Importing household goods on a retirement visa, any experience?

[Guitar God]

From what I've read, a work permit ( for some reason that's a mystery to me) is required in addition to a non-immigrant visa to qualify for the import duty exemption for importing household goods into Thailand. I sent an email to the address on the customs site and it's invalid. I tried another address and haven't heard anything back and in another thread, it appears customs prefers the sound of ringing phones to that of human voices and never answers any of the numbers listed.

I was issued a retirement visa in May and around October I'd like to send a container of furniture and other items over here.

I'm married to a Thai woman, we're both currently living here, she hasn't left so doesn't qualify as a returning resident.

Does anyone have experience importing household goods/personal effects on a retirement visa?

If I have to change my retirement visa to one based on marriage (to satisfy the requirements of the import duty exemption), can I just go in an apply for a work permit and pay the fee?

How picky are they on the "one of each" rule? If I have a hundred guitars, do I need to pick my favorite or could I ship an electric, an acoustic, a parlor guitar, an acoustic/electric, a dobro, a bass etc.?

[PoorSucker]

If I have to change my retirement visa to one based on marriage (to satisfy the requirements of the import duty exemption), can I just go in an apply for a work permit and pay the fee?

No, you need a company that sponsor you.

The company must employee 4 Thai per foreigner with a work permit, and capitalize with 2 million baht per foreigner.

As you are married to a Thai that will be cut by 50%, 2 Thai employees and 1 million baht capitalization.

Does anyone have experience importing household goods/personal effects on a retirement visa?

As I don't have any experience with that I will leave that to other members to answer.

[CWMcMurray]

It is also possible to sometimes get duty privilege for retirement visa with no work permit, but must be the 1 year OA visa... Not 3 month visa and not visa extension in Thailand

Have done so for a customer just last week. although will be honest in saying that it is not 100% guaranteed, but up to discretion of Customs officer.. But in most cases over the last couple of

Years, has been possible

As to the guitar question.. You can bring as many as you want, but over the allotment given by customs will have to pay port duty

Remember .. The policy is NOT you can bring all your stuff in duty free... It is duty free for "importing of those goods reasonably needed for setting up your household "

So customs will not likely find that 100 guitars are reasonably needed for setting up a household, so may give you 1 or 2 duty free but will likely charge import duty on the rest

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Edited June 5, 2014 by CWMcMurray

[Guitar God]

My original plan was to get a B visa so I have a company with 2M THB capitalization which varies between having 3-5 Thai employees. It had only 3 when my 3 mo B visa was running out for the second time so I went with the retirement visa option just to get it over with. My lawyer either didn't know or didn't mention that since I was married that the requirement dropped to only having 2 employees.

I have, or had a work permit sitting waiting for me to collect but my lawyer said since I was getting a retirement visa and couldn't work, to not even bother to pick it up. I'd switch to a visa based on marriage but until our house is ready, my official address is one place and her's is another so I have to wait a couple months to do that.

If I have to change my retirement visa to one based on marriage (to satisfy the requirements of the import duty exemption), can I just go in an apply for a work permit and pay the fee?

No, you need a company that sponsor you.

The company must employee 4 Thai per foreigner with a work permit, and capitalize with 2 million baht per foreigner.

As you are married to a Thai that will be cut by 50%, 2 Thai employees and 1 million baht capitalization.

Does anyone have experience importing household goods/personal effects on a retirement visa?

As I don't have any experience with that I will leave that to other members to answer.

[Guitar God]

Well, I received a one year retirement visa in May, but because my passport is only valid until February, they only stamped me for 9 months. I supposed that's going to further complicate this already convoluted procedure.

I just don't see the logic in allowing you to import household goods if you're here working or married and have a work permit but not allowing someone who moves here on a retirement visa.

"Sometimes possible" sounds promising. I'm guessing since you appear to have experience with this that it also means that there is no way to confirm it beforehand by submitting your visa and martial status info and a list of what you plan to import and when and getting a confirmation that it would or wouldn't be allowed.

I wonder what their actual interpretation of "reasonable" is. If you're building an eight room house here, can you import furnishings for eight rooms? I can see them limiting you to one bedroom set but if you have an office, AV room, studio, library, exercise room, would that be included in the exclusion or is the intention along the lines of one bed, one dresser, one table, one couch and a refrigerator?

As far as guitars go, if they allow a set of (15) golf clubs, I should get 15 guitars. I have a ES-335 and an ES-355 that are a lot more different and less interchangeable that 5 and a 6 iron are. But since they're not in the same bag, I don't think they would feel the same way though.

