import Taxes - relocating on non-imm-O visa Ship Household Items to Thailand

[flipper2222222]

hi everyone, 

this page says

https://www.thaivisa-news.com/ship-household-items-to-thailand-for-retirement/

household items are duty and tax free for those on retirement visas. Is it the same for my wife (Thai National) and myself being on a non O visa?

anyone know of any official website for info?

thanks in advance.

[oceanbreeze851]

This is a good question as my shipment is suppose to arrive in Bangkok on July 21.

[johng]

"A whole family planning on changing residence and moving to Thailand permanently will be given the privilege of bringing into the country two units of each item. Any unit in excess of this two-piece limit is already taxable. During an excess, Custom officials may levy a lower rate since the importer is a whole family."       Privilege !!!!   

 

Sell,donate to charity.friends and family or throw away as much as possible...

before dealing with Thai customs.

Most everything you could want is available to buy in Thailand...

do not whatever you do try to ship any sort of motor vehicle.

[flipper2222222]

15 minutes ago, johng said:

"A whole family planning on changing residence and moving to Thailand permanently will be given the privilege of bringing into the country two units of each item. Any unit in excess of this two-piece limit is already taxable. During an excess, Custom officials may levy a lower rate since the importer is a whole family."       Privilege !!!!   

 

Sell,donate to charity.friends and family or throw away as much as possible...

before dealing with Thai customs.

Most everything you could want is available to buy in Thailand...

do not whatever you do try to ship any sort of motor vehicle.

thank you,  do you know where I can find  this on a Thai Gov website? any official docs?

[flipper2222222]

34 minutes ago, oceanbreeze851 said:

This is a good question as my shipment is suppose to arrive in Bangkok on July 21.

pls will you report back your experience?

[johng]

12 minutes ago, flipper2222222 said:

thank you,  do you know where I can find  this on a Thai Gov website? any official docs?

Sorry you won't find the information about your possessions being "held to ransom"  at any government website...but if you google this subject   of the Thai customs department and/or  importing a vehicle to Thailand there are many accounts  of how things go.

[flipper2222222]

44 minutes ago, johng said:

Sorry you won't find the information about your possessions being "held to ransom"  at any government website...but if you google this subject   of the Thai customs department and/or  importing a vehicle to Thailand there are many accounts  of how things go.

I am looking for the official tax and duty exemption regulations\laws on items for families that are relocating. does anyone know where I can find this information?

[johng]

http://www.customs.go.th/index.php?lang=en&

[flipper2222222]

14 hours ago, johng said:

http://www.customs.go.th/index.php?lang=en&

thank you, yes I too found this yesterday, this page in particular

 

http://www.customs.go.th/cont_strc_simple.php?lang=en&ini_content=individual_F01_160426_01&ini_menu=menu_individual_submenu_02&&left_menu=menu_individual_submenu_02_160421_01

 

are some of the other posters saying that despite this, freight companies may hold my good hostage?

[bbko]

When I retired in the USA I thought about shipping all my household stuff here but quickly decided against it. Too many hoops to jump through and import taxes to ship items that can easily be bought here.  Of the items that I absolutely couldn't part ways with I either put it in my suitcase or shipped in boxes via the post office.

On a side note, many years ago I remember reading if a Thai national lives overseas for more than 5 years, they can import their household stuff into Thailand tax free.

[oceanbreeze851]

 

6 hours ago, bbko said:

On a side note, many years ago I remember reading if a Thai national lives overseas for more than 5 years, they can import their household stuff into Thailand tax free.

Thank you. I hope that is true. My wife and I lived in USA from 2012 until 2021.

[bbko]

I found this, hopefully it helps you;

 

[oceanbreeze851]

Just for information, I received my shipment from the USA 1 week ago.  I estimated the value at $4000. Total import tax was 5116 baht.

[Farangdk]

If people think that just because they are on a retirement visa (NON O), that there will be no tax etc. can easily be disappointed. 

 

Who said that 2 things of each can be imported? Only 1 electrical item of each per container / family may be imported per container / family may be imported. Plus, the Thai Customs got their own rules on what they see as luxury goods. All luxury goods there will be import tax on.

 

Even a returning Thai citizen is only allowed to import. Not always that Thai can import tax free. It depends on length of stay overseas and what is added to the packing list etc.

 

Also, all Buddhist statues/ images need to have import permit.

 

Best things are to find a moving/ shipping company who is into all this. It is a jungle and the Thai Customs at port/ airport got their own rules.

[oceanbreeze851]

21 hours ago, Farangdk said:

If people think that just because they are on a retirement visa (NON O), that there will be no tax etc. can easily be disappointed. 

 

Who said that 2 things of each can be imported? Only 1 electrical item of each per container / family may be imported per container / family may be imported. Plus, the Thai Customs got their own rules on what they see as luxury goods. All luxury goods there will be import tax on.

