TyGrr Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 I will be traveling wiht my underage child into Thailand. Will we get 250g each or will only adults who come into the country get 250g? What happens if I want to bring in 500g and I am willing to pay taxes on my cigars assuming we do not get the 250g for the child? How does this happen? Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossy Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 I'm 99% certain underage persons don't get the duty-free allowance on tobacco or alcohol. There is no official mechanism to pay duty on over-limit goods (there certainly used to be a dump-it bin at the customs desk). You could try going through Red and declaring, some have reported being waved through as being "too much trouble". I would not recommend winging it in the Green channel if you get caught the fine is punitive and you lose all your goods not just the over-limit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyGrr Posted March 9, 2019 Author Share Posted March 9, 2019 @crossy I have been "caught" in the green line with a designer bag for my wife bought in Singapore and they made my pay import taxes on it. The tax was over 30,000 Baht but they let me keep the bag. I honestly had no idea I had to pay a tax on a hand bag at the time. Can I not just pay taxes like this on the cigars? This would be trying to pay in the red line? I'm not sure what the "official mechanism" means. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanLaew Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 Thai Customs are hard on all tobacco imports. Declaring overages in the red channel will only result in confiscation of all tobacco including the duty-free allowance. Undeclared overages caught in the green channel will result in the same confiscation plus the fines. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossy Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 5 minutes ago, NanLaew said: Declaring overages in the red channel will only result in confiscation of all tobacco including the duty-free allowance. There have been reports, like I noted in my earlier post, of travellers being let through Red either with no charge or a "no receipt" charge. I'm sure others have been pointed at the dump-bin and allowed to keep their duty free allowance. But the overall point is, don't try it with baccy or booze. You may get away with it, but you may not. IMHO it's really not worth the risk. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyGrr Posted March 9, 2019 Author Share Posted March 9, 2019 Okay thanks for the help. I guess cigars and handbags are not the same sort of thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossy Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 6 minutes ago, TyGrr said: Okay thanks for the help. I guess cigars and handbags are not the same sort of thing. The rules are indeed different. You need an import licence for booze or baccy, no licence, no import. You don't need a licence for a handbag (despite my wife's being classed as a lethal weapon), so you can pay the duty. You evidently got caught up in the purge a little while back when everything that looked remotely dutyable and valued over about 10k was stopped and charged. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanLaew Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 5 minutes ago, Crossy said: The rules are indeed different. You need an import licence for booze or baccy, no licence, no import. ... If the OP likes his stogies and lives in or near Bangkok, buying cigars online and shipping by post to Thailand is still an option as you are allowed to pay duty when you go claim them at the Customs desk at Lak Si Post Office. However, if you live on the eastern seaboard, you go to the Laem Chabang Customs office where the charming lady will advise you that you need to have an import license and the cigars will be seized and returned to sender. If you suggest that they're only for personal consumption and question this export license as my friend did, she will further advise you that you have broken the law already so don't push your luck. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyGrr Posted March 9, 2019 Author Share Posted March 9, 2019 2 hours ago, Crossy said: The rules are indeed different. You need an import licence for booze or baccy, no licence, no import. You don't need a licence for a handbag (despite my wife's being classed as a lethal weapon), so you can pay the duty. You evidently got caught up in the purge a little while back when everything that looked remotely dutyable and valued over about 10k was stopped and charged. We were ignorant on the rules and brought it in a giant gucci bag with the recipt still in it. It was clear as day and with hind sight very dumb. It was well over 100k Baht so we paid the crazy tax and went on. Now I ask about the rules first and glad I did. I would have walked in with 500g or so of cigars but yeah, not worth the risk at all. Sadly I live in the north and shipping them here has failed in the past. Thanks again 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanLaew Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 3 minutes ago, TyGrr said: I would have walked in with 500g or so of cigars but yeah, not worth the risk at all. Whilst not condoning breaking the law, if you have them in your checked baggage and 'green it', the chances of getting pulled over for a random x-ray check is quite low. Occasionally they will go on a 'scan everything' binge but they are typically less than 20 minutes and likely aimed at a certain aircraft from a certain destination... or pot luck. The key is to observe the green channel activity while waiting for your bags off the carousel and if it looks busy, browse some DF shops or go to the bathroom (again) until they're over it. 7 minutes ago, TyGrr said: Sadly I live in the north and shipping them here has failed in the past. Yes, I read of someone in Udon trying to get cigars in the post a few years back and gave up the ghost after Nong Khai Customs said. 'No hab!' despite their office being the place for collection printed on the customs notification he received in his letter box. The cigar shop I use in Hong Kong ships same-day so if I order online Sunday, the stuff is usually at Lak Si mid-week and I get the notification before the end of the week (use a hotel address in Bangkok). I pop down for the weekend, pick up the notice at the hotel and grab the cigars on my way back to Don Meuang for the flight home on Monday. Lak Si always ask how much I paid which is irrelevant as they have always look up the rates on the computer and charge by weight which is correct. I think they ask out of curiosity so, depending on the demeanor of the clerk, I either say they were free and make a long face or 5 million baht and smile. I make sure I always order something in the simple, light, cedar wood boxes and avoid anything in a fancier, heavier box as Lak Si weighs the whole package, even the 5 million baht ones! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Date Masamune Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 Must be joking are you serious? Of course children do not get a duty free allowance, true in every country as they are dependents by definition. Some nations do not even permit foreign air crew to purchase duty free or participate in VAT exempt schemes How would a child earn earn money unless they were illegally worked? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChokDee4213 Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 Lol, father of the year making your kid into a mule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussieroaming Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 19 hours ago, TyGrr said: @crossy I have been "caught" in the green line with a designer bag for my wife bought in Singapore and they made my pay import taxes on it. The tax was over 30,000 Baht but they let me keep the bag. I honestly had no idea I had to pay a tax on a hand bag at the time. Can I not just pay taxes like this on the cigars? This would be trying to pay in the red line? I'm not sure what the "official mechanism" Must have been an expensive bag. Duty free maximum on personal goods is 20 000 baht, which I assume is for each item of interest such as your bag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyGrr Posted March 10, 2019 Author Share Posted March 10, 2019 @Aussieroaming yeah, it was pretty high. The tax was over that amount. @ChokDee4213 Nothing wrong with asking how laws work correct? I'm not a lawyer like you must be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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