It is also possible to sometimes get duty privilege for retirement visa with no work permit, but must be the 1 year OA visa... Not 3 month visa and not visa extension in Thailand

Have done so for a customer just last week. although will be honest in saying that it is not 100% guaranteed, but up to discretion of Customs officer.. But in most cases over the last couple of
Years, has been possible

As to the guitar question.. You can bring as many as you want, but over the allotment given by customs will have to pay port duty

Remember .. The policy is NOT you can bring all your stuff in duty free... It is duty free for "importing of those goods reasonably needed for setting up your household "

So customs will not likely find that 100 guitars are reasonably needed for setting up a household, so may give you 1 or 2 duty free but will likely charge import duty on the rest



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rooo]

Moved to visa section.

[meatboy]

there's no such thing as duty or hmmmmmmmm exemption.

my wife lived in the uk.20yrs.and had 3cubic mts.of household personel goods shipped here tea money or agents scam or whatever you want to call it 12,000bht.a container full look out. plenty of advice in the general topic forum.

[enuff said]

.

My understanding of this comes from a Swiss friend (OA visa) who was told he could bring anything he wanted (used items of course) duty free up to a certain valued amount: five hundred thousand baht I believe. After that, all regular duties would be applied. This makes more sense than trying to decide on an item by item basis what is needed to set up a household.

But, as CWM says above, it is not a carte blanche. Customs determines what duty should be paid and there is little recourse.

As usual, the spirit of the regulation is to try and help people start a new life in the Kingdom but here comes the piss takers.

'nuff said

~

Edited June 5, 2014 by 'nuff said

[Jay Sata]

You need a Thai wife.

She is entitled to ship her possessions back to Thailand.

Check the conditions.

http://www.customs.go.th/wps/wcm/connect/custen/individuals/importing+used+or+secondhand+household+effects/importingusedsecondhandhouseholdeffects+

[enuff said]

.

Jay.... he said in the OP his wife has not been out of the country so she doesn't qualify.

'nuff said

~

[Naam]

all what you need is a good clearing agent. i brought in a 40 foot high cube container, fully loaded 60 cubic meters and paid peanuts. PM me if you are interested which agent i used.

[Mario2008]

1 flame removed.

[crazykopite]

I have lived in Thailand for over 8 years on a retirement visa I shipped in goods from the UK last years after they had been lying in storage costing me money for many years I had no problems in shipping whatsoever and my import duties were less than 5,000 baht PM me and I will be happy to give you details you do not need a work permit to ship in goods !

[CMCMANGOMAN]

I have lived in Thailand for over 8 years on a retirement visa I shipped in goods from the UK last years after they had been lying in storage costing me money for many years I had no problems in shipping whatsoever and my import duties were less than 5,000 baht PM me and I will be happy to give you details you do not need a work permit to ship in goods !

Yes, the above is true. I did the same thing and I even paid them NOT to open the containers and inspect my stuff. That "privlege" cost me 5000 baht. Then I basically gave a list from...errr...memory what was in the containers. Of course, it was already on the official shipping manifest. Then, after a bit of calculator button punching, the thai gal charged me 900 additional baht for tax. True story; amazing Thailand!!! Oh and btw, my dad was with me at the port and he asked that same customs woman for a date and she gave him her cell number! Cheeky old fart. Hahaha...this proves every Thai woman is fair game gentlemen. Don't let the uniform intimidate you. Go for it!!!

[Muhendis]

The people you need to speak to are www.united-relo.com

I have used this company many times over the past two years and found them to be well informed and good at what they do.

[avander]

I am also pretty sure you won't need a WP to ship household goods. I arrived from Oz with my Thai wife last September and we sent a container which arrived 6 weeks after us. One of the keys was to send it in her name as a returning Thai will be exempt from general duty costs however, if they consider items are less than 1 year old and /or they are in commercial quantities (eg your 100 guitar collection) AND they inspected the container you would be up for duty at the going rates and maybe plus some..... I expect you would get away with 3 guitars or so but this may vary depending on the customs guy. We ended up paying (scammed) about 3000THB to "avoid" this (another scam). In any case I was happy with the result and we had no problems.

Talk to your shipping agent who should have experience with this.

[LALes]

I shipped 5 or 6 medium sized boxes by boat from US to Thailand in 2007. I have a retirement visa.

What a nightmare going to the port. Actually, I had to go to Lat Krabang, near the airport, to pick them

up. The receiving company in BKK gave me a shitty Xerox of a map on a piece of paper and I was

supposed to find the place on my own. They also wanted some ridiculous amount of money which I

bargained them down on.

