Customs woes at Swampy

[saakura]

2 minutes ago, Techno Viking said:

I beleive one would go through the red channel but I suspect there is prolly some stupid rule in that you need an import permit  or some such crap.

If it is not a restricted item or for commercial purposes, no import permit is necessary. Just pay the dutu assessed at the red channel, obtain a receipt and be on your way.

[pattayadon]

This is stupid. Thought I'd learn something about customs at Swampy. Jeez!  Quit smoking already. Problem solved. Argh!!

[mike324]

I had a relative who was caught for having 2 packs in his bag, but it was 1 each for father and son. But since the father was the one holding to both, the customs did not accept his explanation and fined him very heavy too. 

 

I have heard of customs officials who would wait outside at the arrival area to catch people too, this way the fine is even heavier.

[Letseng]

Experience would have been no different in Frankfurt.

[Destiny1990]

Tell ur friend to light one up at the beach.

[cookieqw]

6 hours ago, InMyShadow said:

"vowing this is his last trip ever here!! "

 

devastating 

good

[cookieqw]

4 hours ago, theoldgit said:

Of course in Singapore the limit is zero, I suppose he won't be going there either.

not AUSTRALIA either

[Skeptic7]

3 hours ago, timendres said:

The answer is obvious.

If the fine is not punitive, people will always just take their chances that they don't get checked.

Yeah...just like all the "puny-tive" fines for all other violations here that should be much higher and are much worse. BS. Guaranteed a Thai would not have faced such an egregious fine...if any fine at all. 

[Acemaker]

8 hours ago, Briggsy said:

This may have been the Excise Dept. rather than Customs. Depends where he was stopped at Suvannaphoom. It is a moneyspinner. They have spotters looking for evidence of purchases made in Middle East transit airports (where limits are not applied, boarding passes not really checked and the fags are very cheap). I believe the fine is 10 times the unpaid duty. Ouch.

 

I suggest you don't do it or at least hide the duty free bag.

At last an informative Post,thank you, such a nice change from the mostly Smart Ass Knob replies received so far.

[oldlakey]

8 hours ago, alex8912 said:

Let him know that he and his chimney smoking wife actually saved money. They both would have gone to the beach and smoked and smoked and smoked and then EACH of them would be paying a much larger fine than at swampy!! 

If I read this post correctly they had 40 packs of cigarettes for a vacation?? Gross. (For me a pack is 20 cigarettes, for addicts like your friend I guess a pack is 200 cigs lol )

A pack is 20 fags for everybody, a carton is 200 fags for everybody

Get off your high horse

[yogavnture]

so when he bought a pack of cigs after all of this . that smoke cost him 800 bucks. for a cigarette.  it must have tasted good for that price

[alex8912]

1 hour ago, oldlakey said:

A pack is 20 fags for everybody, a carton is 200 fags for everybody

Get off your high horse

Get off your DRUNK horse before you post. This is EXACTLY what the op wrote: 

On his stop-over at Dubai he bought 4 packs of cigarettes from their duty-free shop, (each pack 200 cigarettes)

 

I will accept your apology however. Most of the civilized world calls them cigarettes as well. Fags is not very PC. Got it now old lady? 

[KamnanT]

10 hours ago, Briggsy said:

This may have been the Excise Dept. rather than Customs. Depends where he was stopped at Suvannaphoom. It is a moneyspinner. They have spotters looking for evidence of purchases made in Middle East transit airports (where limits are not applied, boarding passes not really checked and the fags are very cheap). I believe the fine is 10 times the unpaid duty. Ouch.

 

I suggest you don't do it or at least hide the duty free bag.

I got off an Emirates flight from Dubai last Sunday and the baggage hall was full of Excise guys not so discreetly looking for passengers with more than the 1L of alcohol and 200 cigs on their trolleys.  Must have been four of them around our carousel alone, all wearing dark blue jackets with government logos (not the "pseudo-Navy" uniforms of Customs).. They had walkie-talkies and were giving details of passengers to stop to their colleagues outside customs.  It does appear that Excise enforcement is very active at the moment.

[wijipa]

Best he doesn't come to NZ or Australia. Max of 50 cigarettes. 

[steven100]

15 hours ago, timendres said:

Thank you so much.

Can anyone confirm that they have actually done this specifically with cigarettes?

call customs.

[oldlakey]

6 hours ago, alex8912 said:

Get off your DRUNK horse before you post. This is EXACTLY what the op wrote: 

On his stop-over at Dubai he bought 4 packs of cigarettes from their duty-free shop, (each pack 200 cigarettes)

 

I will accept your apology however. Most of the civilized world calls them cigarettes as well. Fags is not very PC. Got it now old lady? 

