Importing Personal Effects - Retirement Visa

[Max69xl]

On 11/2/2019 at 11:30 AM, essox essox said:

ALL pesonal effects ARE FREE OF DUTY anywhere in world....I brought mine here 2008.

My charges were delivey from Lam Chabang

54 boxes I had...

 

For Expatriates: All used household and personal effects shipments without an eligible one-year work permit are subject to import duties.

To apply for import duty free, an original passport and one-year work permit is required upon shipment is arrived in Thailand and shipment should arrive in Thailand within 6 months from the issuing date of the 1^st work permit

*For any FCL shipment, Thai Customs Department may require the original passports of family members as well as shipper’s original passport and 1-year work permit, to apply for the import duty exemption.

[griffon2011]

On 11/2/2019 at 2:48 PM, 007 RED said:

 

I appreciate that you may have been in the import/export business (at some time in the distant past), but with no disrespect, what Thai Customs allowed back in 2008 was one thing.  Remember, that was 11 years ago, and their regulations have changed several times since then.

Today, unless you are a Thai returning to the Kingdom after having spent 6 months or more abroad, or a foreigner with special skills coming to work in Thailand for a specified period of time, you stand little or no chance of escaping having to pay hefty import duty and VAT.

When I finally retired and moved here back in 2013 from the UK, I considered shipping my personal belonging here.  I got several quotations from very reputable shipping companies and was shocked when each informed me that even having declared my affects as second hand, Thai Customs would charge me import duty based upon their estimate of current as new price of the items.

The agents also advised that the way Customs calculate import duty is based upon their valuation of the items, plus the cost of transport, plus insurance.  That total figure is then used to calculate the duty at whatever import rate is going at the time.  If I remember correctly it was in the order of 20%

It doesn’t end there. There is the small matter of VAT.  They (Customs) then take their estimated value of the items and add the import duty to it.  They then take that total and calculate the VAT at whatever the going rate is for that day.

As well as having to pay the import duty and VAT there is also the little matter of the local agent’s negotiation fee which is normally a percentage of the Customs dues.

If you are not aware, Thai Customs Officers are paid a ’bounty’ (X%) of the revenue they collect, so it is their personal interest to ‘screw’ you for as much as they can.  Also, if you don’t accept their valuation of duty payable they (Customs) will hold the items in ‘bond’ for 3 months and then they will be sold at auction.

In 2013 I shipped a 20 foot container full of expensive furniture, electronics etc but was not aware of the situation as you described it or I probably would not have attempted to ship anything.  The shipping agent said he needed 28K baht for customs and the shipment arrived at my condo untouched.  Recently, I had explored shipping my furniture and other household goods to Vietnam due to my age and lack health insurance options here but your post confirmed my suspicion that customs policies in Vietnam may be similar to Thailand so I will just sell everything. The shippers were very vague to my questions about how Vietnam customs valued items.   Also the cost was about 250K baht from BKK to Da Nang for a half filled 20 foot container.  Your post was very helpful to me.  Thank you. 

[Pilotman]

51 minutes ago, CNXexpat said:

If you have nothing expensive it´s ok. I sent in the name of my wife, who lived 10 years with me in Germany, around 30 boxes, each 30 kg for 109 Euro each. So it´s 3,63 Euro per kilo. We had by example a wok from WMF, price in Germany and Thailand more than 100 Euro. So it´s easy mathematics. I could sell it for 30 Euro at Ebay in Germany and buy it new for 109 Euro in Thailand or I put it in a box and pay for the 3 kg around 10 Euro. Same with a high quality sound system, expensive brand clothes and so on. If the price is much higher than 3,63 kg/piece to buy the item in Thailand, it was sent. 

We had not a single problem with customs. 

And I don´t like frugal life ????

Our oak table alone was valued at 250,000 Baht, so not an issue deciding to bring that kind of stuff with us.  Not replaceable in LOS. 

[DJ54]

On 11/2/2019 at 11:44 AM, Sheryl said:

Definitely not true.

 

I had one box of golf balls with personal items shipment. Had the receipt @ $19 USD. They said $199 to bring in.. uhh no thanks keep them. That was China..  

