Traveling with a Lot of Cash

[BangkokHank]

I recently returned to Bangkok from Vietnam. While I was in Vietnam, I exchanged a little more than a thousand US dollars into Vietnamese dong (VND) for everyday expenditures. And because Vietnam is a rather low cost country, I went to the bank and changed my bigger VND banknotes into smaller ones. The result is that I had about five hundred relatively small denomination banknotes with me when I left Vietnam. (I kept them because I plan to go back to Vietnam again next month.)

 

When I was going through security at the airport in Ho Chi Minh City, I had put all of my VND banknotes into my carry-on backpack. After passing through security, I was stopped by a security officer who said to me, "Show me the cash in your bag." I thought to myself, "Whoa, their x-ray machines can detect cash!" Presumably he thought I was moving large sums of USD cash, which would have been illegal had I not declared it. I showed him my money, and since the total value was not very high, he let me through without any problem.

 

The point of this post is to make people aware that the x-ray machines at airports are definitely capable of detecting cash. In all of my years of traveling, I had no idea about this, as this is the first time that I've traveled with so many banknotes. So if you were thinking about trying to move large stacks of banknotes without declaring them, say to avoid taxes, then you should assume that your cash will be detected by the airport x-ray machines. Just a warning.

[FritsSikkink]

They have dogs who can smell money too.

[flyingtlger]

1 minute ago, FritsSikkink said:

They have dogs who can smell money too.

First thing that comes to mind:

 

[TheAppletons]

(Note to self:  airport x-ray machines can see what's inside of your carry-on bag.)  

[worgeordie]

Thai's have been detecting cash in birthday cards etc ,sent from overseas for years,

maybe it's the metallic band in the cash , I had to send 650 quid (old money) back to

UK so my daughter could change them in bank ,I rolled it up into small tubes and inserted

it into the corrugation of a cardboard box ,and send it to her with some stuff in it , and

it got through ok .

 

regards worgeordie

 

 

[BangkokHank]

7 minutes ago, TheAppletons said:

(Note to self:  airport x-ray machines can see what's inside of your carry-on bag.)  

They can't see everything. For example, they can't see laptops (apparently), which is why we have to remove them from our carry-on bags and have them x-rayed separately.

[TheAppletons]

3 minutes ago, BangkokHank said:

They can't see everything. For example, they can't see laptops (apparently), which is why we have to remove them from our carry-on bags and have them x-rayed separately.

 

  Close.  The x-ray machine can "see" the laptop but the batteries and other components are so dense that they may obscure other objects in your bag.  That's why security wants travelers to remove them from carry-on bags.

[BangkokHank]

4 minutes ago, TheAppletons said:

 

  Close.  The x-ray machine can "see" the laptop but the batteries and other components are so dense that they may obscure other objects in your bag.  That's why security wants travelers to remove them from carry-on bags.

It must be a good feeling to know everything. I envy you.

[retarius]

I have a good mate here who regularly goes back home and comes back with the equivalent of over about USD25000. He doesn't declare it, and it seems to me that he is like an accident waiting to happen, and is sure to get stopped....he has been doing this since I've known him (about 15years). Needless to say he doesn't;t keep the 800K in the bank here and uses an agent instead. Unnecessary risk, I call it.

[Furioso]

I wonder how much cash you can stuff in your pockets and money belt without being caught? 

 

Maybe stick $5,000 in your carry on and keep $10,000 in your pockets?

[jaideedave]

46 minutes ago, BangkokHank said:

I recently returned to Bangkok from Vietnam. While I was in Vietnam, I exchanged a little more than a thousand US dollars into Vietnamese dong (VND) for everyday expenditures. And because Vietnam is a rather low cost country, I went to the bank and changed my bigger VND banknotes into smaller ones. The result is that I had about five hundred relatively small denomination banknotes with me when I left Vietnam. (I kept them because I plan to go back to Vietnam again next month.)

 

When I was going through security at the airport in Ho Chi Minh City, I had put all of my VND banknotes into my carry-on backpack. After passing through security, I was stopped by a security officer who said to me, "Show me the cash in your bag." I thought to myself, "Whoa, their x-ray machines can detect cash!" Presumably he thought I was moving large sums of USD cash, which would have been illegal had I not declared it. I showed him my money, and since the total value was not very high, he let me through without any problem.

 

The point of this post is to make people aware that the x-ray machines at airports are definitely capable of detecting cash. In all of my years of traveling, I had no idea about this, as this is the first time that I've traveled with so many banknotes. So if you were thinking about trying to move large stacks of banknotes without declaring them, say to avoid taxes, then you should assume that your cash will be detected by the airport x-ray machines. Just a warning.

I don't think it's enough to worry about.When I worked in the ME one employer paid everyone in USD cash.I often flew in BKK airport with over 10k in cash. Nobody asked and I didn't tell.

Mind you that was over 15 yrs ago.

I know that you're supposed to declare that amount but , oh well.

If asked I could have shown a pay advice.

One time waiting to board a plane at Heathrow to Tripoli a security fellow asked me how much cash I was carrying? I don't know why.

[KhunBENQ]

37 minutes ago, Furioso said:

I wonder how much cash you can stuff in your pockets and money belt without being caught? 

 

Maybe stick $5,000 in your carry on and keep $10,000 in your pockets?

For entering Thailand there is no need to hide such amount.

Up to 20k USD does not need to be declared.

