Cigars allowance

[ventix]

Hello

I will arrive next week to Suvarnaphumi i will be carying 2 boxes of cigars ,50 big fat stogies for friends.

Does anyone knows the legal limit allowance for cigars ?,is 50 cigars too much ?

Thanks .

[stoneyboy]

The following goods may be imported into Thailand without incurring customs duty:

• 200 cigarettes or 250g of cigars or tobacco.

• 1L of alcohol.

• Goods to the value of ฿10,000.

[Carib]

Here you go;

http://www.customs.go.th/wps/wcm/connect/custen/travellers/allowance+and+relief/allowancerelief

• 200 cigarettes or 250 grams of cigars or smoking tobacco; and
• 1 litre of alcoholic beverages.

[NanLaew]

Chances are 2 x 25 stogies will slip by unnoticed in your checked bags. However, if you get random-stopped and x-rayed, they make a fuss about the amount of sticks, remember it's by weight of the tobacco which can make a difference if they are in a fancy, wooden box.

Buddy of mine inbound from the US got nailed at Suvarnabhumi with 4 boxes of stogies and they were trying to weigh the lot INCLUDING the boxes. Apparently, they were doing one of their infrequent 'x-ray all' baggage routines. After some debate where it looked like they couldn't be arsed about opening the boxes, they let them all through but they settled on an arbitrary 'fine' of $80 bucks... which was all my buddy had in his pocket! Oh yes, they did confiscate a couple of bags of Dunkin' Donuts coffee which wasn't for me so no great loss IMHO.

BTW, if you find them having one of their 'x-ray all' events when you are ready to green channel, just hold back, go for a piss or browse some DF on arrival stalls. They usually jack in the 'all stop' after they have managed to make their quotas.

[ventix]

Ok thanks guys for the great info.I guess i better have 1 box only (25 cigars) ,i dont like waste my time with customs.

Thanks guys .

Cheers

[breadbin]

Just walk on through friend. Take 3 boxes, 2 for you and if you're stopped one for the customs geezer

If you don't get stopped you win again!

[Ticketmaster]

I NEVER bring cigars through customs. Why take the risk of a hassle and confrontation? Us this method: Simply mail the cigars by post (NEVER FedEx or UPS) to yourself, (or have them mailed by a friend). They have always come straight on through and untaxed.

Now let's say you shipped yourself 500 grams and got caught. You didn't ship them (your name is not on the return label), right, so you have no culpability. The worst case scenario is confiscation. But when you are face to face with customs and those <deleted> want you money and threaten you with jail or deportation, it can ruin your day.

I just weighed a typical one of my cigars (7-3/4", ring 48), and it came in at 19 grams (one), thus, a box of 25 would be 475 grams -- WAY OVER the limit. So unless you bringing some little "ladies cigars," either don't do it or bring a lot. If you are going to do something illegal, do it in a big way. If you go by post, go with 7-8 boxes a time.

By the way, Breadbin's solution is probably a good one, too, if you are willing to part with one box of cigars. But they may want to clean out your wallet.

[breadbin]

Ticket master, get some bottle!!

Then again neither do I!!!

[Ricardo]

Pack one box in each bag, so they don't see the full-quantity together in one place, if you are unlucky-enough to have more-than-one bag X-rayed ?

[sustento]

If you attempt to import more than the duty free allowance into Thailand the regulations say that you may be fined four times the total value of the goods (that includes all taxes as well as the price of the goods) and the goods will be confiscated. There is no facility to pay the extra duty and retain your goods. There have been threads on Thaivisa in the past where this has happened to people who tried to import over the limit and finished up with a fine in the thousands of Baht.

There's also a 10 year gaol sentence on offer but it's not likely that you'll get sent down for a few extra cigars

[NanLaew]

If you attempt to import more than the duty free allowance into Thailand the regulations say that you may be fined four times the total value of the goods (that includes all taxes as well as the price of the goods) and the goods will be confiscated. There is no facility to pay the extra duty and retain your goods. There have been threads on Thaivisa in the past where this has happened to people who tried to import over the limit and finished up with a fine in the thousands of Baht.

There's also a 10 year gaol sentence on offer but it's not likely that you'll get sent down for a few extra cigars

I think those draconian fines and punishments are for the cigarette smugglers no? Loads more of them versus cigar smugglers.

As I mentioned earlier, my buddy was stopped with probably 5 times the legal CIGAR allowance by weight and they "negotiated" whatever US$ he had out of his pocket, confiscated (someone else's) coffee from his bag and let ALL my cigars through.

On the other suggestion on posting cigars; when my 'mules' aren't available, I purchase online from Hong Kong and they deliver by registered post to the main post office on Sukhumvit within 24-hours. The postman drops a notice in the mail and I go and pay the duty and collect the cigars. It's never been more than 400 baht on a box of 25 telephone poles. The advice on this is NOT to buy boxes in bulk (in one delivery) as they may arbitrarily slap on huge duties on collection.

[cigar7]

I would not worry about bringing 2 boxes of cigars. I know someone who brings in 2 boxes in hand baggage 3 times a year and has never had a problem. If you are deeply concerned, put one box into different bags.