Shipping In Personal Effects

[Groundpounder]

I want to base myself in Thailand, setting up a home here, while I do freelance work outside the country. My plan is to eventually retire here, but not for another decade.

Can I ship in a 20 ft container of personal effects (books, furniture, computer etc.) without having any residency rights in Thailand?

[prism]

Good question, Groundpounder. I believe you need a non im visa to avoid the steep tariffs on the electronics, i.e. computers, TVs etc.. I could be wrong.

Stewart

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Good question, Groundpounder. I believe you need a non im visa to avoid the steep tariffs on the electronics, i.e. computers, TVs etc.. I could be wrong.

Stewart

It is even tougher than that. He needs a Non-Immigrant visa based on marriage or retirement, or a B and a work permit and, and any visa must be extended for a one year period to give him eligibility to import anything without taxes/duties.

[Phil Conners]

I still have a containerful of my wife and my personal stuff stored in Europe and have asked around for the best way to get it shipped here. Even getting a shipping company to ship it over without taking an arm and a leg seems to be a killer. Everybody I talk to tell me stories about how the customs authorities in Laem Chabang requires serious teamoney to release the goods even though they have the appropriate paperwork in order (returning Thai national, farang with one year non-o). For now we're having to pay exorbitant storage fees until a solution can be found.

[LivinLOS]

I had everything in order and still got caught for tea money...

I airfrieghted 3 tonnes of stuff including a pretty advanced Home Theater (30k worth at least)... I had a one year B visa (so it could have been 0 rated for me) and even more the items were shipped by my Thai GF (to herself) who had been living outside of Thailand for the required amount of years and should have been 0 rated.

Basically it was all fine until they started opening boxes and saw how valuable it was.. Then the blackmail started and when confronted with printouts of the law stating this was 0 rated etc they responded by roughly breaking all the boxes open and spreading 30k's worth of stuff around the unsecure rooms where everyone can walk through..

Further pressure and argument to do it legally got the obvious answer that A) It could take months to process it legally and we would be charged storage fees for that time and B ) Perhaps we need to 'open' those speakers (8k's worth) to check inside..

I sent a shady Thai friend up to have a word with the captain durting lunch break (so he did not have to share the tea money) and the 100's of 1000's he wanted came down and down.. quickly it got to 40k and IIRC it was only a 15k paytment that got it cleared. All the above was simply scare tactic to get them in a bargaining position.

Basically get a good thai agent, dont show your white farang face, get it haggled as best you can beut expect to pay even if papers are perfect.

[Axel]

I had everything in order and still got caught for tea money...

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LivinLOS <<<<< This says you live in LOS, still welcome to Thailand.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

I had everything in order and still got caught for tea money...

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LivinLOS

And Axel is in the shipping business so he really does understand the rules.

[kenkannif]

If you wish to avoid paying duty or tax you MUST bring it over on the FIRST 6 months of your extended Non-imm Visa (be it extended by work permit, or money shown in the bank/marriage!).

[LivinLOS]

LivinLOS <<<<< This says you live in LOS, still welcome to Thailand. 

Yes I do live in LOS.. Hence my need to bring my and my GF's personal effects back from Europe... I also understood the rules correctly and optained a long stay visa and brought the goods inside of 6 months.. Despite this fact (and the fact it was all sent by my GF to herself a Thai returning after living abroad for multiple years) nothing mattered.. If I did not pay the fee the goods were left out in an exposed unsecure area even exposed to rain etc..

Anyway it was no big deal.. got solved with a wave of cash.. TIT