bringing in herbs, honey, nuts

[femi fan]

I normally clear customs in chiang mai when i return to thailand and all suitcases go through their xray machine. Last time they gave me hassle because i had three half kilo jars of honey. They tend to be like this. Coming soon i shall take a trip out and this time when i return to thailand i'm clearing customs at suvanabhumi.

My questions for the forum are these:

• Do they use such xray machines at the green or red channels? If yes, everybody's baggage, or just random people they select?
• Are such products, according to the law, confiscatable?
• Can i say they are worth less than 10,000 baht as part of my individual allowance, and show them receipts to prove this?
• What are other posters' experiences of bringing these kinds of things into thailand through suvanabhumi?

Cheers for any help!

[lomatopo]

I always clear Customs at BKK. I always bring back a large box (from the U.S.) with a large assortment of commercial food products including honey and nuts - no herbs. I make ~ 6 trips each year, so every 60 days or so. My box always gets opened ex-USA by CPB - they leave a notice inside. At BKK, I'd say 75% of the time - in the "Green Channel" - they (Thai Customs) ask me to plop only my box on the X-Ray machine. They've never opened it or detained me. I've brought back many, many items not limited to commercial food products.

Is your honey commercially packaged? Personally I would not bring back home-packed honey - I have that option but figure that might cause problems.

I'd recommend clearing Customs in BKK, they probably don't have enough to do in CNX.

[femi fan]

What do you mean about the honey? Last time i just had three jars of manuka honey i had bought in a shop back in england. What problems?

Any stuff i will buy i will just pack in my suitcase. It sounds like in bkk the customs are not interested in food which is what i wanted to hear!

You're not wrong about the customs people in chiang mai! The best customs person is the one you don't have to communicate with, and there aren't really any of those kind in chiang mai airport.

[masuk]

What do you mean about the honey? Last time i just had three jars of manuka honey i had bought in a shop back in england. What problems?

Any stuff i will buy i will just pack in my suitcase. It sounds like in bkk the customs are not interested in food which is what i wanted to hear!

You're not wrong about the customs people in chiang mai! The best customs person is the one you don't have to communicate with, and there aren't really any of those kind in chiang mai airport.

There are some rather nasty diseases of bees and their hives, which can be spread by honey, i.e. if a bee or bug has some of this honey.

This is the reason why bringing honey into most countries is prohibited, but no ideas which countries care and which don't.

Some honey is pasteurised before sale, and this should be ok to bring in; just a matter of customs understanding this.

[fredob43]

I bring load's of bit's back pickle, honey, curry sauce, cheese, even mint sauce, IN CASE via BKK and only once had to have anything ex-rayed that was because it was in a box only contained Tea bag's just looked and passed it through you should have no problem's if you pack everything in your case.

[femi fan]

cheers, it's good to hear!