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Buying Duty Free On Arrival

intumult

By intumult
in Suvarnabhumi Airport Forum

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intumult Silver Member

intumult

Posted
Posted

Seeing the plethora of Duty Free shops on arrival at Suvarnabhumi airport the question occurred to me...

Do the Thai revenue men still pull you and fine you for buying those duty frees after you have gone through customs?

If they do it does seem a bit strange to be able to buy on arrival.

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think_too_mut Platinum Member

think_too_mut

Posted
Posted (edited)
Seeing the plethora of Duty Free shops on arrival at Suvarnabhumi airport the question occurred to me...

Do the Thai revenue men still pull you and fine you for buying those duty frees after you have gone through customs?

If they do it does seem a bit strange to be able to buy on arrival.

The Duty Frees are before Immigration and customs. Legally, you are still not in Thailand, so to them it is irrelevant if you have flown your bottles accross the globe or bought them just then and there.

If you mean Duty Frees in the retail area where anyone can come, they will sell to you but the goods can only be collected at the counter past customs and Immigration and your passport will have been stamped that you left Thailand.

Edited by think_too_mut
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nidge Gold Member

nidge

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Posted
I believe he is talking about the Excise Officials that patrol the arrivals area after you pass through Customs.

Be on the lookout for these shady individuals especially when arriving on flights from the Middle East.

Harassment and intimidation are part of their repertoire.

I always fly in from the middle east and i have yet to see any of these shady characters even though i have been trying to spot them. Maybe i look too irritable after my flight and they avoid me. How are they dressed?

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Farma Platinum Member

Farma

Posted
Posted (edited)

Nidge I fly in from the Middle East as well. I’ve seen them once a few months ago. They were a pair dressed in dark blue uniforms. They pulled a guy next to me just as he left the fenced off area. They directed him towards what looked like a doorway back into the customs area. I didn't hang around to see what the outcome was.

Edited by Farma
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think_too_mut Platinum Member

think_too_mut

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Nidge I fly in from the Middle East as well. I’ve seen them once a few months ago. They were a pair dressed in dark blue uniforms. They pulled a guy next to me just as he left the fenced off area. They directed him towards what looked like a doorway back into the customs area. I didn't hang around to see what the outcome was.

For duty-free goods after the passenger has passed Immigration and customs?

I can't believe it.

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Farma Platinum Member

Farma

Posted
Posted

TTM

I can only report what I saw with my own eyes. I saw one of them flash a badge on his shirt pocket then point to the luggage while asking to check it. Go back through this forum and you will see a long thread about this including my previous post.

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doninusa Explorer Member

doninusa

Posted
Posted
Seeing the plethora of Duty Free shops on arrival at Suvarnabhumi airport the question occurred to me...

Do the Thai revenue men still pull you and fine you for buying those duty frees after you have gone through customs?

If they do it does seem a bit strange to be able to buy on arrival.

I have never been stopped in 8 trips.

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think_too_mut Platinum Member

think_too_mut

Posted
Posted
Seeing the plethora of Duty Free shops on arrival at Suvarnabhumi airport the question occurred to me...

Do the Thai revenue men still pull you and fine you for buying those duty frees after you have gone through customs?

If they do it does seem a bit strange to be able to buy on arrival.

I have never been stopped in 8 trips.

Neither have I, in 80 trips.

Obviously, the situation happens.

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thaipete Senior Member

thaipete

Posted
Posted

I was only stopped once in 35 years of travelling here and I had a video camera in 1980, unusual things then and I did not have time to unpack it from it's cartons, they held it and returned it on my departure.

I am only annoyed that at BKK airport the convert to US currency and not Thai Baht

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  • 2 weeks later...
jonniebkk Gold Member

jonniebkk

Posted
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Not really sure what the point of the op is...are you asking so that you can try to violate Thai law and bring in more than you are allowed duty free? otherwise, why even have a need to ask? the main rules are what... 200 fags (1 carton) and 1 litre of alcohol (1 bottle) duty-free. if you bring in more without declaring it and get caught by any of the law enforcement agencies patrolling the airport it's your own fault.

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legag Silver Member

legag

Posted
Posted
I believe he is talking about the Excise Officials that patrol the arrivals area after you pass through Customs.

Be on the lookout for these shady individuals especially when arriving on flights from the Middle East.

Harassment and intimidation are part of their repertoire.

I always fly in from the middle east and i have yet to see any of these shady characters even though i have been trying to spot them. Maybe i look too irritable after my flight and they avoid me. How are they dressed?

