what is the maximum amount of cash allowed in/ out thailand?

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

Thailand custom web site shows maximum amount of FOREIGN cash allowed in / out thailand is 20,000 USD.

BUT recent article in bangkok post says that maximum amount is 450,000 baht.

 

is there any update regarding maximum CASH amount (foreign currency) allowed in / out thailand?

[ubonjoe]

Not visa related. Moved to here.

Moved to here. It is 20,000 USD into or out of the country without declaring it. There is no limit if you declare it.

Quote

The Regulation and Notification require that the travelers bringing foreign currency into or out of Thailand, both a bank note and a coin, with the total aggregate value exceeding USD 20,000 or its equivalent, must report it to a Customs officer at a port/airport of entry or exit, using the given Foreign Currency Declaration Form. The travelers must complete, sign, and submit the Form to report their foreign currency where such currency are physically carried by a person arriving in or departing from Thailand, or where they form part of the person s baggage and that person and his or her baggage are being carried on board the same conveyance across the border.

The 450k baht limit is when taking baht out of the country.

Quote

Thai Currency

The amount of Thai currency, in a form of banknote or coin, allowed to be brought outside the country shall not exceed 50,000 THB. In the case where Thai currency is carried out to Thailand's boarding countries, Vietnam and Yunnan District of China, the total amount shall not exceed 2,000,000 THB. However, the Thai currency brought out to the said countries in the amount of 450,000-2,000,000 THB. shall be declared to the Customs officers at the Customs checkpoint. 

Source: http://en.customs.go.th/content.php?ini_content=departing_from_thailand&lang=en&left_menu=menu_departing_from_thailand

[blackcab]

As ubonjoe stated, you can import and export any amount of foreign currency. The only difficulty you might have is transferring the money back out of the country using a bank.

 

If you bring in more than the equivalent of USD 50,000 by transfer to a Thai bank, be sure to ask for a FET form, and keep it for the day you want to transfer the money out of the country.

 

Alternatively, you can always hand carry the cash out, but be sure to declare it when you leave Thailand and when you arrive at your destination (if required).

 

 

[Chivas]

Whilst quite correct to question funds in and out of Thailand care should be taking hard cash out of your own country in the first place and getting a tug by a Customs money dog on final gate.

Customs shows in the uk seems to take great delight in targetting flights to Bangkok. Only last week Eva got an airing with believe it or not a flight attendant going on holiday with £3500. Fortunately phone calls from Customs to her mother satisfied them but she was on offer with no proof of where it came from. Only £1000 in uk before questions entltled to be asked

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

18 hours ago, Chivas said:

Whilst quite correct to question funds in and out of Thailand care should be taking hard cash out of your own country in the first place and getting a tug by a Customs money dog on final gate.

Customs shows in the uk seems to take great delight in targetting flights to Bangkok. Only last week Eva got an airing with believe it or not a flight attendant going on holiday with £3500. Fortunately phone calls from Customs to her mother satisfied them but she was on offer with no proof of where it came from. Only £1000 in uk before questions entltled to be asked

i saw it on youtube UK CUSTOMS...they have a special dog to sniff out cash, and they caught one arab guy (UK resident or citizen) on his way to dubai, with 3800 pounds in CASH . they checked on his tax reports (ALL LIVE IN THE AIRPORT) and saw something wrong there, so they confiscated all the cash...quite horrific....i hope this nazi way of spying after travellers will not spread to the rest of the world.

[charliebadenhop]

Wow, cash dogs!!

 

Fruit, yes?

Cash?

The first time I have heard of this.

 

Just wondering-

If someone declares taking (as an example) $30,000 out of Thailand, do you think the Thai govt. alerts the country the flight is going to?

 

 

[spetersen]

I'm sure you can transfer a lot more as long you can prove where the money came from , i.e you want to move back to your home country and sell your house for millions of bath. I have forms from BKK bank that ask for proof of origin for the funds when you transfered money to buy the house.  (Repatriate fund's originated overseas from foreign bank account)

Edited June 25, 2018 by spetersen
missing one line

[Skeptic7]

1 hour ago, charliebadenhop said:

Wow, cash dogs!!