When I finally got their release form, I headed to Lat Krabang, ending up in a taxi that finally found

someone who could make sense of the Xerox map. At the container terminal, I found more people

with their hand out. Somehow, a private customs agent took me under his wing and ran me through

the Byzantine maze of Thai customs. It was late in the day and I guess he was finished with his

business and felt sorry for me-all alone at the terminal and completely lost. It was getting dark when

we finally got all the necessary stamps and I saw my boxes arrive on a small palate. I paid about $120

US to ship the boxes and probably paid the same amount on this end to get them out of the terminal.

The moral of this story. Never ship anything to Thailand by boat if you can avoid it.

Since you have furniture and more, that would be hard to avoid. Better start looking into how much

an agent will cost you who can run you through the system. Be prepared to pay at this end.

[meatboy]

most tell you to make sure you put it all in your wifes name,that doesn't help much if she has changed her name to yours and it shows in her passport,then the farang virus kicks in which is rampart in Thailand.

[Suradit69]

all what you need is a good clearing agent. i brought in a 40 foot high cube container, fully loaded 60 cubic meters and paid peanuts. PM me if you are interested which agent i used.

Yes when I moved here permanently on an O-A I hired a clearing agent in Bangkok to clear my things and deliver them to my home. Zero hassle for me. Can't recall his charges or the amount I was charged for customs duty, but it was no worse than what I've paid shipping & clearing agents for moves in and out of other countries, certainly less than some.

You make up a moderately detailed packing list, declare everything as used personal and household goods, make sure nothing is still in original packing (as if unused) and hand the whole operation over to the agent.

As is true in most countries this is something usually not suited for a D.I.Y. project and, considering the O/P's tired, sarcastic attitude towards his attempts to contact the Customs Dept, he'd probably end up with a monumental hassle trying to do it all himself unless he's fluent in Thai and fully understands how to fill out and present all the forms needed.

most tell you to make sure you put it all in your wifes name,that doesn't help much if she has changed her name to yours and it shows in her passport,then the farang virus kicks in which is rampart in Thailand.

"the farang virus"

Certainly a lot of people here have it. Unfortunately it's only those who come in contact with them who suffer the consequences.

Edited June 6, 2014 by Suradit69

[Chaiwallah]

I just moved to Thailand with a retirement visa. Just before departing the US, I shipped a boxfull of personal effects/household goods (80lb worth of laptop, tablets, camera, lenses, external hard drives, a RAID enclosure, etc.). Like the poster I expected the goods to be allowed entry duty-free. They were held up in customs, however, for two weeks. The customs officials didn't want to allow the shipment as household goods/personal effects. I was told that I would have to pay $600 in duties and taxes to get the items in. I said that I understood that I was allowed to bring them in duty-free as a retiree here. The shipping company sent me a copy of the regulation and asked me if I thought I qualified for the duty-free importation. I replied that as far as I understood I was. A couple of days later my shipment arrived at my door. Not only that but it was forwarded to Chiang Rai at no cost, though it had been addressed to a hotel in Bangkok. It seems that oftentimes regulations here are vaguely worded or contradicted by other regulations, so that one is more or less at the mercy of the official involved. I had also seen, for example, in investigating the matter that computers were not considered personal effects, but does this refer to new computers (my laptop is 4 years old), and what about tablets? I also had to explain that the $4000 valuation of the goods was for insurance purposes only, not resale value. As always here, it's important to be polite and not lose patience. Good luck!

[JLCrab]

The OP is discussing the import of guitars which would not do very well 6-8 weeks on the ocean in a non-climate controlled container.

[sandyf]

You should use a Thai shipping agent and talk to them, they know the ropes. I used Asian Tigers about five years ago, They said a WP was not required and it could be done on a marriage visa, by that they meant an extension of stay. I cannot remember if retirement was mentioned but for me it was not an option, insufficient funds.

I was fortunate that the container did not go through customs so I did not need the extension of stay.

[MikeandDow]

You should use a Thai shipping agent and talk to them, they know the ropes. I used Asian Tigers about five years ago, They said a WP was not required and it could be done on a marriage visa, by that they meant an extension of stay. I cannot remember if retirement was mentioned but for me it was not an option, insufficient funds.

I was fortunate that the container did not go through customs so I did not need the extension of stay.

no such thing as a marriage visa, use the correct terminology and this might make a bit more sense .

Edited June 6, 2014 by MikeandDow

[Sandman77]

What you want exactly you want import?

What are the coasts for this licence in a year ?

[Rabbi]

I brought in about 10 tea chest size boxes a few years back from Perth and had no hassles payments etc. and they were delivered to my door

I went to Perth and flew back to BKK but sent the boxes unaccompanied baggage through an agent at the airport. I just delivered them a few days before, took my ticket and a full inventory - paid them the freight about $500 and they did the rest. At that stage I was on a 1 year non-imm O

The goods arrived about 3 days later.

