Car Import, New Regs.

[tuktukmike]

Hi All

Just had a call from my shipping agent in BKK and it looks like they have dropped me in it big time.

My car is due to be delivered to Southampton on monday for shipping but now i am told if the car is more than five years old the Thai customs will refuse entry.

Has anyone else heard of this rule, the company knew six weeks ago the age of my car and this has come like a bolt out of the blue.

I have looked at all of the customs sites and have seen nothing about this.

Help.

[Thetyim]

Sounds like a load of rubbish to me.

You qualify for lower taxes as your car gets older.

The top discount STARTS at ten years.

[Thetyim]

Just found this on the mfa.go.th website

" Imports of used cars more than five years old and used trucks more than eight years old are prohibited."

Trouble is this applies to Peru. I guess someone has got their knickers in a twist

[tuktukmike]

Thanks,

I am waiting until tommorow morning now and hope that the shipping company are wrong.

I cant understand why they would bring this ruling in and also i have spent the day looking at all the web sites i can, and i still cant see this ruling.

Mike

[siam]

Mike,could you please tell the Forum which car and how much duty you are going to pay?As there has been some horror stories around of upto 300% loading of what price the Thais value your vehicle as,

regards Gary.

[tuktukmike]

Hi siam.

With my work permit i will have to pay 80% import duty, i am allowed to bring one car in and must be able to prove that this car was used and belonged to me for the last two years, no problem.

Now the real problem as i am now told is that any motor car must be less than five years old,

My reckoning on this is that they know that they can value the car very high which means they also get a lot more duty.

The car is a 1990 Toyota Supra and before anyone says its worthless please understand i bought in a terrible condition and done a full restoration, top to bottom..

I am an engineer by trade so it was a labour of love and no way can i just get rid of it, i would rather sell the wife.

As said will find out tomorrow if shipping agent right, but i have now spent hours on the web and cant find anything about this new ruling.

Mike. sorry 80% including CIF

[Thaicoon]

I think a bit risky bringing a motor into Thailand, I asked about bringing my 911 turbo over, that is a 1989 model with 40,000 on the clock she is mint, they told me if the car was in my wifes name for 2 years no duties payable, i think the Thai customs make rules as they go along, as they just cannot ever give you the correct answer, my mate from Buriram brought a volvo estate over he picked up in an auction in the uk for 500 notes, they tried to charge him 500,000 baht duties on it, that was 5 years ago, so he told them to keep it, i think it is sat in some customs warehouse in Bangkok now, but i wish you all the best in getting your toyota over, keep us informed.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Thanks,

I am waiting until tommorow morning now and hope that the shipping company are wrong.

I cant understand why they would bring this ruling in and also i have spent the day looking at all the web sites i can, and i still cant see this ruling.

Mike

Hate to say that we told you there'd be problems.

[terry74]

Cars are cheap in Bkk, however they do not have certain models.

Heard from somone that you could pay syndicate to drive the car from Singapore to BKK, however it is illegal

anybody has any comments

[Axel]

Cars are cheap in Bkk, however they do not have certain models.

Heard from somone that you could pay syndicate to drive the car from Singapore to BKK, however it is illegal

anybody has any comments

Driving your car from SIN is ok, as long as you bring it back again within 6 months and pay a deposit. To drive it in and stay here.... well quite outside of the law.

Either way, too much hassle for me to even think of it.

Have a look here for temporary import:

http://www.customs.go.th/Customs-Eng/Perso...Nme=PersonalTem

For permanent import, one has to consider that importation of used cars falls under restricted items and licences are required. In short Thailand does not want used cars. Holding a non-imm B and a WP, both extented for 1 year entitles for a licence. At this moment, however, I am not sure about the time-frame. E.g. personal household goods have to arrive here not later than 6 months after the owner. Cars, I do not know.

Duty of 80% is correct, cif-value to be determined by the customs house, not the importer. But seems most people are not aware that duty is not all you have to pay. As in nearly every country in the world, you have to pay as well VAT. (or similar like TVA, GST, EUSt. etc)

For cars you must consider as well excise tax and intererior tax which adds considerably and brings the total duty and taxes to 213-309% on the CIF value.

(Although you get a discounted cif-value depending on the car's age)

I believe I posted these rules at least 5-6 times already, a look into the Thai customs rules might help as well with examples of discount and method of duty-tax calculation.

http://www.customs.go.th/Customs-Eng/Perso...Nme=PersonalPer