  list them with the actual value, not the insured or replacement value..........you can import up to $2500.  good strong shipping boxes can be bought in Central Book store, keep weights under 25kgs, buy good strapping tape.  Thai post office will be much cheaper than DHL.

If I'm shipping back stuff that totals over $2,500, can I expect to get them back in without taxes if I include US receipts for the more valuable items? 

42 minutes ago, howlee101 said:

Check Agoda.com...you will need to create an account in order to make a reservation.  I have used Agoda numerous time when traveling in/out of Thailand.  There are various criteria you can choose, two being "pet friendly" and "near airport".  When we brought our pet from the US, I found a hotel (forgot the name) but it was close to BKK airport and was very reasonably priced but there were only a few that were pet friendly. Granted it was not a 4-5 star hotel but it fit our needs and they provide free shuttle to/from the airport.  

 

Good luck

Yeah, I already went ahead and booked a place using Agoda. I initially missed their "pet friendly" search criteria option. We found a reasonably priced placed right next to the airport. Thanks for your response. 

20 minutes ago, timendres said:

Be sure to insure that high-end photography equipment, otherwise take it with you on the flight.

That's the plan. If I do ship the photography gear, I'll probably opt for the extra expense of DHL. If I need to deal with an insurance claim, I'd rather do it with DHL than Thai Post. 

41 minutes ago, Dan5 said:

One thing I should have mentioned is all the shipments I referred to were from China to the USA. Possibly they handle shipments form China differently, though I doubt it. I think it is just a matter of staffing. They have only so many people to check shipments so they generally don''t check the lower value shipments.

Thanks for the info. I'd guess I could expect similar results shipping from Thailand. 

Greetings,

I'll soon be flying back to the US with my small dog. Our circumstances will require us to stop in Bangkok for a day or two before taking the flight back to the US. Can anyone recommend a dog-friendly hotel close to Suvarnabhumi Airport? The closer to the airport, the better. Thanks!

-CTD

12 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

If everything is your property either from the US, or acquired overseas you can apply for free entry. Now I did this when I shipped a fairly substantial amount back home by sea, but refer to the customs form I filled out. Part 2, Para 10 is the important part. 

 

I'm assuming you could make the same declaration for stuff shipped through mail, but not sure

CBP FORM 3299-1.PDF

That's great. I'll include this with any shipments. It can't hurt to try. Thanks for sharing!

8 minutes ago, somethingnice said:

For this, it will depend on your country.

I know from my own country which is in the EU, that they have a rule, that when a person move from a country outside of the EU to a country within EU, then you will not have to pay any import taxes (except for alcohol, tobacco and cars). This is only for personal used belongings.

Which means, if you pack a brand new camera, computer, or clothes with the price tag on, you can will have to pay tax. For other cases, you don't. 

I think the US have a similar rule: 
See this link:
https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/134/~/moving-back-to-the-u.s.---sending-household-effects

Thanks for the info. I previously found that article, but it seems to focus mostly on food and not just general personal property.

I've started a new topic in the "Home Country" forum, specifically seeking advice for advice on US import duty/taxes. 

Greetings,

I’m returning to the US indefinitely and have made the decision to send some of my property back by either Thai Post or DHL. At this point, best guess is around 75KG of property, distributed over 3-4 boxes.

I’ve never shipped anything to the US from Thailand and I’m hoping to minimize any duty fees or taxes. I have no idea what fees to expect on the US side and am hoping to get some guidance. 

The property that we’ll be shipping is overwhelmingly stuff purchased in America (stuff we brought with us from the US when we moved to Thailand). The stuff will mostly consist of small personal items, such as clothing, shoes and electronics. I also have a lot of high-value photography equipment. I’m very particular about keeping receipts for expensive purchases and have receipts for all of my photography gear, to prove it’s originally from the US. I’d normally prefer my expensive photography gear to fly with me, but I thought it may be better to send it by mail since I can provide proof of purchase for these items in the US (and thus maybe dodge taxes/fees?). Some relevant info here: https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/348/related/1

What documentation should I include in the packages to minimize any customs or import fees? It was previously suggested that I include a “pro forma invoice” with the package. I’ve confirmed DHL provides these. If I ship with Thai Post, do they provide some sort of "pro forma invoice"or will I need to provide one myself? Does this need to be a specific form or can I just write up my own inventory list?

Does it matter if I address the packages to myself versus a friend or family member? Is there any benefit to having the sender and recipient name match?

Any advice would be appreciate.

-CTD

46 minutes ago, somethingnice said:

I just send 2 boxes of 20 KG to Europe by Thailand Post - cheapest type called Surface Mail
Price was 3030 baht per. 20 KG box.

Check the rate here:
http://www.thailandpost.com/index.php?page=rate_result&country_code=TH&weight=20000

(Dont forget to choose the right country and weight.)

I have been told it will take 1-3 month, which is okay, as it is not urgent.

