Posted
·
Edited by ClearEyesFullHeartsCantLos Typo (1 of many)
Dear all,
--
I've scoured the forums for as much up to date info as I could find and I've put together many of the pieces but still quite unsure about some fundamental aspects of my planned move.
So while I'm sure many would suggest to sell everything at home and re-buy in TH, I did a cost/benefit sort of analysis and that would be prohibitively expensive and would also leave me with almost no sense of ownership on many pieces of furniture, clothes, valued items that I feel a real attachment to after 10-15-20 years with, so thanks for those situations but I've decided to ship about 1/3 to 1/2 of my 72mSq flat.
And another quick disclaimer is that while I originally thought that any 1-year renewable visa (marriage, retirement, elite, work, student) could be considered duty-free for import, it seems like the only sure-fire one is a relocation for work organized by an employer. I'm sure others may qualify but I, personally, won't have any of those that would allow tax-free imports.
My plan will be to enter on a 60-day tourist visa and immediately apply for the elite visa (maybe needing to extend the 60 by an additional 30) and then plan to receive the half container or full, at some point some weeks after arrival.
--
I have many questions but to get right to the key points, I'd eternally grateful for anyone who has actual, literal and concrete experience with importing a lot of household goods in the past 1-3 years.
1. From the sounds of many persons' experiences, even with the best paperwork, receipts and supporting materials, it seems like there is still a lot of uncertainty regarding the individual custom officer's interpretation of things usually leading to some additional "personal fees". Q: What amounts are usually required for an agent to "look the other way" or even to allow for an unopened container to glide through without issue?
2. Seems like finding a good/great "agent" -- which I understand to be a facilitator for the Thai side of things -- leads to an overwhelmingly easier experience. Q: How does one go about finding a reputable/reliable, or just competent agent? What would be a reasonable cost expectation for such help -- again, assuming maybe for a 40'/12m container?
3. Considering the worst case of being on the hook for all appropriate duties and taxes to the letter of the law, I can imagine that half a life's worth of "nice things" including electronics, shoes/clothes, etc., small appliances (robot vacuum, kitchen mixer, etc), reasonably nice furniture, tables, bed, mattresses, bedding, lamps, and the like, according to the duty table I was referred to it might amount to upwards of 15-20k usd in costs. Qa: has anyone here ever been stuck in such a situation where their container or load of boxes were held "for ransom" at thai customs pending a massive bill?Qb: In an absolute worst case scenario (extended version), is it either possible to offer up a large enough sum to make that problem go away or** is it possible just to send it "home" to a place that you are sure there will be no taxes on arrival?
4. Shipping companies seem to run from the low/scam type situations through every level until the best-experience/professional and reliable available. Qa: For those who had something closer to the latter, how did you find such great firms? Did you identify the "thai side" of things first and the work backwards to the outgoing country entities, or* did you find a good shipper/mover in your country of origin and then see about their contacts (if any) in Thailand? Qb: If anyone has any particularly great experiences with specific firms, is it possible to provide their contact details (by PM or by posting here)? **note: I do not know if this is frowned upon or not**.
Finally, I'd really love to hear about any recent experiences. I've read as far back as some users' experiences from the early to late 2000s but I think the most relevant are the most recent.
--
The purpose of the title of this post is to hopefully collect some best-practices and most informative resources for any moves in 2021 and beyond, so to avoid duplicated Qs in the future.
Thanks for your patience if you made it this far, and thanks in advance for any help on any part(s) of the questions above. If there is additional info that you deem relevant that I've not mentioned, then please, really feel free to add it to this thread.
Sincerely, - CantWin
**Attached is a .pdf of this post for convenience or reference.**
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Shipping Container/Relocating to Thailand in 2021 - details/customs/taxes: EU or US --> TH
in General Topics
Posted · Edited by ClearEyesFullHeartsCantLos
Typo (1 of many)
Dear all,
--
I've scoured the forums for as much up to date info as I could find and I've put together many of the pieces but still quite unsure about some fundamental aspects of my planned move.
