Import License

[manfromoz]

Has anyone had any experience, or knowledge, in obtaining an import/export license? What paperwork is required and what are the costs?

Is it annually renewable? Is the renewal automatic or do you need to reapply?

Just the usual questions

Any help????

[Richard Hall]

Has anyone had any experience, or knowledge, in obtaining an import/export license? What paperwork is required and what are the costs?

Is it annually renewable? Is the renewal automatic or do you need to reapply?

Just the usual questions

Any help????

You need a company, a tax number (po po 20 document) and if being a foreigner certainly a work permit.

With that on hand go to the Customs Authority present your documents, get your photo taken and your "hard card" produced within about an hour. Fee used to be something like 500 Baht per card. You can get several copies issued which is advisable because then you can leave copies with your contracted forwarding company(s) ) and keep one in you own drawer.

Having this card on hand you are free to import/export without needing to present any documents such as company related, work permit etc. again. The card does the job at least for all merchanise that can be freely traded and does not require special permits. The card is good for three years (bears an expiry date) before it is due for renewal.

Hope this helps.

[manfromoz]

Thanks Richard,

I have all the documentation required. Do you know where the Customs Authority Office is in the Eastern Seaboard?

Also, what is required to sell the items imported into Thailand? Do I need any licenses for the Company or change to my Work Permit status?

I assume that I personally won't be able to sell as a Thai is capable of that, so I would just be a consultant for the operation.

[Richard Hall]

Dear manfromoz,

When I applied for my card my contracted forwarding company took me there. It was already a while ago and I only recalled it was in Khlong Toey. The building was something like B24(?? sorry not sure about the number) and the relevant counter was on the ground floor.

Sneeking around I found the following address but you may want to give them a call before actually going there. Subject: Applying for a Hard Card (= but kaeng)

The Customs Department Sunthornkosa Road Khlong Toey, Bangkok 10110

Tel: (662) 249-0431-40 Fax: (662) 249-2874

It surely depends what the objective of your company is and what it has been registered for and also what your work permit indicates under type of activity. Mine says (roughly translated from Thai) A2001 Import - Export (and handwritten addition: various consumer goods). My company premises consist of a combined office, showroom and shop (wholesale and retail) and I have my VAT certificate on the wall. If you have a VAT number you are certainly supposed to collect VAT by selling locally and pass it on to the Tax Department on a monthly base. Obviously, the objective of an import company is to bring foreign goods into Thailand and sell them here. If you do not sell your goods one day tax officiers will surely show up at your place to find out what happened to the imported goods and what they have been actually imported for. Means the path of the goods must always be traceable and backed up by appropriate documentation. Basically there are only the options you have them in stock or sold them and can show official tax invoices issued by your company.

On the other hand the function "shop attendant" is on the list of restricted jobs for foreigners which means the actual retailing process must be carried out by a Thai (employee of your company) while as the Managing Director of the company you may be around as an advisor/decision maker.

One last advice, choose the location of your store carefully. Don't expect your clients to travel far to come to you. The environment must match the products you are offering. Guess the odds to suceed with selling bibles in Soy Cowboy, Patpong or Nana are as slim as selling condoms in front of a church.