Was easy!

[FiestyFarang]

It is also possible to sometimes get duty privilege for retirement visa with no work permit, but must be the 1 year OA visa... Not 3 month visa and not visa extension in Thailand

Have done so for a customer just last week. although will be honest in saying that it is not 100% guaranteed, but up to discretion of Customs officer.. But in most cases over the last couple of

Years, has been possible

As to the guitar question.. You can bring as many as you want, but over the allotment given by customs will have to pay port duty

Remember .. The policy is NOT you can bring all your stuff in duty free... It is duty free for "importing of those goods reasonably needed for setting up your household "

So customs will not likely find that 100 guitars are reasonably needed for setting up a household, so may give you 1 or 2 duty free but will likely charge import duty on the rest

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Hi, I have just applied and received the three month Non O Retirement Visa and will be extending it for a year. Are you saying that tax allowances are only available during the first year and that years two onwards would not be considered for any tax allowances. If this is the case is the date for consideration when the goods are shipped or when they arrive in Thailand? Thank you in advance.

[Rooo]

Holders of OA/ Retirement Visas are no longer illegible to bring personal goods in duty free, tax exempt etc..... That was scrapped around 2005/2006.

I brought my container in early 2005 & it ceased shortly after that.

Sure there are ways, but not an endorsement from Thai immigration or customs because of your visa status. That's was the case.

Now I see this:

http://www.customs.go.th/wps/wcm/connect/custen/individuals/importing+used+or+secondhand+household+effects/importingusedsecondhandhouseholdeffects+

[Guitar God]

Thanks for all the replies so far, sounds like I have a few options to investigate already. Different shipping companies, customs brokers and trying to get that friendly customs agent.

I just wish I could get a sort of pre-approval do there are no surprises.

I shipped a TV with built-in DVD player and a few other items in a box which were worth around 500 euros and paid nid noi money for import duty. I shipped an HD video camera and something worth less that 500 total and got taxed ฿9000.

The import duty on that HST code plus shipping and tax was a lot less than the bill so I don't know how they figured that one.

I'd prefer to know if they're going to allow the exemption before I have things packed and sent rather than just let it hit the docks, have them calculate duty and then negotiate with them.

What is the procedure for stating that the goods are being imported under the exemption? Is there a code or a memo space on the broker's forms. A Thai form that accompanies the shipment so they agents know?

As for the guitars, I wouldn't include more than a couple in the container, nor would I bring two beds and multiple items that are similar.

I'm mainly interested in sending over my office suite, living room set, favorite recliner, combi-oven, music studio, books, art, hobby things, mountain bike, and items like my high-pressure washer, tool chest, etc.

I like them, some things I can't replace here, I don't need one there and one here and if all I have to pay is shipping costs I would save loads of money.

As for the guitars, if I miss one I didn't ship, I travel a lot, I always have one with me and rarely have any issues at the airport here.

[starky]

I can't speak for a retirement visa but I finally bit the bullet after 11 years here and brought some of my household goods over from Australia, I am on an "o" type multiple entry due to marriage. I had heard all the horror stories online and even the international movers I employed told me Thailand is terrible in regards to taxing things brought into the country. They gave me the brochure on what does get taxed and the exorbitant tax rates charged for seemingly no apparent reason ( for example childrens toys and books attract a seemingly unnecessary amount of tax, as do electrical goods even if used). Also you are taxed on their estimated value of the goods even if you had a receipt for an item and it was many years old, customs decides how much everything you send is worth, if they are going to tax it. I had a house full of gear which I shortened up considerably to include only the items I thought I couldn't live without (mostly personal effects but some furniture and other stuff as well feel free to PM me) It came in at just under a container load and I was sh!!*!ng myself as to how much tax I would be paying. My movers had an agent here who helped "smooth" everything over and paid a little tea money. End of the day it cost me only 7000 baht to get a container of household goods over here which I though was quite reasonable and upset me a bit because I then wished I has sent more. End of the day though like many things here it is up to the whim of whoever happens to inspect your gear, whether you have someone here to help you smooth over the process and the type of gear you will be sending. I hope you are joking about the guitars, because something like that is bound to be noticed, and in my opinion is just asking to attract some fairly hefty taxing but I could be wrong. Good luck.

[Tapster]

@OP:

I'm going to be doing this on a retirement extension within the next year.

I have read all about it and the link given above is very useful.

There appears to be a six-month no-duty period for importation:

"It is important that the used/secondhand household effects must be imported not earlier than one month before or not later than six months after the arrival of the importers. Under exceptional circumstances, Customs may extend the time limits for the importers."

I have read this elsewhere as well.

Cheers