Customs entering Thailand

[Klonko]

As per customs.go.th, I am allowed to carry personal belongings for personal use in reasonable quantity worth no more than THB 20'000 duty free.

 

Literally this would mean that I had to pay duty re-entering Thailand just wearing my watch or for any gifts regardless of their value, and that most arriving passengers had to go through the"Goods to Declare" channel. I assume that the Thai duty exemption threshold in fact applies to gifts and newly acquired goods as resident and that other personal belongings are not restricted, as it is the case in other countries, or is their any experience to the contrary?

 

Am I a resident or tourist for Thai Customs with an Elite visa when l spend 4-5 months abroad each year?

[Sheryl]

Comin on on Elite visa you are considered a tourist. (And it woiuld be rare for customs to even examine your visa). It is also rare for customs to stop westerners passing through though of course you should nto count on that.

 

The rules you cite refer to imoiort which I take to mean, bringing in permanently. I have never heard of tourists being bothered about the value of their personal effects coming in. What customs is after are expensive permanent imports by Thais and anything being brought in for resale.

[Klonko]

@Sheryl

Thank you. I thought so as well and it confirms one of the advantages of remaining a tourist despite having the main domicile in Thailand. As long as l can reasonably argue that I will take goods back to my secondary domicile abroad upon my next travel, I only need to observe the THB 20'000 limit for goods which are unlikely to be taken back, such as kitchenware or household fixtures.

[airbalance]

Honestly, you'll be just fine. The customs check people when they feel like doing their job and most of the times, they dont want to do their job.

[josephbloggs]

19 hours ago, airbalance said:

Honestly, you'll be just fine. The customs check people when they feel like doing their job and most of the times, they dont want to do their job.

Would you prefer they checked everyone then?

It's more like they do their job when someone / something has been flagged from earlier pre-checks (that you don't see).  Much like in virtually any other country. Myanmar was the only place I've been to where they insisted on checking everyone and it was a nightmare.

Edited December 22, 2022 by josephbloggs

[airbalance]

On 12/22/2022 at 11:52 AM, josephbloggs said:

Would you prefer they checked everyone then?

It's more like they do their job when someone / something has been flagged from earlier pre-checks (that you don't see).  Much like in virtually any other country. Myanmar was the only place I've been to where they insisted on checking everyone and it was a nightmare.

I guess What i'm trying to say is that it depends on their mood. Sometimes they WILL check everyone for 30 minutes and then stop for 5 hours. So I'm not saying they should or should not check everyone but instead letting you know how the system works in Thailand. By the way, every country is indeed different. Australia for instance will check your bag for all food products just about all the time. And then of course, while checking for food, if there's something else, then....

[Fred Ziffel]

Hello

Does anyone know where I can get an image of a Thai Customs declaration form like you get on the airplane?

I have been to the Thai Customs website nothing

I clicked images on google search and nothing

I made an honest try to find on my own and cannot find

thanks