 

Fruit, yes?

Cash?

The first time I have heard of this.

 

Just wondering-

If someone declares taking (as an example) $30,000 out of Thailand, do you think the Thai govt. alerts the country the flight is going to?

 

 

Called "sniffer dogs". Seen them in The States. Others trained to specifically sniff out drugs. Agriculture doggies sniff out fruits & veggies, meat and other foods. 

 

https://www.geek.com/news/new-machine-sniffs-out-cash-may-replace-sniffer-dogs-1602322/

[iroc4life]

Have sold house and transferred millions of baht out of Thailand no problems ay BKK Bank. Of course I bring in a lot of money from outside Thailand every month into the same account. Never been asked anything while transferring out 

[flexomike]

2 hours ago, charliebadenhop said:

Wow, cash dogs!!

 

Fruit, yes?

Cash?

The first time I have heard of this.

 

Just wondering-

If someone declares taking (as an example) $30,000 out of Thailand, do you think the Thai govt. alerts the country the flight is going to?

 

 

I got stopped by the cash dogs, leaving the US, they sniff the money, had a little over allowed, make me fill in a form and gave me the riot act about how I could get kicked off the flight and even put in jail, a real <deleted>

 

[sometimewoodworker]

20 hours ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

i saw it on youtube UK CUSTOMS...they have a special dog to sniff out cash, and they caught one arab guy (UK resident or citizen) on his way to dubai, with 3800 pounds in CASH . they checked on his tax reports (ALL LIVE IN THE AIRPORT) and saw something wrong there, so they confiscated all the cash...quite horrific....i hope this nazi way of spying after travellers will not spread to the rest of the world.

The cash could have been proceeds of crime (maybe it was). He then has time to prove that it was not and can then reclaim the cash. He clearly had something interesting and not clearly correct in his tax report. 

 

So what is horrific about that

 

I have quite recently gone through Heathrow with a reasonably significant amount. All you have to do is fill in the form and talk to the cash team. This took about 10 minutes and was a pleasant chat.

 

In Ethiopia, my transit country the procedure was similar, though it was before exiting the airport and they counted the money (the UK cash team did not). The Ethiopian limit is much lower than the UK or Thai one.

 

Most countries have limits on cash being carried without a declaration, some (Canada is one) will fine you if you have more and haven't declared it.

[cbuddha]

To the OP, I would go by what others have said above.

 

That said, I saw something related on the bottom of a receipt I got when changing dollars to baht at an SCB Bank kiosk at Suvarnabhumi earlier this month. Note: The baht amount listed seems to be missing a "0."

 

 

[skikusa]

One time in Uk going thru Terminal 5 to Thailand I had £5000 in my carry on bag & I had with me Bht 10,000 for when I got to BKK for expenses. I was at the last gate for boarding & a Customs guy with a terrier asked me to put my bag on the floor. Well the dogs tail did the Zulu dance & I thought Oh shit.

Well you could have knocked me down with a feather, Customs guy said "Do you have Thai Baht in your

bag & yes I showed him the Bht 10,000 & he said OK, I asked why he had stopped me & was told that Thai Baht gives of a smell similiar to explosives, so guys take care. 

[charliebadenhop]

14 minutes ago, skikusa said:

I asked why he had stopped me & was told that Thai Baht gives of a smell similiar to explosives, so guys take care. 

Oh wow, THAT is interesting!!

 

Thanks for sharing.

[Nicebus]

Dogs in the custodial system ( jails) in Australia can sniff out mobile phones .

Some are made of plastic or carbon fiber , but the dogs are trained to sniff out the Lithium in the battery.

[charliebadenhop]

4 minutes ago, Nicebus said:

Dogs in the custodial system ( jails) in Australia can sniff out mobile phones .

Some are made of plastic or carbon fiber , but the dogs are trained to sniff out the Lithium in the battery.

 

Wow, also fascinating!

 

Dogs can obviously be more clever than humans at times!