[LivinLOS]

On 11/3/2019 at 9:19 AM, khunPer said:

You are allowed one of each item only – i.e. knives and forks for twelve in a cutlery set is one item; or a collections of something, like CD's or records, is one item – and all stuff has to be used items, now new.

categorically told the opposite.. A DVD collection, 1 DVD was tax free, the rest were taxable. 

 

Officer by officer.. As always.. 

[Jen65]

This topic has certainly provoked some controversy and yet no clear cut answer !!   Most of the items I will bring in are 2nd hand but some hardly used !   Rather than give my stuff away in France at silly prices or have to throw it out (it is all good quality ) , I decided to ship it here because when we build our new house I would have to buy again here so I would loose double !   I brought a yacht in from USA and only paid 7% vat tax so surely on used personal  effects it can not be much more than that ?? 

[LivinLOS]

29 minutes ago, Jen65 said:

This topic has certainly provoked some controversy and yet no clear cut answer !!   Most of the items I will bring in are 2nd hand but some hardly used !   Rather than give my stuff away in France at silly prices or have to throw it out (it is all good quality ) , I decided to ship it here because when we build our new house I would have to buy again here so I would loose double !   I brought a yacht in from USA and only paid 7% vat tax so surely on used personal  effects it can not be much more than that ?? 

used or new doesnt matter.. 7% is sales tax.. But many things can have a cumulative 30% luxury goods tax (anything they want basically) and many items have set bands over the 7 also (hifi, electronics, etc). Theres a huge thick book of definitions but its irrelevant really, they make it up as they go along. 

[Toadie]

Duties aren't a big cost. I didn't have retirement Visa then. Few hundred that's all.

 

Just part of relocation cost. 

[LivinLOS]

18 minutes ago, Toadie said:

Duties aren't a big cost. I didn't have retirement Visa then. Few hundred that's all.

 

Just part of relocation cost. 

Few hundred what ?? Baht ?? 

 

They wanted multi 1000 usd to me.. There were a lot of high value items, precisely the stuff I didnt want to sell and repurchase.. 

 

Ended up with a bribe of about 15k, no receipt.. 

[Plus Esse Quam Simultatur]

Same here. In 2008 they wanted 200.000 THB for my 40ft container shipment because I was not able to show a working permit, After some negotiations I ended up sending 20.000 THB to a bank account somewhere. The day after I got all my stuff from customs in Lamchebang. 

[Langsuan Man]

There is really no mystery .  If you are lucky you don't get hit with any duty.  If you are unlucky you get hit with duty. 

 

How much is also up to the whims of chance.  If you are lucky the agent assigned to your shipment will be willing to work with you, if unlucky he or she will squeeze you for everything they can get.   And who are you doing to appeal to

 

Edited November 5, 2019 by Langsuan Man

[LivinLOS]

1 hour ago, Langsuan Man said:

There is really no mystery .  If you are lucky you don't get hit with any duty.  If you are unlucky you get hit with duty. 

Having seen 10s of these threads over the years.. You also have to analyse what 'not getting hit with the duty' often means.. Someone claims they got thier without paying anything, but had an agent who chrged the 50k thb, guess where some of that agent fee ended up. 

[CharlieH]

A post containing details of illegal action has been removed.

[Hoppyone]

On 11/2/2019 at 11:51 AM, moe666 said:

Go threw your stuff and throw it all away, just bring your clothes that are for warm weather. Learn to live a more frugal life you can buy all the junk you want once you get here

Good advice

[Jen65]

On 11/8/2019 at 8:41 PM, Hoppyone said:

Good advice

I don't want to buy junk AND I am not importing junk ! some things I have collected over the years - antiques etc and have good quality furniture ( can't buy here !! )   so that thread is not applicable ! Oh , I also don't want to live a frugal life in my retirement !!!

[Jen65]

Thank you all for the informative information and sometimes controversial and conflicting !!    I have a really good agent arranging everything door to door and was recommended to me ( Intermover -Chaing Rai )   Very good to deal with and have provided excellent communications, information and quote .   It seems I will have to have a quiet word with them about the possibity of paying "backsheesh "in order to get the container in smoothly and quickly !!  If that is what it takes - no problem - it' what makes the world go round !!