But i have read several threads here on Thaivisa from 2014 that someone report that it often takes shorter. Someone mention that "Surface mail" means "Low priority", but it doesn't mean that it's actually og by boat or train/truck the whole way. From what i have read it should be quite reliable.

 

Custom papers are very fast and easy to fill.

 

I have a full tracking number like any other package, but they put a sticker on the box says: "surface mail".

As i just sent it this week, i do not yet have a report about how long time it actually take. 
I will let you know in this threat when i know.

Thanks for the info. Thai Post does seem like the cheapest option at this point. I visited DHL yesterday found their 25kg boxes were quite large. Their 25KG box is just a bit smaller than a large suitcase. Cost is 7,400 baht per box, so quite a bit more than Thai post but shipping time was 4-5 business days. 

Local shipping company quoted me the following for "LCL" cubic meter shipments to Portland, Oregon: 

1st CBM 13,814 Baht.

Every additional CBM 8,931 Baht.

I still need a bit help demystifying how the possible import taxes/duty fees will play out. I know when I've shipped a few electronics items into Thailand, I was charged a lot in taxes and it wasn't worth it. I need to make sure the same thing won't happen the other way around.  

6 hours ago, Scott said:

About a year ago, I moved a fair amount of stuff back to the US.   I contacted a moving company and they gave me a quote and were very helpful.   They delivered the boxes -- they would pack everything, but I wanted to do that myself, so I could sort through 30 years of junk.   I did have to label each box.   In total there were 9 large boxes and several smaller boxes.   Some of the stuff was fragile, but was well packed around towels, bedding etc.   

 

The company came by, checked the boxes, did a minor amount of re-packing, got the list of each box and took them all away for shipping.   They filled out all the customs papers for the US and whatever was needed to get it out of Thailand.   They were very specific about anythings I could not send.    They also had a contact company in the US, so it was door to door delivery.   I never did anything.  

 

Anything that might have a problem with customs -- such as a somewhat expensive color-laser printer, they enclosed the papers when it was purchased etc.,  They also helped guided me through the process of getting my two cats back -- the company could ship them, but one had some medical conditions, so I wanted them on the same flight.  

 

Everything arrived at my door in the allotted time -- 6 to 8 weeks and was brought in the cost was close to 90,000 baht and no problem with customs, but that may have been due in part to each box being labeled and them explaining what to put where, so it wasn't a matter of customs having red flags raised.  

 

On a side note, I had packed a lot of clothes I accumulated over the years and as a friend said to me when he saw me packing them, "You're going back to the US, not to 1950!"

 

Best of luck. 

 

Thanks for the info. We're waiting for a quote from a local shipping company. We're looking into a "LCL" (less than container load) shipping option. I've been told it'll be less than DHL, but don't have the quote yet. I'll post it here after I hear back. 

14 minutes ago, kokesaat said:

So, can anyone give some cost comparisons for, say, 100-200 pounds.  No rush in shipping.  The weight could be spread among boxes.  Just personal possessions that we'd like to take back with us.

I contacted DHL in Chiang Mai yesterday and was told they have a flat rate box with a max weight of 25kg. I'm told the box measures 54cm x 44cm x 40cm. The price was 7,437 baht. This is apparently an "express shipping" option and takes 3 days to get to the US. I'd prefer a cheaper, slower shipping option. Nothing we'd be sending is time-sensitive. Regarldess, this still seems like a possible option. An extra 50 pound luggage bag with most airlines is around $200, so comparable in price and weight. 

Now to figure out much I can expect to pay in duty taxes once my stuff arrives in the US... I've always scanned receipts for expensive purchases, so I think I'll try to prioritize shipping stuff that I have receipts for to prove they were purchased in the US. 

Just now, thaibeachlovers said:

I posted all my stuff that wouldn't fit in the airline limit. Valuable stuff was registered. All arrived safely. None was searched by Thai customs.

Not American so can't comment on customs duty there.

 

I used surface mail to save money-90 days or less.

 

 

Did you use Thai Post?

7 hours ago, NickJ said:

I had a moving company come out and measure what I wanted sent. They build a box for your stuff.

American goods returned is what I wrote in the list of contents. Had. The stuff in California in about eight weeks.

Just about everything we're sending back was brought in from America. Did you get hit with any customs charges when your stuff arrived back in America? I keep receipts for my expensive purchases and could attach them to shipped items in order to prove it was indeed purchased in America. 

Can you give me an idea of how much you sent back to California and what it cost you? I'm trying to compare private shipping companies vs. DHL vs. paying for extra luggage (but I think we have too much for the luggage option). 

Anyone?

1 hour ago, Aguda said:

The amphur is listed as the Doi Saket District Office across the street from the Ban Choeng Doi School on Google maps. My wife went there for her Tai ID recently. I hope this helps!

Great. That's exactly what I needed. Thank you.

https://goo.gl/maps/oGvS11JhEYU2