Tobacco Declaration Rates ?!

[RHerberth]

Hello

maybe you can help me :-)

In my next Holiday to Thailand, I want to take my cigars with me ( 90 cigars).

I read there are only 250gramm allowed but i have about 1100gramm ? I want to declare the cigars but how much would it cost ?

I already write to the Thai customs but they dont reply.

I take the cigars in my checked-in baggage, do you think if i dont declare it they will find the cigars ?

Best Regards

[Crossy]

Sadly there is no mechanism for paying duty on over limit items even if you declare them.

Either dump it, don't bring it or hope you don't get caught in one of the random x-ray bag checks.

If you get caught smuggling you will have all your tobacco confiscated (not just over limit items) and get a nice fine, the fine is something like 4 times the value of the undeclared items plus tax and duty (not sure about that but it's not peanuts).

More info here http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Travel-g293915-c133772/Thailand:Customs.And.Duty.Free.Allowances.html

[fredob43]

A friend of mine got stopped with three carton's of cigarettes only one is allowed fine £600 that's over $900. If I was you as Crossy said don't it it's a no no.

[RHerberth]

@Crossy

i want to declare the cigars and pay the tax and duties ( have the invoice with me) is this possible ?

The cigars are in my checked-in baggage and i paid the duty already in my home country.

[Crossy]

RH.

NO, you cannot declare and pay at the airport, period!

In order to be able to bring in quantities over the duty-free allowance you need an import licence, I don't know the process but I strongly suspect that for a personal quantity of cigars you really don't want to go there, sorry.

[Sayonarax]

How many times have any of you been randomly been checked at BKK customs? Once? None?

I've bought alsorts of weird random crap through customs. The only time they have ever paid any interest in me , was when i had swimming pool.

A friend of mine got stopped with three carton's of cigarettes only one is allowed fine £600 that's over $900. If I was you as Crossy said don't it it's a no no.

UK Customs cracked down on illegal tobacco importation. Clearly you dont know what your talking about, as tobacco is so cheap here its not an issue. The OP is asking about BANGKOK not ya mates in the UK

[trotbot]

RH.

NO, you cannot declare and pay at the airport, period!

In order to be able to bring in quantities over the duty-free allowance you need an import licence, I don't know the process but I strongly suspect that for a personal quantity of cigars you really don't want to go there, sorry.

You need an import license for a commerical import. Despite the signs, you can go to the red channel and pay duty on imports for personal use, I've done it.

[Crossy]

You need an import license for a commercial import. Despite the signs, you can go to the red channel and pay duty on imports for personal use, I've done it.

Did you get an official receipt? (scan please). What were you over limit on and how much?

I'm 99% certain that going through the red channel and declaring your over limit will, with a little tea money, get you through. Never tried it, so we must bow to your experience.

I would certainly not try to go through green, therein lies a world of hurt.

[Chicog]

As someone who can speak from experience, I used to walk through with tons of contraband, and never got stopped. But there was this one day at DM when I went outside for a smoke, got back in to get the lift for Domestic, and two customs officers walked in, clocked my stash and marched me to the office to fill out some forms. I was whisked to Customs in Bangkok and relieved of Bt25,000.

Mind you, I had 1000 cigs, lots of tobacco (there was a national shortage of Golden Virginia apparently), 50 (nice) cigars and four bottles.

They only took the tobacco and the cigs, and left me with the rest and a cheeky smile.

You should have seen the pile of readies they had in the safe, I could have retired in Monaco on it.

I said to the officer "So what do you do with these now?" to which he replied "We burn them". I did say "Well that's what I was going to do with them" and we both had a good laugh about it (at my expense).

Since then I stick to the limit, the money wasn't the deterrent, it was the day spent pissing about when I should have been on holiday. They refused to accept a "private negotation" and they wouldn't let me pay the fine at the airport either.

I've been through the red at other airports than Bangkok when I've been slightly over the limit, and on every occasion they've waved me through rather than have to mess about with paperwork (Heathrow included).

[tytang]

Speak of my friend's experience, 4 person bringing 7 carton of cigarettes which got fine 500 bath per packets, nearly 40,000 baths.

Thai customs stopped them near the airport main gates which means they have already pass the green lanes custom declaration check point.

