dannyJ Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 I've been living in Thailand for almost four year and married to a Thai citizen for almost two. I currently have a non immigrant "O" visa. I read you can import personal items duty free if your a resident or becoming a resident, does the marriage license qualify me as a resident or do I need to go for a marriage visa,which I'm planning on doing soon anyway. I would sure appreciate any information on the residency requirements and any other information on the importing process, like, should I be present in Bangkok when the stuff arrives or should I just let the agent deal with it? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mario2008 Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 To be able to ship your belongings duty free to Thailand you would heve to be on the first extension of stay of your non-immigrant and have a work permit. Seems you do do not qualify. http://www.customs.go.th/Customs-Eng/House...nuNme=HouseHold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vegas Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 Sorry you need a work permit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvo Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 To be able to ship your belongings duty free to Thailand you would heve to be on the first extension of stay of your non-immigrant and have a work permit. Seems you do do not qualify. http://www.customs.go.th/Customs-Eng/House...nuNme=HouseHold Mario, you say you must be on "extension of stay". The Link you posted says: Nonresidents granted to work in Thailand will be regarded as resuming residents in Thailand provided they have a one-year non-immigrant visa issued by the Immigration Department. No mention of extension of stay. Can it be done on 1 year non-"o" with work permit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maestro Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 Marvo, that web site says “one-year non-immigrant visa” but means “one-year extension of stay”. A lot of web sites, including sites of government ministries and departments, make this mistake, even the site of the Immigration Bureau uses “visa extension” when they mean “extension of stay” -- Maestro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvo Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 Marvo, that web site says "one-year non-immigrant visa" but means "one-year extension of stay". A lot of web sites, including sites of government ministries and departments, make this mistake, even the site of the Immigration Bureau uses "visa extension" when they mean "extension of stay"-- Maestro Thanks for clearing that up for me Maestro . Bringing all my "stuff" over next year is going to take a little more effort then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maestro Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 Another member, Murgatroyd, reported his positive experience here and he arrived in Thailand on a non-O-A visa: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=2209705 -- Maestro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denniswilson Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 I've been living in Thailand for almost four year and married to a Thai citizen for almost two. I currently have a non immigrant "O" visa. I read you can import personal items duty free if your a resident or becoming a resident, does the marriage license qualify me as a resident or do I need to go for a marriage visa,which I'm planning on doing soon anyway. I would sure appreciate any information on the residency requirements and any other information on the importing process, like, should I be present in Bangkok when the stuff arrives or should I just let the agent deal with it?thanks I would go to Bangkok, I had all my stuff as you call it shipped to Thailand. 5 pallets containing 96 boxes i recieved 76 boxs, as far i know the other 20 boxs were stolen, so beware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murgatroyd Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 (edited) Hi, I managed to get my stuff imported without duty, (Except for a small charge for computer peripherals). I must admit I found the regulations fairly complex.. This was the best and easiest to digest website regarding the importation of personal effects... I hope it helps. www.customs.go.th/Customs-Eng/HouseholdEffects/HouseholdEffects.jsp?menuNme=HouseHold Edited September 13, 2008 by Murgatroyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPETER65 Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 Two years ago my Thai wife and I shipped our household goods from the U.S., in a container, to Thailand. It was all done in my wifes name. Thai customs required a list of all items. We had the shipping agent take care of everything, the only problem we had was Thai customs wanted import duties on the wine we tried to bring in. I told them to keep the wine, they cut the tax in half and the shipping agent paid half of that, we kept the wine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPA Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 What if I ship from the US in my Thai Wifes name as well s mine. That why it is as if she is shipping...?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mario2008 Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 No problem. If your wife lives with you in the USA and she moves back to Thailand she can import her household goods duty free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astral Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 Otherwise look around for a Thai shipping agent and show them a list of what you want to import. Most will be able to negotiate a reasonable "fee" for the import. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vegas Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 For the wife too import duty free she must have been abroad in the country where the shipment originates for 1 year uninterrupted. If you and your wife have been here for 4 years already then it is too late to import. Legally that is. Tea money can do wonders, but then how much do you pay??? I would ask an expert if I were you. I've only done this about 1,500 times so I am new to the business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvo Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Sorry guys, I can't let this one go yet... Marvo, that web site says "one-year non-immigrant visa" but means "one-year extension of stay". A lot of web sites, including sites of government ministries and departments, make this mistake, even the site of the Immigration Bureau uses "visa extension" when they mean "extension of stay"-- Maestro If this is the case Meastro, then does that mean I need to be earning minimum 50,000 baht a month in order to qualify for an annual extension of stay and therefore be able to import my "stuff" duty free? Another point is... can the annual extension of stay be applied for at any time during in the validity of a 1 year non-im O viasa? i.e. is it linked to the validity of your "permission to stay" or to the visa itself? The customs site says: It is important that the used/secondhand household effects must be imported not earlier than one month before or not later than six months after the arrival of the importers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maestro Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Marvo, you can apply for the one-year extension during the last 30 days of the permission to stay you get after any entry you make with your multiple-entry non-O visa. -- Maestro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maestro Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 ...does that mean I need to be earning minimum 50,000 baht a month in order to qualify for an annual extension of stay and therefore be able to import my "stuff" duty free?... Unless your are a teacher, that minimum salary applies for an extension of stay for work. -- Maestro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvo Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 ...does that mean I need to be earning minimum 50,000 baht a month in order to qualify for an annual extension of stay and therefore be able to import my "stuff" duty free?... Unless your are a teacher, that minimum salary applies for an extension of stay for work. -- Maestro "Extension of stay for work" Understood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mario2008 Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 It means that you have to be on an extension of stay on a non-immigrant visa. It doesn't need to be a non-B, a non - O is also fine. As long as you have a work permit there is no problem. A volunteer can also ship duty free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayson1962 Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 I would appreciate any advice on shipping items to Thailand. I will be moving from New York City by the end of this year and obtaining an ED Visa (from Thai language school). Items to be shipped will be all non-furniture (books, desktop PC and printer, clothes, and other personal items). Any advice from people who shared a similar experience would be greatly appreciated, websites to check out, customs, duty fees, etc. I am a novice at this. Thanks very much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astral Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Bring the items with you as (excess?) baggage, on the first or subsequent trips. 1. Strip the PC down and bring only the motherboard and disk(s). 2. Forget the printer, buy a new one when you arrive. 3. Remember Thailand is hot, do you really need the clothes? 4. Think carefully about what books to pack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.png.3b3332cc2256ad0edbc2fe9404feeef0.png)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now