Bringing My Stuff

[kdf]

Hello gang,

I am looking for info on bringing our household goods to Thailand. We have one year multi O visas and have gotten rid of most of our furniture and things, but some smaller items remain tough to get rid of.

I have looked at the Thai customs page and it is not clear if I can bring in household goods duty free or how the value is determined to base duty on. We plan to stay in Thailand long term and have whittled our stuff down alot. What about dvd or cd's, are they a particular problem? I know Thailand is a different region for the dvd's, but region free players are common and others usually can be modded in the firmware. What about art work? Is the 6 month duty free time limit based on your first entry, or can it be a later entry?

Thanks for any help

kdf

[Sunbelt Asia]

Hello gang,

I am looking for info on bringing our household goods to Thailand. We have one year multi O visas and have gotten rid of most of our furniture and things, but some smaller items remain tough to get rid of.

I have looked at the Thai customs page and it is not clear if I can bring in household goods duty free or how the value is determined to base duty on. We plan to stay in Thailand long term and have whittled our stuff down alot. What about dvd or cd's, are they a particular problem? I know Thailand is a different region for the dvd's, but region free players are common and others usually can be modded in the firmware. What about art work? Is the 6 month duty free time limit based on your first entry, or can it be a later entry?

Thanks for any help

kdf

You either have to have an extension of stay based on business or a one year work permit to get the duty free which is limited to one shipment. Having a multiple entry visa when you must travel every 90 days, sorry but does not qualify.

www.lawyer.th.com

[kdf]

Hello gang,

I am looking for info on bringing our household goods to Thailand. We have one year multi O visas and have gotten rid of most of our furniture and things, but some smaller items remain tough to get rid of.

I have looked at the Thai customs page and it is not clear if I can bring in household goods duty free or how the value is determined to base duty on. We plan to stay in Thailand long term and have whittled our stuff down alot. What about dvd or cd's, are they a particular problem? I know Thailand is a different region for the dvd's, but region free players are common and others usually can be modded in the firmware. What about art work? Is the 6 month duty free time limit based on your first entry, or can it be a later entry?

Thanks for any help

kdf

You either have to have an extension of stay based on marriage, business or education( not retirement) or a one year work permit to get the duty free which is limited to one shipment. Having a multiple entry visa when you must travel every 90 days, sorry but does not qualify.

www.lawyer.th.com

Thanks for your speedy reply. However it leaves several questions unanswered.

How is the value of items determined on which I will pay duty?

Are cd's, dvd's, and art work particularly difficult to import? I have heard this rumoured.

Would an extension of stay based on buisiness, education, or investment obtained some months after arrival on our O visas allow duty free importation? Would the importation then need to be within 6 months of issue of the new extension? I am talking w/sunbelt re condo investment or combo condo and money. I am awaiting their info on available condo's in Pattaya or Krabi areas.

thanks

kdf

[vinny]

See Household Effects.

[Sunbelt Asia]

How is the value of items determined on which I will pay duty?

http://www.customs.go.th/Customs-Eng/Valua...nuNme=Valuation

Are cd's, dvd's, and art work particularly difficult to import? I have heard this rumoured.

Customs is a Kingdom inside the Kingdom. It is their rules and what they feel those valuations are which have driven grown men to cry. If you are able to import with no duty, then it should not be a problem

Would an extension of stay based on buisiness, education, or investment obtained some months after arrival on our O visas allow duty free importation?

yes

Would the importation then need to be within 6 months of issue of the new extension?

Of your arrival into Thailand

I am talking w/sunbelt re condo investment or combo condo and money. I am awaiting their info on available condo's in Pattaya or Krabi areas.

I'm sure that department will be helpful in your search. Please pm me your name and how many bedrooms you need. I will be sure that the Director of that division, will treat your request as urgent based on your need to avoid duty tax. All the Best!

www.lawyer.th.com

www.property.th.com

[astral]

You need a good clearance agent.

They will be able to estimate the "tea money" required to clear your goods,

then deal with the clearance for you.

It is quite a few years back, but a 20ft container load cost be 40K baht to clear.

[kdf]

How is the value of items determined on which I will pay duty?

http://www.customs.go.th/Customs-Eng/Valua...nuNme=Valuation

Are cd's, dvd's, and art work particularly difficult to import? I have heard this rumoured.

Customs is a Kingdom inside the Kingdom. It is their rules and what they feel those valuations are which have driven grown men to cry. If you are able to import with no duty, then it should not be a problem

Would an extension of stay based on buisiness, education, or investment obtained some months after arrival on our O visas allow duty free importation?

yes

Would the importation then need to be within 6 months of issue of the new extension?

Of your arrival into Thailand

I am talking w/sunbelt re condo investment or combo condo and money. I am awaiting their info on available condo's in Pattaya or Krabi areas.

I'm sure that department will be helpful in your search. Please pm me your name and how many bedrooms you need. I will be sure that the Director of that division, will treat your request as urgent based on your need to avoid duty tax. All the Best!

www.lawyer.th.com

www.property.th.com

Again thanks for info.