Of course different countries/different rules for leaving/entering.

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, BangkokHank said:

They can't see everything. For example, they can't see laptops (apparently), which is why we have to remove them from our carry-on bags and have them x-rayed separately.

Who told you that BS?

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, BangkokHank said:

It must be a good feeling to know everything. I envy you.

Silly reply. Why not simply admit you were given wrong information?

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, TheAppletons said:

(Note to self:  airport x-ray machines can see what's inside of your carry-on bag.)  

Yep, that's what they are there for.

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, FritsSikkink said:

They have dogs who can smell money too.

That applies to quite a few women too.  555

[Tropicalevo]

Deleted

Edited February 15 by Tropicalevo

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, retarius said:

I have a good mate here who regularly goes back home and comes back with the equivalent of over about USD25000. He doesn't declare it, and it seems to me that he is like an accident waiting to happen, and is sure to get stopped....he has been doing this since I've known him (about 15years)

He's been regularly carrying over $25,000 worth of bundles of cash out of his own country that he does not declare and has never been questioned about it despite cash-sniffing dogs being used for years and anti-money laundering processes being in place?    Then he's been doing the same thing regularly for fifteen years when entering Thailand?   Seems so unlikely.

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, Furioso said:

I wonder how much cash you can stuff in your pockets and money belt without being caught? 

Carrying legitimate cash of any amount is not illegal so why would anyone worry about "being caught"?

[ChaiyaTH]

I did not read the book of a story, your posting all this to move just a few thousand dollars? What is even the question really. 
 

In vietnam there are different rules about moving cash too.

Edited February 15 by ChaiyaTH

[Chivas]

Twice I have been tugged at Heathrow via the hand luggage scanners. They called Border Force but was on my way in minutes after showing Bank receipts

Edited February 15 by Chivas

[BangkokHank]

2 hours ago, Furioso said:

I wonder how much cash you can stuff in your pockets and money belt without being caught? 

 

Maybe stick $5,000 in your carry on and keep $10,000 in your pockets?

They always make me empty by pockets before I go through the scanner.

[BangkokHank]

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

Who told you that BS?

Do you mean they don't ask you to remove your laptop from your backpack when you go through security? They almost always ask me to.

[BangkokHank]

38 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Carrying legitimate cash of any amount is not illegal so why would anyone worry about "being caught"?

Yes, you can carry any amount into Thailand. But if it is above a certain amount, it has to be declared. I have a friend who once entered Thailand with $100,000 cash that he didn't declare, and the Thais confiscated it all.

[KannikaP]

7 minutes ago, BangkokHank said:

Do you mean they don't ask you to remove your laptop from your backpack when you go through security? They almost always ask me to.

Yes always, but it is not because the X-ray machine cannot see laptops. As another member said, it is so the X-rays can see everything else in the bag. 

[Furioso]

3 minutes ago, BangkokHank said:

Yes, you can carry any amount into Thailand. But if it is above a certain amount, it has to be declared. I have a friend who once entered Thailand with $100,000 cash that he didn't declare, and the Thais confiscated it all.

You're right, I thought the max was 10k but it's 20k. Good info to know if they start taxing money brought in via Wise, WU, etc. 

[retarius]

53 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

He's been regularly carrying over $25,000 worth of bundles of cash out of his own country that he does not declare and has never been questioned about it despite cash-sniffing dogs being used for years and anti-money laundering processes being in place?    Then he's been doing the same thing regularly for fifteen years when entering Thailand?   Seems so unlikely.

Yes, I'm shocked as I never carry over the limit as if you declare it you need reams of bank back up to justify it. Anyway, he has his pension paid into a UK bank and hasn't told them he is living here, so he gets the cost of living each year that expats don't get.....he goes home every year, takes the money out of the bank as cash and brings it over...he gets about 1400 pounds a month pension (government plus private) which equates to about USD $25000.

 

As I say an accident waiting to happen....I'm not sure about cash sniffing dogs, because I've definitely never had my luggage sniffed by a dog at Suvarnabhumi. As I think about it, I'm not even sure I've seen a sniffer dog in the luggage area of the airport. I think he's more likely to be stopped at the security check point where they X ray your carry on.

 

I carried out a three large bundles of Thai baht and was stopped at Japanese customs last year who for some reason decided I was some kind of big time drugs dealer. I was detained for 2 hours while they searched and X-rayed my bags for drugs. The cash hadn't trigger any questions at X-ray at screening prior to boarding. The agent found the the wads of money, and asked about them. I simply told them it was 300,000 baht or $9000 and under the limit, they accepted that and didn't even count it. 

[1FinickyOne]

3 hours ago, BangkokHank said:

x-ray machines at airports are definitely capable of detecting cash

That must be why they call them x-ray machines... 

[uttradit]

4 hours ago, BangkokHank said:

The point of this post is to make people aware that the x-ray machines at airports are definitely

xray machines detect anything big or unusual shape.

[KhunBENQ]

1 hour ago, BangkokHank said:

They always make me empty by pockets before I go through the scanner.

The person "scanner" reacts to metal. Notes would not trigger.

Coins and gold bars would of course😁

Still don't know what all the fuss is about (regarding entry to Thailand).

Up to 20k USD no need to declare.

More money can be declared and you should get a certification.

And if you have proof of legal source (e.g. account statement, withdrawal), what is to be feared.

 

Edited February 15 by KhunBENQ