My friends argue and i advise them to settle with bribes but thai custom do not take bribes. They finally went to police station and police advise them to settle. They even meet a group of Singaporeans (6 person) bringing 4 cartons of cigarettes and get caught due to only one guy is carrying the cigarettes. Fines have to paid in cash and all cigarettes is confiscated.

Rules to remember,

1) Even you pass the thai custom check point, they still can stop you within airport area.

2) Fines are calculate based on all cigarettes. fine is nearly 500 baths per packet.

3) Do not carry all cigarettes by one person. Distribute the cigarettes so that everyone carry their own carton of cigarettes.

4) Declare you cigarettes if you wish to bring your excessive cigarettes.

5) Dun waste your time argue with thai custom, they have every right to detained you.

[hhgz]

Years ago, I arrived from China with a thousand recorded DVDs - I only paid $1US each, so save the "why did you buy a DVD in China" questions. The Excise police accosted me, examined my luggage, and asked if I was going to sell the DVDs:

"No."

"How do we know that."

"I only have one copy of each title."

"That's a good answer."

[mrtoad]

There are some customs officers roaming around outside the main arrival area. I had two bags of duty free on my trolley last month, ole Somchais eyes lit up, and they walked me over to their office to do a bag check. He was a bit disappointed, when he saw that it was two bags of confectionary, and kept asking me about cigarettes. As been mentioned, you can take a chance and 9 times out of 10 probably nothing, but the fines are heavy if you get caught.

[maxjay]

So, any updates on this subject? RHerbeth, what happened upon your arrival?

I can understand bringing cigars or pipe tobacco into Thailand, as both are very expensive in retail shops here.

What I don't understand is why anyone would bring cigarettes here?

The average cost of one pack of cigarettes in Europe, the U.K., and the U.S. is around $5 per pack of 20 (150 baht).

The average cost of a pack of cigarettes here in Thailand is around 60 baht per pack of 20 ($2).

My question being: why buy cigarettes back home, and bring them into Thailand? They are less expensive here...

Second question: from which country did you people arrive from? This is for the people who were stopped and had your tobacco products confiscated and/or fined?

[Chicog]

So, any updates on this subject? RHerbeth, what happened upon your arrival?

I can understand bringing cigars or pipe tobacco into Thailand, as both are very expensive in retail shops here.

What I don't understand is why anyone would bring cigarettes here?

The average cost of one pack of cigarettes in Europe, the U.K., and the U.S. is around $5 per pack of 20 (150 baht).

The average cost of a pack of cigarettes here in Thailand is around 60 baht per pack of 20 ($2).

My question being: why buy cigarettes back home, and bring them into Thailand? They are less expensive here...

Second question: from which country did you people arrive from? This is for the people who were stopped and had your tobacco products confiscated and/or fined?

I was coming from the Middle East, where Marlboro lights are made from nice tobacco not that used bog roll they put in the Thai ones. They are comparable in price.

Golden Virginia you just could not buy in Thailand at the time, that's why I brought some for the lads (or rather tried to!).

I should add that on several visits since I've seen the same couple of guys trying to look nonchalant walking up and down the airport (before immigration) looking for people that might have more than the limit, and radioing ahead. I've stopped them on a number of occasions to point out that I have a single carton and they look quite embarrassed - I think they fancy themselves as undercover agents but they are hopeless at it.

[maxjay]

I was coming from the Middle East...

Perhaps, that is the reason? I've noticed, read, and heard comments, that Customs takes a closer look at the baggage of passengers who are arriving from China, the Middle East, and Malaysia.

Seems people arriving from Western Countries rarely get a second look from Customs. Maybe all that has changed?

Anyway, we are coming to the end of probably the two busiest months (December & January) for arrivals into Thailand.

Anyone got any Customs updates? Is Customs scrutinizing arriving incoming baggage more this year, than previous years? And, not necessarily related to Tobacco products. Anything.

[merijn]

In my experience they do a lot of racial profiling.

I'm a European white male and never stopped in the 24+ years i live here with at least one international flight a month.

But i noticed that a lot of middle eastern and Asian looking people are getting stopped and their luggage x-raid on arrival.

