Wine In Checked Baggage

[wimpy]

Can I bring a few (6) bottles of wine into Thailand in my checked baggage, declaring  it to customs? What is the duty rate on wine?

[chickenslegs]

AFAIK importing alcohol (more than 1L) requires a licence, and it's not possible to just declare it and pay the duty..

[wimpy]

Rats. :(

[CanadaSam]

People will probably shout at me, but when I travel, I put everything I want into my checked luggage, (except blatantly illegal things i.e. drugs, weapons).

 

At most, some items may be confiscated, so don't put anything you simply can not afford to lose.

 

BTW think about how many times you have been asked to open your bags at international airports.

 

Edited 12 hours ago by CanadaSam
Added BTW

[Keeps]

2 hours ago, wimpy said:

Can I bring a few (6) bottles of wine into Thailand in my checked baggage, declaring  it to customs? What is the duty rate on wine?

2 years ago I had three bottles of whisky (2 expensive as gifts, 1 not so expensive) in my checked luggage. When I was going through customs at Suvarnabhumi I was directed to put my suitcase through the x-ray machine. They then opened it and located my stash. I was told I could only bring one bottle through. I proffered the cheapest bottle to the customs chap and he let me on my way with with the other two bottles.

 

Luck of the draw really whether you get pulled aside for a check or suitcase x-ray. In my last 50+ arrivals I have been pulled over twice.

[hotandsticky]

2 minutes ago, Keeps said:

2 years ago I had three bottles of whisky (2 expensive as gifts, 1 not so expensive) in my checked luggage. When I was going through customs at Suvarnabhumi I was directed to put my suitcase through the x-ray machine. They then opened it and located my stash. I was told I could only bring one bottle through. I proffered the cheapest bottle to the customs chap and he let me on my way with with the other two bottles.

 

Luck of the draw really whether you get pulled aside for a check or suitcase x-ray. In my last 50+ arrivals I have been pulled over twice.

 

 

A good result; better than many similar stories I have heard.

[spidermike007]

I will occasionally bring one bottle in one bag and another bottle in another bag, and I've never had an issue, though it is over the limit of 1L. If you are serious about bringing a quantity of fine wine into Thailand you can buy a customs agent, but you have to do that in advance.

 

A friend of mine does that, it's a general from customs, he meets them at the gate, brings them on the buggy, thru immigration and they pick up his many cases of wine, and the guy drives them out his limo. But I think he pays a fairly significant annual fee for that privilege, and he brings many cases of wine and stays at a suite in a five star hotel, so money is not an object for him.