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

12 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

The cash could have been proceeds of crime (maybe it was). He then has time to prove that it was not and can then reclaim the cash. He clearly had something interesting and not clearly correct in his tax report. 

 

So what is horrific about that

 

I have quite recently gone through Heathrow with a reasonably significant amount. All you have to do is fill in the form and talk to the cash team. This took about 10 minutes and was a pleasant chat.

 

In Ethiopia, my transit country the procedure was similar, though it was before exiting the airport and they counted the money (the UK cash team did not). The Ethiopian limit is much lower than the UK or Thai one.

 

Most countries have limits on cash being carried without a declaration, some (Canada is one) will fine you if you have more and haven't declared it.

WHAT'S horrific about it is that:

A. the UK customs stopped a UK resident / citizen. if he is a suspect in any crime they could arrest him before travel

B. the UK customs could not find anything on him so they decided to check his tax status and found there a small problem, the guy was just an owner of small shop, not a big deal.

C. the amount - in that youtube movie - was not substantial, just 3800 pound.

D. the guy was arab / muslim flying to arab country, smells like racial profiling (same as in most youtube movies there,

the custom oficers check mostly dark skin / white trash people. 

E. the smart guys who really know how to smuggle don't carry cash like that, and don't neccasary wear dark skin / cheap clothes.

F. it is nasty to sniff people for cash when they are just about to fly out OF an airport. drugs and explosives i fully understand, but cash? give us a break, you frikkin Uk customs control friks !!!

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

12 hours ago, cbuddha said:

To the OP, I would go by what others have said above.

 

That said, I saw something related on the bottom of a receipt I got when changing dollars to baht at an SCB Bank kiosk at Suvarnabhumi earlier this month. Note: The baht amount listed seems to be missing a "0."

 

 

thats one mistake that might seem funny, but proves why thailand is a nerve breaking place when it comes to business - so many mistakes and 50/50 and miscommunication with officials / banks / officers ext., and aventually who is left to pay the price ?  you guessed right, the one who has the money, the farang !! 

(in the sample above, a tourist might be mistaken to think that he can change up to 15,000 USD into thai baht , and than, if caught with a cash amount more than 50,000 baht, might lose it all !!!

[VBF]

22 hours ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

i saw it on youtube UK CUSTOMS...they have a special dog to sniff out cash, and they caught one arab guy (UK resident or citizen) on his way to dubai, with 3800 pounds in CASH . they checked on his tax reports (ALL LIVE IN THE AIRPORT) and saw something wrong there, so they confiscated all the cash...quite horrific....i hope this nazi way of spying after travellers will not spread to the rest of the world.

Well the official UK limit before you need to declare is 10,000 Euros or equivalent:

 

You must declare cash of €10,000 or more (or the equivalent in another currency) if you take it between the UK and any non-EU country.

I usually have £4000 to £5000  on me when I travel to Thailand.

 

I rather suspect that the guy who was stopped was involved in other nefarious activities.

Edited June 25, 2018 by VBF

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

11 hours ago, VBF said:

Well the official UK limit before you need to declare is 10,000 Euros or equivalent:

 

You must declare cash of €10,000 or more (or the equivalent in another currency) if you take it between the UK and any non-EU country.

I usually have £4000 to £5000  on me when I travel to Thailand.

 

I rather suspect that the guy who was stopped was involved in other nefarious activities.

according to the YOUTUBE films UK CUSTOMS , agents with dogs has the right to question about any amount above 1000 pounds. so as the you can see there on youtube, they don't just ask about crimes, but also tax returns ! and that's nasty !

[VBF]

4 minutes ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

according to the YOUTUBE films UK CUSTOMS , agents with dogs has the right to question about any amount above 1000 pounds. so as the you can see there on youtube, they don't just ask about crimes, but also tax returns ! and that's nasty !

Yes, they have the right same as they have the right to search you for illegal drugs but I rather think they do a certain amount of profiling before they exercise that right (whether we like it or not!)

Rather like a form of "stop and search" - most Brits will understand that one! 