[Chivas]

RH.

NO, you cannot declare and pay at the airport, period!

In order to be able to bring in quantities over the duty-free allowance you need an import licence, I don't know the process but I strongly suspect that for a personal quantity of cigars you really don't want to go there, sorry.

You need an import license for a commerical import. Despite the signs, you can go to the red channel and pay duty on imports for personal use, I've done it.

Yes that is Correct. I declared 5 Bottles Of Wine (around 2006) for the Bar Owner I was with at the time. As I wasn't paying any Duty Myself I had no issue declaring. I did get taken to another area where other travellers were but after some discussion I got waved on my way. Clearly it was too small to be concerned about.......

As I say it was 2006 so may have changed since then.

[Chivas]

So, any updates on this subject? RHerbeth, what happened upon your arrival?

I can understand bringing cigars or pipe tobacco into Thailand, as both are very expensive in retail shops here.

What I don't understand is why anyone would bring cigarettes here?

The average cost of one pack of cigarettes in Europe, the U.K., and the U.S. is around $5 per pack of 20 (150 baht).

The average cost of a pack of cigarettes here in Thailand is around 60 baht per pack of 20 ($2).

My question being: why buy cigarettes back home, and bring them into Thailand? They are less expensive here...

Second question: from which country did you people arrive from? This is for the people who were stopped and had your tobacco products confiscated and/or fined?

When did you last buy a Packet of Fags in the Uk.......!

Try $12 not $5 !!

[jamhar]

Note to self

Have a friend ship the cigs, and hope it doesnt get selected for x-ray.

I really Really REALLY miss my cigs

[Globeman]

In my experience they do a lot of racial profiling.

I'm a European white male and never stopped in the 24+ years i live here with at least one international flight a month.

But i noticed that a lot of middle eastern and Asian looking people are getting stopped and their luggage x-raid on arrival.

So the safest thing, ugly as it sounds, is to do your own racial profiling and go through the green channel behind Nigerians with loads of luggage. It helps if you are smartly dressed. So many cultural prejudices are at work, and I seriously doubt that the customs guys are trained to resist their own bigotry, as they are in many other countries - where they are also trained in subtle body language clues.

[Chicog]

I was coming from the Middle East...

Perhaps, that is the reason? I've noticed, read, and heard comments, that Customs takes a closer look at the baggage of passengers who are arriving from China, the Middle East, and Malaysia.

Seems people arriving from Western Countries rarely get a second look from Customs. Maybe all that has changed?

Anyway, we are coming to the end of probably the two busiest months (December & January) for arrivals into Thailand.

Anyone got any Customs updates? Is Customs scrutinizing arriving incoming baggage more this year, than previous years? And, not necessarily related to Tobacco products. Anything.

Well firstly, I'm European, so I don't think they stopped me for that (in fact I've never been stopped - remember this was coming back *into* DM to go over to Domestic).

Secondly, they had some honkies at Customs in BKK who were caught trying to take 5,000 cigs *out* of Thailand. I dread to think what their fine was (had to be six figures).

I did get the evil eye walking down to immigration once, so I opened the bag and showed the "undercover" numpty two bottles. "Only one bottle" he said, rubbing his little hands together with glee.

"It's wine" I said, at which point he sloped off despondently.

It was actually Mead, so that would have been fun.

The Customs website only says:

...there are limits on the amount of alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, cigars and smoking tobacco to which you may include in your duty free personal exemption as follows:

200 cigarettes or 250 grams of cigars or smoking tobacco; and

1 litre of alcoholic beverages.

Not even a mention of perfume.

[bubba]

Seems as thought Customs pay particular attention to flights arriving from Dubai. For the second time, there were two uniformed Customs officers outside the Customs inspection zone, sort of near the ATM machines as you turn right and begin walking towards the meeting point. Yesterday, there was a decently dressed European looking couple in front of me with a couple of Dubai Duty Free bags hanging from their baggage trolley. One of the Customs officers approached them, asked them what they had in the bags and then looked inside.

I'm guessing they were after over-limit cigarettes? Suffice to say that if you are foolish enough to attempt bringing in 10 cartons of cigarettes, don't yet breathe a sigh of relief once you pass through the green channel inside Customs!