Phew. Have not seen any of those or got pulled after customs. Yeah how do they look like?

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onzestan Gold Member

onzestan

Posted
Posted
Who in his/her right mind would want to buy something from King Power?

cheers

onzestan

Anyone who's alternative is a UK Duty Free shop. On the few occasions I don't fly via the middle east I always use them.

I buy my cigarettes in the wine shops at Lotus in cartons of 10.

cheaper than King Power.

cheers

onzestan

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ClaytonSeymour Gold Member

ClaytonSeymour

Posted
Posted
Who in his/her right mind would want to buy something from King Power?

cheers

onzestan

Anyone who's alternative is a UK Duty Free shop. On the few occasions I don't fly via the middle east I always use them.

I buy my cigarettes in the wine shops at Lotus in cartons of 10.

cheaper than King Power.

cheers

onzestan

Yes, but do they sell European blended cigarettes? Not in my experience. Fine if the cigarettes are for yourself, but not if you're taking them back to the UK for others, though you can't always get them at King Power either. If I'm flying directly from/to the UK, I usually end up buying Vodka &/or Whisky at King Power. Most of the time it's indirect via DXB - cheap liquor and smokes, so no need for King Power.

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peter991 Platinum Member

peter991

Posted
Posted

OK - here is a first. I have something NICE to say about King Power. I didn't get time to buy some alcohol in Bangkok - and I wanted to buy a 1 litre bottle of Johnny Walker Black label at Suvarnabhumi Airport as I was heading back to Brisbane (Australia) with a transit at Changi Airport (Singapore).

The girl at King Power refused to sell me the whisky, stating passengers to Australia (with a transit stop) must buy at their transit stop - not at King Power Bangkok - as, she said, it would be confiscated at Changi Airport. True or not, I don't know.

Ended up buying the whisky at Changi Airport duty-free. The bottle was sealed in a tamper-evident bag and I collected it after I had been through the boarding gate for my flight. The price at King Power was within 50 baht of the price at Singapore and the same as the price at Downtown Duty-Free Brisbane Airport.

Peter

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Big A Silver Member

Big A

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Posted
Not really sure what the point of the op is...are you asking so that you can try to violate Thai law and bring in more than you are allowed duty free? otherwise, why even have a need to ask? the main rules are what... 200 fags (1 carton) and 1 litre of alcohol (1 bottle) duty-free. if you bring in more without declaring it and get caught by any of the law enforcement agencies patrolling the airport it's your own fault.

I agree 101%, Jonnie. Anyone who brings in more than the legal limit is asking for a slap on the knuckles. No bones about that!!

However, I DO have bones about officials (either bogus or real [wanting to line their own pockets]) scamming money from unsuspecting travellers once they have passed through the proper channels.

OK, if this is for real, surely politeness and good manners would be paramount in securing travellers' thoughts about the LoS.

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Zpete Diamond Member

Zpete

Posted
Posted
OK - here is a first. I have something NICE to say about King Power. I didn't get time to buy some alcohol in Bangkok - and I wanted to buy a 1 litre bottle of Johnny Walker Black label at Suvarnabhumi Airport as I was heading back to Brisbane (Australia) with a transit at Changi Airport (Singapore).

The girl at King Power refused to sell me the whisky, stating passengers to Australia (with a transit stop) must buy at their transit stop - not at King Power Bangkok - as, she said, it would be confiscated at Changi Airport. True or not, I don't know.

Ended up buying the whisky at Changi Airport duty-free. The bottle was sealed in a tamper-evident bag and I collected it after I had been through the boarding gate for my flight. The price at King Power was within 50 baht of the price at Singapore and the same as the price at Downtown Duty-Free Brisbane Airport.

Peter

I had a similar experience in Auckland.

I was transiting at Brisbane.

The DF shop lass said I could not take any liquor thru transit points.

I wanted to buy in Auckland as I could save a few $$$$$ on other airports.

Not to be.

Top marks to the staff that make you aware.

Kiwi Pete

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lomatopo Star Member

lomatopo

Posted
Posted

There are duty-free shops in the Arrivals concourse (before Immigration) and in the baggage claim area (after Immiration, but before Customs). You can make purchases at either area subject to published limits (1L of spirits, 1 carton of cigarettes, etc.). I usually wait and purchase in the baggage claim area.

Many countries allow duty-free purchases on arrival. And of course most airlines offer duty-free purchases in flight.

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