Here are some resources I found helpful.
http://www.customs.go.th/ --> search for < Household Items Import Clearance >
https://www.freightnet.com/directory/p1/cTH/s30.htm *I have no experience with any in particular*
https://siam-shipping.com/container-thailand/ *again, no experience with them, but helpful terms and explanations I think*
--
So while I'm sure many would suggest to sell everything at home and re-buy in TH, I did a cost/benefit sort of analysis and that would be prohibitively expensive and would also leave me with almost no sense of ownership on many pieces of furniture, clothes, valued items that I feel a real attachment to after 10-15-20 years with, so thanks for those situations but I've decided to ship about 1/3 to 1/2 of my 72mSq flat.
And another quick disclaimer is that while I originally thought that any 1-year renewable visa (marriage, retirement, elite, work, student) could be considered duty-free for import, it seems like the only sure-fire one is a relocation for work organized by an employer. I'm sure others may qualify but I, personally, won't have any of those that would allow tax-free imports.
My plan will be to enter on a 60-day tourist visa and immediately apply for the elite visa (maybe needing to extend the 60 by an additional 30) and then plan to receive the half container or full, at some point some weeks after arrival.
--
I have many questions but to get right to the key points, I'd eternally grateful for anyone who has actual, literal and concrete experience with importing a lot of household goods in the past 1-3 years.
1. From the sounds of many persons' experiences, even with the best paperwork, receipts and supporting materials, it seems like there is still a lot of uncertainty regarding the individual custom officer's interpretation of things usually leading to some additional "personal fees". Q: What amounts are usually required for an agent to "look the other way" or even to allow for an unopened container to glide through without issue?
2. Seems like finding a good/great "agent" -- which I understand to be a facilitator for the Thai side of things -- leads to an overwhelmingly easier experience. Q: How does one go about finding a reputable/reliable, or just competent agent? What would be a reasonable cost expectation for such help -- again, assuming maybe for a 40'/12m container?
3. Considering the worst case of being on the hook for all appropriate duties and taxes to the letter of the law, I can imagine that half a life's worth of "nice things" including electronics, shoes/clothes, etc., small appliances (robot vacuum, kitchen mixer, etc), reasonably nice furniture, tables, bed, mattresses, bedding, lamps, and the like, according to the duty table I was referred to it might amount to upwards of 15-20k usd in costs. Qa: has anyone here ever been stuck in such a situation where their container or load of boxes were held "for ransom" at thai customs pending a massive bill? Qb: In an absolute worst case scenario (extended version), is it either possible to offer up a large enough sum to make that problem go away or** is it possible just to send it "home" to a place that you are sure there will be no taxes on arrival?
4. Shipping companies seem to run from the low/scam type situations through every level until the best-experience/professional and reliable available. Qa: For those who had something closer to the latter, how did you find such great firms? Did you identify the "thai side" of things first and the work backwards to the outgoing country entities, or* did you find a good shipper/mover in your country of origin and then see about their contacts (if any) in Thailand? Qb: If anyone has any particularly great experiences with specific firms, is it possible to provide their contact details (by PM or by posting here)? **note: I do not know if this is frowned upon or not**.
Finally, I'd really love to hear about any recent experiences. I've read as far back as some users' experiences from the early to late 2000s but I think the most relevant are the most recent.
--
The purpose of the title of this post is to hopefully collect some best-practices and most informative resources for any moves in 2021 and beyond, so to avoid duplicated Qs in the future.
Thanks for your patience if you made it this far, and thanks in advance for any help on any part(s) of the questions above. If there is additional info that you deem relevant that I've not mentioned, then please, really feel free to add it to this thread.
Sincerely, - CantWin
**Attached is a .pdf of this post for convenience or reference.**
Shipping Post ThaiVisa 10 Dec 2020.pdf