 

I'm not saying it's right or wrong (that's another topic) but.....it happens.

Edited June 25, 2018 by VBF

[sometimewoodworker]

12 hours ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

A. the UK customs stopped a UK resident / citizen. if he is a suspect in any crime they could arrest him before travel

B. the UK customs could not find anything on him so they decided to check his tax status and found there a small problem, the guy was just an owner of small shop, not a big deal.

Customs and border agents are doing thier job correctly. 

 

The information and limits on cash is easy to find. You are required, if asked, to explain the origin of amounts between £1,000 and £9,999, you are required to complete a declaration for £10,000 and above.

 

It seem rather unusual for a UK national to carry their tax returns. 

 

The border agents are tasked with checking the origins of larger sums of cash. 

 

Often large amounts of cash are crime related as banking excess profits from the illegal sale of untaxed goods (tobacco is an example) is much more likely to get you found out.

 

As a small shop owner the guy has the opportunity for illegal activity. The border agents have a very short time to question people. The man has the choice of having the cash seized ( he then has 30 days to reclaim it) or missing his flight to give him the time to provide proof that there was no irregularities in how he got the cash.

 

You seem to be upset that potential proceeds of crime (sale of untaxed or counterfeit goods is a crime) can be seized.

 

If the cash is legal there is no problem, just a delay.

 

Quote

Yes, they have the right same as they have the right to search you for illegal drugs but I rather think they do a certain amount of profiling before they exercise that right (whether we like it or not!)

 

There certainly is profiling, though is more likely to be destinations more than people, as the numbers of dogs is limited.

Edited June 26, 2018 by sometimewoodworker

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

On 6/25/2018 at 9:21 AM, Nicebus said:

Dogs in the custodial system ( jails) in Australia can sniff out mobile phones .

Some are made of plastic or carbon fiber , but the dogs are trained to sniff out the Lithium in the battery.

in some jails dogs can sniff farts too.

[VBF]

3 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

 

The information and limits on cash is easy to find. You are required, if asked, to explain the origin of amounts between £1,000 and £9,999, you are required to complete a declaration for £10,000 and above.

Could you kindly provide an official UK Government link (not a YouTube video!) to the section in red as it's become a popular opinion but without proof is possibly just that.

 

The official UK Government  link about carrying more than 10,000 Euros (not Pounds!) is here as I posted in # 19 above.

Edited June 26, 2018 by VBF

[Chivas]

To correct the above as there was a slight error on limits out of uk

 

Up to £999.99 no interest from border force (or Police in day to day life if stopped)

 

From £1000 up to 10,000 EURO ( I agree makes no sense) questions as to origin "can" be asked. Answers of won on the dogs and you wont be travelling with it !

 

10,000 Euro and above cash declaration

 

Funds are NOT confiscated per se at the border but subject to further investigation but they certainly can be at a later date according to magistrates whims. I lost £1,012 (nope not a misprint) in 2009 as part of something bigger. If I'd had  just £13 less I would have kept it period

 

Carry Bank teller receipts with hard cash alleviates all potential problems. If you've say £5,000 at home for a holiday accumulated over time just churn it through couple accounts to obtain withdrwal receipts

 

 

 

[VBF]

25 minutes ago, Chivas said:

To correct the above as there was a slight error on limits out of uk

 

Up to £999.99 no interest from border force (or Police in day to day life if stopped)

 

From £1000 up to 10,000 EURO ( I agree makes no sense) questions as to origin "can" be asked. Answers of won on the dogs and you wont be travelling with it !

 

10,000 Euro and above cash declaration

 

Funds are NOT confiscated per se at the border but subject to further investigation but they certainly can be at a later date according to magistrates whims. I lost £1,012 (nope not a misprint) in 2009 as part of something bigger. If I'd had  just £13 less I would have kept it period

 

Carry Bank teller receipts with hard cash alleviates all potential problems. If you've say £5,000 at home for a holiday accumulated over time just churn it through couple accounts to obtain withdrawal receipts

 

@Chivas As I asked above, can you kindly provide an official UK Government link to the part I've highlighted in red.

