Surrendering at Suvarnabhumi Customs with wine

[KinKinReowReow]

With the moronic taxes on wine here, I often bring back a bottle or two more than allowed when I travel.

 

However, I am heading to France soon and I want to bring back 6-8 bottles back of hard-to-find wines.

Needless to say, I would prefer not to get caught and run the risk of getting my bottles confiscated.

 

Has anyone any experience of surrendering at Customs and get them to work out a tax by bottle to be paid on the spot?

More specifically, how do they calculate the tax on the individual bottles? Whatever tax there is to be paid, can I pay with credit card there? And any other good advice on this subject?
 

Thank you in advance.       

[CharlieK]

I would hazard a guess that you would have to pay 100% duty on any declared items. Just hope you don't get stopped at customs! 

[chickenslegs]

I'm pretty sure that I've read that you need a licence to import any quantity of alcohol above the 1lt limit.

If correct, this would mean that you won't be permitted to pay tax/duty to bring the wine in. It will be confiscated - maybe even a fine added.

 

Edited to add a link ... http://www.customs.go.th/list_strc_simple_neted.php?ini_content=individual_160503_03_160905_01&lang=en&left_menu=menu_individual_submenu_01_160421_01

Edited February 16, 2020 by chickenslegs

[Salerno]

30 minutes ago, KinKinReowReow said:

Has anyone any experience of surrendering at Customs and get them to work out a tax by bottle to be paid on the spot?

No personal experience but as I understand it, you can't take more than 1 litre regardless.

 

Quote

 

The excess quantities of cigarettes, tobacco or alcoholic beverages must be dropped in the box provided by Customs, otherwise prosecution will be carried out.

http://www.customs.go.th/list_strc_simple_neted.php?ini_content=individual_160503_03_160905_01&lang=en&left_menu=menu_individual_submenu_01_160421_01

 

 

Edited February 16, 2020 by Salerno
Added quote and link

[KinKinReowReow]

Thank you for the replies so far. 

 

@chickenslegs, very useful link. Thank you. 

As I read it, I am going into the Case 1, which states:

Case 1 Passengers' accompanying belongings which are not for commercial purpose and do not exceed 200,000 baht in value
Procedure

1. 1. Customs officers at the "Goods to Declare" channel assess flat rate duty and taxes
   2. Passengers make payment of duty and taxes by cash or debit/credit card
   3. Passengers are provided with payment receipts and retrieve their belongings

 

The key word here is flat rate duty, as this will most likely be a lot less than the "real" duty that you would pay in retail, as this duty is measured in large by the perceived retail value. 

 

If anyone has direct experience with this, please chime in, as I would be interested in knowing what the flat rate duty would be and how they calculate that there on the spot. 

[Salerno]

11 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

Edited to add a link

555 Snap!

[ukrules]

5 minutes ago, KinKinReowReow said:

The key word here is flat rate duty, as this will most likely be a lot less than the "real" duty that you would pay in retail, as this duty is measured in large by the perceived retail value.

I believe it's actually much higher than the correct tariff rate. I'm sure I've read about someone wanting to do this before on this forum and there were problems.

 

Something about it not just being an import duty, there's excise tax as well.

 

Read this : https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/785664-bringing-wine-in-at-bkk-for-personal-use/

[nrasmussen]

I researched this previously and I reached the conclusion that without an import license it is not possible to bring in more than 1 l.

[Salerno]

15 minutes ago, KinKinReowReow said:

would be interested in knowing what the flat rate duty would be and how they calculate that there on the spot. 

As mentioned, I don't think there is one - 1 litre max.

[Salerno]

An interesting read https://loyaltylobby.com/2018/05/27/update-be-careful-with-duty-free-limit-when-bringing-alcohol-to-thailand-75000-thb-fine/

[chickenslegs]

10 minutes ago, KinKinReowReow said:

Thank you for the replies so far. 

 

@chickenslegs, very useful link. Thank you. 

As I read it, I am going into the Case 1, which states:

Case 1 Passengers' accompanying belongings which are not for commercial purpose and do not exceed 200,000 baht in value
Procedure

1. 1. Customs officers at the "Goods to Declare" channel assess flat rate duty and taxes
   2. Passengers make payment of duty and taxes by cash or debit/credit card
   3. Passengers are provided with payment receipts and retrieve their belongings

 

The key word here is flat rate duty, as this will most likely be a lot less than the "real" duty that you would pay in retail, as this duty is measured in large by the perceived retail value. 