 

Even a returning Thai citizen is only allowed to import. Not always that Thai can import tax free. It depends on length of stay overseas and what is added to the packing list etc.

 

Also, all Buddhist statues/ images need to have import permit.

 

Best things are to find a moving/ shipping company who is into all this. It is a jungle and the Thai Customs at port/ airport got their own rules.

So of this information is not true but it depends on the shipping company. I was fortunate as the shipping forms only allowed 1 line for each box. I put 3 or 4 items that were contained in each box on each line. 1 box was a set of golf clubs (new) that I opened up and placed a new pair of golf shoes and a box of balls and ties. I was told this was a prohibited item but no extra tax on this item.

[LongTimeLurker]

My only experience has been importing household goods on a Non-B visa for work.

 

I had arrived and the WP process began before the household goods turned up.

 

When they arrived Customs wanted Baht 30,000 duty (I think this is their opening gambit for everyone, it's readily negotiable). My company and their shipping agents pointed out it's Duty Free, to which Customs responded, only when the WP is issued.

 

Demurrage of the goods would have cost more for the time taken to process the WP so my company paid the Customs charge (don't know how much in the end) as it was still below my personal moving allowance.

 

Be prepared to negotiate, the longer they can hold it up for the more you pay in demurrage, which is separate from the Duty.

[starky]

Try to bring nothing, except maybe tools or stuff you love everything else is available here. You will definitely be paying tax. I found the best thing was to employ a moving company who has an agent they will smooth things over you will have to probably only sling an arbitrary amount and they will clear customs and do all they stuff that causes headaches for you. That was my experience results may vary. 

  

[ballpoint]

My wife and I sent a shipping container of furniture, home appliances, and personal effects to Thailand around 5 years ago.  We had been living away from Thailand for 5 years, but my wife had been making frequent trips back here during that period.  She had to show that she had spent no more than 3 months at a time in Thailand, and had spent at least 365 days of the previous two years out of the country, (not necessarily concurrently), either by showing the entry and exit stamps in her passport, or, as she used the auto gates and had no stamps, going to immigration in Soi Suan Plu (Room #303, 3rd Floor, though it may have changed by now), and getting an official statement from them.  This was far simpler than I thought it would be - we dropped off her passport there and an agent from the moving company picked it, and the statement, up a couple of days later, and our container was released with no tax payable at all.

 

These are the requirements given to us by the moving company:

 

For returning Thai Citizens (holding Thai Passport), shipper can import his/her Used Household Goods into Thailand on the Duty-Free basis only if he/she has ALL the following qualifications:
1 Shipper is still holding the Thai Passport.
2 Shipper has been traveling in-and-out of Thailand and in-and-out of the Origin Country by using Thai Passport only.
3 Shipper has lived in the Origin Country at least one full year: counting only the time Shipper stayed there
4 During his stay in the Origin Country in the recent two years before returning to land, shipper may occasionally return to Thailand but must not stay in Thailand for more than 3 months on each visit. Otherwise, the counting of number of stay will start over.
5 Shipper has some docs or stamp in Shipper passport showing that Shipper had the residence in the Origin Country: not just "staying as tourist".
6 Shipment arrives at Bangkok Port no earlier than one month and no later than six months of Shipper return to Thailand.
7 Shipper has never imported any used household goods shipped into Thailand on the Duty-Free basis before.

 

And the documentation required:

 

Copy of (wife's) passport
Packing list of items with values for Thailand
Copy Thai I.D. card (front, back)
Copy Thai House Registration (page with house address, page with shipper’s name)
Original Passport (expired book is also required if contain traveling record between Thailand and origin country). Please advise Shipper NOT to pack any expired passports in the shipment because Thai Customs may require to look at the expired passport too.
Official Past traveling record from Thai Immigration Office in lieu of incomplete Thai Immigration Stamp via the use of automatic channel
 

[Farangdk]

On 8/29/2021 at 12:31 PM, oceanbreeze851 said:

So of this information is not true but it depends on the shipping company. I was fortunate as the shipping forms only allowed 1 line for each box. I put 3 or 4 items that were contained in each box on each line. 1 box was a set of golf clubs (new) that I opened up and placed a new pair of golf shoes and a box of balls and ties. I was told this was a prohibited item but no extra tax on this item.

I deal with import/ export every day. So, I should know. But regarding the Thai Customs and what to pay for and how much, then we sometime thing it is all up to the Custom officers mood. Also, different on what they see as luxury items and so on. Be aware on what is listed on the inventory list and how many item of each and of course the value.

Best thing is to have a good agent/ moving company to handle for you there in Thailand. But also you need to be careful. Too many cowboys around who doesn't know S+++.

[oceanbreeze851]

I  guess you can say my golf clubs were a luxury item. I expected to pay up to $ 2,000 but I was surprised to only pay 5116 baht.