relocating & shipping.

[Rigel23]

Hi, i'm relocating. Can anyone shed light on shipping my household contents to Thailand and if it will all get slammed heavily for tax or not. I have heard different accounts,  mostly books, clothes, ornaments, some furniture, kitchen and dinning wear, etc.

Edited April 6, 2021 by Rigel23

[Pilotman]

If you have a Thai wife she can import personal goods items tax free as a  returning citizen, you however cannot and depending on what you are intending to import, you could be subject to duty, for example, on controlled wood furniture such as oak, electrical goods, jewellery etc .  My friend, who also shipped his household goods to Thailand, nothing new, all used, was charged 180,000 Baht import tax on his personal goods. Best to get a Bangkok based agent to arrange it all for you, they can substantially reduce any duty liability by negotiation with customs. 

[Lomsakboy]

13 hours ago, Pilotman said:

If you have a Thai wife she can import personal goods items tax free as a  returning citizen, you however cannot and depending on what you are intending to import, you could be subject to duty, for example, on controlled wood furniture such as oak, electrical goods, jewellery etc .  My friend, who also shipped his household goods to Thailand, nothing new, all used, was charged 180,000 Baht import tax on his personal goods. Best to get a Bangkok based agent to arrange it all for you, they can substantially reduce any duty liability by negotiation with customs. 

There is no import tax on oak furniture.

Who are stupid enough to put their jewelry in the shipping container?

Even if you send in your Thai wife's name, there may be import tax if e.g., there is more than 1 electrical object of each kind, like 1 TV etc. Even if you send in your Thai wife's name, there are a number of criteria that must be met. One thing is her period of stay outside Thailand. Another is that if she has a new passport, then Thai customs also demands a copy of the old one. These are the 2 most important things to keep in mind.

Under normal circumstances there will also be import tax on bicycles and anything with an engine on. Or whatever these Thai customs officers find as luxury goods. Sometimes one can’t stop smiling on what they see as luxury goods. Therefor we always tell people to put the value on the packing list low as possible and even if 2 or more TV, then only 1 TV on the packing list, because the charges are 30% of the value plus 7% VAT.

Under normal circumstances there are only people with work permit, Diplomats and returning Thai citizens, who would be able to get their stuff in without paying import duties. But then again, it all depends on the packing list and the Thai customs mood.

It is always a good idea to find a good agent for custom clearance, if your moving company/ agent at origin not have a partner here in Thailand. But they normally have.

Negotiation with customs. No problem with that.

 

[Pilotman]

1 hour ago, Lomsakboy said:

There is no import tax on oak furniture.

Who are stupid enough to put their jewelry in the shipping container?

Even if you send in your Thai wife's name, there may be import tax if e.g., there is more than 1 electrical object of each kind, like 1 TV etc. Even if you send in your Thai wife's name, there are a number of criteria that must be met. One thing is her period of stay outside Thailand. Another is that if she has a new passport, then Thai customs also demands a copy of the old one. These are the 2 most important things to keep in mind.

Under normal circumstances there will also be import tax on bicycles and anything with an engine on. Or whatever these Thai customs officers find as luxury goods. Sometimes one can’t stop smiling on what they see as luxury goods. Therefor we always tell people to put the value on the packing list low as possible and even if 2 or more TV, then only 1 TV on the packing list, because the charges are 30% of the value plus 7% VAT.

Under normal circumstances there are only people with work permit, Diplomats and returning Thai citizens, who would be able to get their stuff in without paying import duties. But then again, it all depends on the packing list and the Thai customs mood.

It is always a good idea to find a good agent for custom clearance, if your moving company/ agent at origin not have a partner here in Thailand. But they normally have.

Negotiation with customs. No problem with that.

 

Your first point is incorrect.  Oak is a controlled wood in several countries, including Thailand, that is, a duty is payable and the wood cannot be traded without a licence, even as furniture .  We were told that duty would have been payable if we could not prove that the oak furniture we were importing was our personal household furniture. 

 

https://www.forest-trends.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/FT4307D_ThaiShortReport_R5_WEB061119.pdf

Edited April 7, 2021 by Pilotman

[Lomsakboy]

39 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

Your first point is incorrect.  Oak is a controlled wood in several countries, including Thailand, that is, a duty is payable and the wood cannot be traded without a licence, even as furniture .  We were told that duty would have been payable if we could not prove that the oak furniture we were importing was our personal household furniture. 

 

https://www.forest-trends.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/FT4307D_ThaiShortReport_R5_WEB061119.pdf

Again, there is no import tax on oak furniture and you don't need import permit either. Your agent or moving company didn't do a good job if you had to pay import tax on your personal oak furniture stated on the packing list. Also, why write oak? Just furniture is enough. We do import/ export on a daily basis, so I should know. There is on Teak wood furniture and some other woods. But why state this on the packing list. Then there are some varieties of wood that you can't import. 

[DaLa]

If you are moving to Thailand you can obtain a waver of import duty on personal effects within I believe 6 months. Unfortunately the rules are 'flexible' dependant on which port and customs personnel deal with the shipment.

 

We import many 40 foot HC's as a business every year and they each contain about 4-5 housefuls of furniture and goods . The rates of duty vary from one item to another and there are literally hundreds of classifications.  There are also rules on what you can export from your country of origin, for example Rosewood furniture from the UK.

 

You will have to use an agent and let them have a comprehensive list of items that your shipment will include. PM me if you require a contact. 

Edited April 7, 2021 by DaLa
Missing word for clarification.

[Lomsakboy]

You can only obtain an exemption from import duty if you comply with certain criteria. One of these for foreigners is the original passport and Visa when your shipment arrives, as well as a work permit if you have one. But even with this, it is not certain that one can get it freely into Thailand. But 1 thing is sure they don't always follow the rules stated on the internet.
Even that the Thai custom are strict then they are not that tough to deal with, as long as you know how to speak to them and know a little about the customs rules. Not to forget a little smile.

[HAPPYNUFF]

As I posted  before on  this..    I had 9  cartons of personal effects air freighted here, clothing, sheets, books, tools etc.   At Swampi Customs, first demand was for 20,000 baht. I had printed off, in Thai and English  the relevant regulations applicable, as I was entering on a OA class visa, and was exempt, apparently.    After threatening to set fire to the lot, rather than have some little  Thai s...t  steal  it, I haggled  the bribe down to 10,000 baht.      Then   the female  customs  bird started ripping the boxes to pieces and  demanded 3ooo baht to stop...She settled for 2000.     Best of luck.