Hello,

I ordered a jacket online and because its value over 40k thb , DHL told me i need to register myself as Import license and bring my original passport. Anyone knows what it means ? Why I should I register myself as an importer ? I am just individual ? What are the implications of this?

 

Thank you

You will need to pay tax and VAT, see tariffs over here:

http://igtf.customs.go.th/igtf/en/main_frame.jsp

and type jacket at the description

A jacket costing over a thousand bucks aint just a jacket now is it?

Thing is I already paid all, they ask me to register myself as import license - what does it mean ? next purchases they will bother me again ? 

Did you buy it from Amazon with the Customs deposit option?

If so  contact Amazon 

 

I think it depends very much on the type of goods you are importing. I came to grief some time ago because I bought, from an independent supplier on Amazon UK, a support boot to help my wife recuperate after a broken ankle. Even after exorbitant shipping costs it was cheaper than what was on offer locally. DHL in BKK informed me that as medical equipment it could only be imported by a licensed importer, so I could either (i) find one, (ii) return the goods or (iii) have it "destroyed". In the end I decided that anything other than (iii) was throwing good money after bad.

Thailand has a clothing industry, so there may well be import licence restrictions.

It's not the jacket. It's the declared value of the jacket. AFAIK there are no import restrictions on jackets unless it's a bulk shipment. Expensive jackets will attract duty based on the declared value. Cheap(er) jackets won't.

 

19 hours ago, chawarma said:

Thing is I already paid all, they ask me to register myself as import license - what does it mean ? next purchases they will bother me again ? 

If you can get DHL to state in Thai what they specifically need and post it here, we can probably come up with a better translation than "register as import license".

 

My best guess is this may be a branded item that has an official licensee already in Thailand? The designer brands do have more protections and because LOS is fraught with fake goods, I think the brands that are losing revenue to the fake and copy merchants are getting a lot more assistance from Thai Customs than they ever did before.

 

Pretty much anything you will receive via DHL, FedEx or UPS can and will be inspected by Thai Customs and if they aren't happy with the declared value or if the item is dutiable, they will hold it until duty is paid. Bringing stuff in by regular, international parcel post seems to be easier but there's less protections especially if something goes missing.

The problem is simply the value.

For items with a declared value of under 40,000 baht, DHL will act as the importer of recorder and use an abbreviated process. You will be charged for this service.

For shipments worth more than 40,000, you must select your own customs clearance agent (they will still be happy to act as your agent if you don't have one) and you must go through the full import process, which is more lengthy. I doubt you will have any trouble if this is a single jacket for personal use, but I'm sure they'll want to know the specifics of the materials used in the manufacture. For example, if an exotic skin animal was used, it may not be possible to import.

Just tell them you would like to contract DHL as your customs agent for this process, and you will be happy to supply your passport.