The Customs Department is preparing tougher penalties, including allowing the immediate seizure of goods, of exports that falsely declare their origin. The move forms part of a broader crackdown on transhipment and follows closer coordination with the Department of Foreign Trade to tighten watchlists used to vet certificates of origin.
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Phantong Loykulnanta, director-general of the Customs Department, said enforcement on the export side has previously been limited because outbound goods are not subject to import duties. As a result, cases have typically fallen under customs procedure violations or false origin declarations, which carry relatively light penalties and are often settled through fines without seizure.
“Outbound goods are not subject to duty, so Customs is considering increasing the penalty rate so that exporting goods with falsified origin carries higher penalties, by adjusting the criteria to allow the goods to be seized immediately,” Phantong said. He described the planned enforcement as “more severe and decisive”.
Phantong said the changes would not require a major legislative amendment but would involve revising operational rules and procedures. The department plans to issue a package covering multiple product categories, including transhipment goods, e-cigarettes and cannabis, with the aim of completing the revisions and enforcing them within 2026.
Closer cooperation with the Department of Foreign Trade has already produced results. From October 2025 to February 2026, Customs seized goods linked to evasion of anti-dumping duties worth 109.92 million baht and transhipment goods with falsified origin worth 393.36 million baht, a combined economic impact of more than 503 million baht.
Seizures involving transhipment goods rose 160% compared with the same period a year earlier. Customs is focusing on operators without a factory licence (Ror.Ngor.4) or without any production process in Thailand, but who import and export goods under the same customs tariff classification, a key indicator of transhipment.
Phantong said some networks have shifted to importing through standard channels rather than Free Zones, after Free Zones came under closer scrutiny. Customs has updated its watchlist of high-risk operators and shared it with the Department of Foreign Trade.
Arada Fueangthong, director-general of the Department of Foreign Trade, warned that major trading partners, particularly the United States, are closely monitoring transhipment risks. She said cases where goods not produced in Thailand are falsely labelled “Made in Thailand” for export to the US could damage trade credibility and increase the risk of retroactive duties.
Watchlist information from Customs will be used to strengthen scrutiny of certificates of origin. The monitoring list currently covers 49 product items and is set to expand to 65 items in line with cooperation with US Customs and Border Protection.
The Nation reported that officials said the highest-risk product groups linked to transhipment to the US include communications equipment and transmitters (13%), dog or cat food (10%), antenna equipment (9.30%) and solar cells (7.30%). Authorities said expanded watchlists and inter-agency data sharing are intended to reduce the risk of trace-back investigations and protect legitimate exporters.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now Nation 5 Mar 2026