I posted such a link about the "10,000 Euro and above"  in #19 and #24 so am willing to accept that.

People's assertions of anything else are just rumours until an official link is posted.

 

I'm not having a go at you, but I really would like to know!

 

Your suggestion to carry tellers receipts is sensible, or have a device on you which can access your  online banking.

 

And with respect, your comment about "as part of something bigger" leads me to conclude that you were singled out for whatever reason, whether your fault or not - and yes I do realise it's personal but I'm just re-making my point about "profiling" which I made in #21

 

Edited June 26, 2018 by VBF

[sometimewoodworker]

3 hours ago, VBF said:

Could you kindly provide an official UK Government link (not a YouTube video!) to the section in red as it's become a popular opinion but without proof is possibly just that

The over £1,000 to £9,999 is guidance to the UK border force (HMRC officers) you will find evidence of this guidance in the BBC series entitled UK border force (over 10 series are available on YouTube covering a number of years). The BBC films border force officers doing thier jobs which includes the cash team and those episodes include questions to people carrying more than £1,000.

 

So the "popular opinion" is held by them UK border force cash team.

 

It was also mentioned to me during my chat with the cash team at Heathrow. 

 

While I did not have all the bank withdraw receipts with me the questions asked by the team member enabled her  to determine that the cash was mine and legitimate. If I had had the bank withdrawal slips with me I suspect that my chat would have been a lot shorter than the roughly 10 minutes it took. I also think that it was a quiet time as by the time I left the declaration area there were 4 officers involved/interested in the reason for the cash which involved the building of our house here.

 

As to profiling, it probably exists and while it almost certainly guides the attention to some people or groups of people what is wrong with that? As long as it doesn't stop officers checking others or unreasonably delay flights it seems completely normal.  As the officers can only check a very small minority of travelers that they will concentrate on the groups or destinations most likely to have people of interest traveling to them.

 

 

Edited June 26, 2018 by sometimewoodworker

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

23 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Customs and border agents are doing thier job correctly. 

 

The information and limits on cash is easy to find. You are required, if asked, to explain the origin of amounts between £1,000 and £9,999, you are required to complete a declaration for £10,000 and above.

 

It seem rather unusual for a UK national to carry their tax returns. 

 

The border agents are tasked with checking the origins of larger sums of cash. 

 

Often large amounts of cash are crime related as banking excess profits from the illegal sale of untaxed goods (tobacco is an example) is much more likely to get you found out.

 

As a small shop owner the guy has the opportunity for illegal activity. The border agents have a very short time to question people. The man has the choice of having the cash seized ( he then has 30 days to reclaim it) or missing his flight to give him the time to provide proof that there was no irregularities in how he got the cash.

 

You seem to be upset that potential proceeds of crime (sale of untaxed or counterfeit goods is a crime) can be seized.

 

If the cash is legal there is no problem, just a delay.

 

 

There certainly is profiling, though is more likely to be destinations more than people, as the numbers of dogs is limited.

i seem to be upset that potential proceeds of crime  can be seized ??

is that how you define cash now - potential proceeds of crime ???

you have a slave mentality. 

governments want us to think that cash = crime / something wrong, but their main reason to do so

is more control over people's money and life and more fees for banks.

the main reason i carry cash is to save on bank and ATM fees, which can amount

to thousands of pounds annually,

cash is just cash. 

to question people over few thousands in cash in NAZI and TYRANNY.

[KittenKong]

Even declared cash under 10,000EUR can be seized at the UK border and held without a court order for 48 hours if the authorities think that a crime may have been committed. Money-laundering would be the obvious choice for that.

https://www.gov.uk/bringing-cash-into-uk

The same applies inside the UK: under the Proceeds of Crime Act if a police officer suspects that a crime has been committed he can seize any cash over £1000, if he fancies, pending some sort of proof of where it came from.

https://www.irwinmitchell.com/personal/crime-and-investigations/crime/cash-seizure-forfeiture

[observer90210]

anybody have a sample of the FET form ? thanks