I have pmed you.

Not quite clear asto if once i get duty free OK visa or extension, if a hop to a nearby country would then give me 6 months to ship gear from USA. Any ideas?

[kdf]

You need a good clearance agent.

They will be able to estimate the "tea money" required to clear your goods,

then deal with the clearance for you.

It is quite a few years back, but a 20ft container load cost be 40K baht to clear.

What is and where can I find a clearance agent?

thanks

kdf

[vinny]

A customs clearance agent is someone who takes care of your products and your paperwork with customs. See Customs Clearance Agents and Thailand Freight & Shipping Companies for some examples.

[Silurian]

Hi kdf,

We just moved our stuff from USA to Thailand three months ago. We brought mattress, furniture, clothes, and other stuff. We did not have many appliances, except computers, coffee maker. We moved by using a 20 ft container and they transported the container to our house. We did not have any problem when we took our stuff out. We used a shipping company to take care of all the customs. We did not even need to go anywhere. They came and got all paperwork from us and all we did was pay. It costs around 18,000 baht to clear the custom, transport the container, and three guys to move the stuff into our house. They allow you to bring in one type of appliance per household but if you move in as family, it can go up to two. It is always a good idea to use a shipping company to take care of everything instead of taking care of it yourself. They will tell you if you need to pay tax. We gave them the list of the stuff we shipped.

-Sil (written by my girlfriend, edited by me for English purposes)

[Kruang]

I just brought in a 20 ft container from the USA, and my movers in the USA used one of the well known international clearance agents in Bangkok. I have a Thai O visa based on retirement, so I was not entitled to duty free import. But though the total value of my imported goods was about 2.5 million baht, my customs payment was only 10,000 baht, including the under the table payments to the extortionate customers inspectors. There were a couple of reasons my customs assessment was so low: the clearance agent knew who to work with in customs to get the best deal; and I played it dumb and pretended that I was entitled to duty free import, resulting in some sympathy from the customs assessor. It's also a good idea to be there in person to plead your case.

Some people on this forum have advised retirees to forget their worldy goods back in their home country and just buy new stuff in Thailand. I don't think that's particularly good advice, especially if you've invested in high quality furniture and have sentimental attachments to books, carpets, art work, etc. The cost of importing household goods is really fairly minimal compared to the cost of the goods, and it's not that easy to buy things you really like here in Thailand.

[treeant]

What did it run you to ship the container from the USA to Thailand?

Thanks.

Hi kdf,

We just moved our stuff from USA to Thailand three months ago. We brought mattress, furniture, clothes, and other stuff. We did not have many appliances, except computers, coffee maker. We moved by using a 20 ft container and they transported the container to our house. We did not have any problem when we took our stuff out. We used a shipping company to take care of all the customs. We did not even need to go anywhere. They came and got all paperwork from us and all we did was pay. It costs around 18,000 baht to clear the custom, transport the container, and three guys to move the stuff into our house. They allow you to bring in one type of appliance per household but if you move in as family, it can go up to two. It is always a good idea to use a shipping company to take care of everything instead of taking care of it yourself. They will tell you if you need to pay tax. We gave them the list of the stuff we shipped.

-Sil (written by my girlfriend, edited by me for English purposes)

[Kruang]

What did it run you to ship the container from the USA to Thailand?

The shipping cost for a 20ft container from Florida in the USA was about $6,500, including the fee for the clearance agent and delivery to my home in southeastern Thailand. It took about 8 or 9 weeks.

[kdf]

A customs clearance agent is someone who takes care of your products and your paperwork with customs. See Customs Clearance Agents and Thailand Freight & Shipping Companies for some examples.

Vinny,

thanks for the info. Any specific suggestion for a good clearance agent?

KDF

[kdf]

What did it run you to ship the container from the USA to Thailand?

The shipping cost for a 20ft container from Florida in the USA was about $6,500, including the fee for the clearance agent and delivery to my home in southeastern Thailand. It took about 8 or 9 weeks.

Kruang and Sil,

Do you have the names of specific companies you have dealt with that you might recommend?

thanks

kdf

[Kruang]

If you're moving your goods from the USA, any international mover will arrange the move end to end, including the customs clearance agent and mover in Thailand. I would get a few quotes from different movers in the USA. Check out the cost of insurance as well (it can be a bit expensive). Be prepared to prepay the cost of the move before they'll touch your stuff. I used Stevens Worldwide.

Kruang and Sil,

Do you have the names of specific companies you have dealt with that you might recommend?

thanks

kdf

[kdf]

If you're moving your goods from the USA, any international mover will arrange the move end to end, including the customs clearance agent and mover in Thailand. I would get a few quotes from different movers in the USA. Check out the cost of insurance as well (it can be a bit expensive). Be prepared to prepay the cost of the move before they'll touch your stuff. I used Stevens Worldwide.

Kruang and Sil,

Do you have the names of specific companies you have dealt with that you might recommend?

thanks

kdf

Thanks will do

KDF