Its for two people my man 

I will use any slang I choose its not at your discretion thank you

4 cartons of fags for two smokers for their Thailand break is gross you say get a life you judge mental PC person

English not their mother tongue now do you understand

Apology very funny

 

Edited March 1, 2018 by oldlakey

[chicowoodduck]

Might as well collect his pea brain and get on the next flight home.....ha, ha.....???

[jacko45k]

If he flew Etihad he likely went via Abu Dhabi, not Dubai.

The duty free limit is 1 carton, ie 200 cigarettes per person.

Thailand fines smugglers based on a fine per cigarette over the limit.

They should do that in Europe too!

 

[samsensam]

 

he broke the law and when caught out vows not to return?

 

he's an adult and can choose to either accept responsibility for his actions or throw his toys out of the pram. 

 

up to him.

[likeke]

The moral of the Op's story is: Maybe time to quit his filthy habit. I would have thrown his arse in Jail for a few days. 

[whaleboneman]

On 2/28/2018 at 11:40 AM, InMyShadow said:

"vowing this is his last trip ever here!! "

 

devastating 

Great news - one less smoker I have to tolerate.

[Letseng]

6 hours ago, jacko45k said:

If he flew Etihad he likely went via Abu Dhabi, not Dubai.

The duty free limit is 1 carton, ie 200 cigarettes per person.

Thailand fines smugglers based on a fine per cigarette over the limit.

They should do that in Europe too!

 

They do in some European destinations. Munich is one.

[rvaviator]

What?! This is a revelation for me. Are you saying that I can bring more than one carton of cigarettes into Thailand, IF I simply declare I have more, and pay the duty tax on the extra cartons?
 
I truly love American Spirit cigarettes, but of course I cannot purchase them here. Occasionally, someone I know will visit Thailand, and I beg them to bring me a carton. But a carton does not last long. If I could have them bring 4 cartons, I would be very happy, and more than happy to pay the tax to be legal.
 
Can anyone confirm that I can bring in more than one carton by simply declaring and paying tax?
Has anyone done this with cigarettes, and can you briefly explain how I do this to ensure no problems?
Is there still then a limit to the number I can bring in and declare?
 
Thank you so much for any clarification on this matter.

You could possibly import them yourself if you like smoking that much :-) ... Check with fed-ex ... regarding import of tobacco ... maybe you need a import license...


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Thian]

On 2/28/2018 at 10:20 AM, Techno Viking said:

So whats the issue, he got fined for the attempted illegal import of cigarettes..... boohoo.

 

Next time declare them, or only bring 1 sleeve of 200 per person.

Do you know how much we pay if we declare them at the customs? I don't like the cigarettes sold in thailand, they burn much faster than ones from overseas.

[Thian]

On 2/28/2018 at 1:11 PM, Suradit69 said:

Yes. I haven't flown in to Thailand in a long time, but at least in the past before the plane landed they handed out a customs declaration form that made very clear what the importation limits were and what needed to be declared. 

 

And for someone arriving in Germany from outside the EU, the rules are pretty much the same: 

 

 http://www.zoll.de/EN/Private-individuals/Travel/Entering-Germany/Duties-and-taxes/Travellers-allowances/travellers-allowances_node.html

 

1. •  

I just learned that it doesn't matter what size the cigarettes are, just 200 is the rule.

 

I saw extra long ones in Singapore but wonder why they don't them very big, like2 times regular size...i would buy/bring those.

[Techno Viking]

3 minutes ago, Thian said:

Do you know how much we pay if we declare them at the customs? I don't like the cigarettes sold in thailand, they burn much faster than ones from overseas.

nope, no idea sorry.

[jackdd]

You should tell your friend that when he goes back to Germany he should only buy 2 packs (one per person), because more are not allowed in Germany as well

[Thian]

I just bough a 2 carton pack in singapore taxfree..the girl told me that it was illegal to bring to BKK..i told her my wife got one carton of it, she said some customers got problems with that. in BKK...

 

So i divided the cigarettes in our handluggages and both of us had 200 ciggies...don't see the problem with that.

 

Don't put 400 cigarettes in one bag when passing the customs, even not when you're with another person...

[timendres]

6 hours ago, rvaviator said:

You could possibly import them yourself if you like smoking that much :-) ... Check with fed-ex ... regarding import of tobacco ... maybe you need a import license...

It is not that I like smoking so much, but I do like smoking a good cigarette. A good cigarette is simply not on sale in TH. Fedex, USPS, UPS, et.al., will not ship cigarettes even within the US. But thank you for the suggestion.

[biplanebluey]

On 2/28/2018 at 11:40 AM, InMyShadow said:

"vowing this is his last trip ever here!! "

 

devastating 

Bye Bye --------