 

If anyone has direct experience with this, please chime in, as I would be interested in knowing what the flat rate duty would be and how they calculate that there on the spot. 

I think you are wrong.

 

But I'm not an expert.

 

 

[KinKinReowReow]

Thank you for all your advice. Seems like there's no way around it and it will continue to be a bootlegger's life for me. 

[chickenslegs]

7 minutes ago, KinKinReowReow said:

Thank you for all your advice. Seems like there's no way around it and it will continue to be a bootlegger's life for me. 

Bring it in by sailboat, at night ...

[KinKinReowReow]

Aye, at next new moon it will be. 

[talahtnut]

42 minutes ago, KinKinReowReow said:

Thank you for all your advice. Seems like there's no way around it and it will continue to be a bootlegger's life for me. 

If you go through the green channel, and get

stopped, you might lose the lot.

I always go through the red channel, and declare,

quite often they are fairly lenient if you're not

too greedy.

All baggage goes through a scanner so

they know whats inside.

Edited February 16, 2020 by talahtnut
addition

[Chelseafan]

1 hour ago, KinKinReowReow said:

Thank you for the replies so far. 

 

@chickenslegs, very useful link. Thank you. 

As I read it, I am going into the Case 1, which states:

Case 1 Passengers' accompanying belongings which are not for commercial purpose and do not exceed 200,000 baht in value
Procedure

1. 1. Customs officers at the "Goods to Declare" channel assess flat rate duty and taxes
   2. Passengers make payment of duty and taxes by cash or debit/credit card
   3. Passengers are provided with payment receipts and retrieve their belongings

 

The key word here is flat rate duty, as this will most likely be a lot less than the "real" duty that you would pay in retail, as this duty is measured in large by the perceived retail value. 

 

No, the duty on retail should be the same based on country of origin, what you are seeing is the retailer adding their own margin. They've got to make some money too.

 

I seem to recall that NZ and Aus wine are a lot cheaper than wine from USA as the former have agreements for reduced duties.

 

 

Edited February 16, 2020 by Chelseafan

[JerseytoBKK]

1 hour ago, talahtnut said:

If you go through the green channel, and get

stopped, you might lose the lot.

I always go through the red channel, and declare,

quite often they are fairly lenient if you're not

too greedy.

All baggage goes through a scanner so

they know whats inside.

Thanks for this info!

 

What is "not too greedy"? 4 bottles, 6 bottles? Wine or hard liquor? How much do you pay for amounts over the permitted 1 liter?

[BestB]

Do not know about wine but once got done with a suitcase full of vitamins , supplements and protein . They asked how much it was all worth , I told them $500. They charged me from memory 3000 baht . In reality it was all worth about $1500

 

Keep in mind , this is when I was busted, usually they do not bother checking , this was one and only time in 20 years 

Edited February 16, 2020 by BestB

[ChaiyaTH]

1 hour ago, JerseytoBKK said:

Thanks for this info!

 

What is "not too greedy"? 4 bottles, 6 bottles? Wine or hard liquor? How much do you pay for amounts over the permitted 1 liter?

Not too greedy would be 2 bottles as that is 1 more than you technically can bring already. I always do that and even carry it in a duty free bag visible, never any issue.
Guess I would try 2 in a check in luggage + 1 from duty free by hand if flying from France.

[treetops]

On 2/16/2020 at 2:23 PM, talahtnut said:

All baggage goes through a scanner . . . .

Are these confirmed as being in operation yet?  It was reported they would be by early 2020, but I haven't seen any confirmation or recent discussion.

[LomSak27]

I watched a couple 'surrender' and declare two bottles over the limit of hard alcohol. The bottles were taken away and given a 100 euro fine per bottle.  ????

 

I'm sure this was just an fluke, but given what I saw,  I would never do it.  In fact I'm game planning what will happen when the scanners are installed, and they hook me in for more than 'three months personal consumption' and try to extort money from me. That is for non alcoholic beverages.

And if they can, I am sure they will.

[simon43]

If you got a long, flexible plastic tube, you could fill it up with wine and push it maybe 9 metres up your backside.  Based on the cross-sectional area of your large and small intestines, I calculate that you could probably smuggle quite a few litres of wine that way.