My Thai Customs Adventure

[The Skipper]

This morning I recieved notice that a box arrived for me at Thai Air cargo. A shipment from the USA with some old personal items. Tax free they said. Personal items free.

I called and was instructed to go to Bldg #2 and speak with Mr. Boonchai.

He said all I needed was my Passport and 321baht.

Off I go in a Taxi to the Airport.

On arrival to the warehouse area, an official looking fellow checked my paperwork and instructed the driver to take me to another area, not bldg #2.

Outside this area is a mob of "Customs Officials", all set up in the parking lot, loading docks, all over the place they have set up mini offices. The place is chaos.

They all are wearing badges etc., filling out paperwork, all being done outside the facility,(next to an ATM machine) in the parking lot/loading dock. All on Customs Property.

I was presented to a gentelman and fillied out a bunch of forms, copies of my passport, signatures everywhere and he finally jots down on a scrap of paper 8,000 baht.

I've been around a while and I'm smelling trouble so I call mr Boonchai at Thai Air Cargo and he's telling me to be very carefull out there with those people in the parking area/loading docks.

Better to come to Bldg 2 and do ths all myself for 321bht.

So off I stroll toward Bldg 2 (feeling pretty good about wasting an hour of that Thugs workday) when another Customs Official wants to help and trys to steer me away from Bldg2 again. Nobody will tell me where the Thai Air Cargo is even located!

He actually followed me to Thai Air Cargo and was intimidating the staff into letting him help me. They were looking nervous and I stated I could do all the paperwork myself.

NO THANKS. SEE YOU LATER. (I gave him my best Clint Eastwood glare) He left.

The Thai Air Cargo people are very nice but helpless when surrounded by gangs of Cargo Mafia.

They say the whole place is Mafia.

I paid my 321Bht and was instructed to first go to room #224, then room #223, then ground floor to see customs officer, then to warehouse#2 and contact Thai Air cargo Staff, then Customs inspector then back to Bldg#2 and office #37 again.

So off I go and immediatly find there is no room #224, but some helpfull Customs Agent saw me looking for the invisible room and walked me into another room, #223/2.

I'm getting pretty suspicious of these helpers that keep latching onto me but this guy strolls in, walks behind a desk, starts stamping papers and stuff. I figure I finally found a legit employee.

The lady that worked in the office could not speak up of course (she was afraid or just in on the deal) and let this fellow take control of the situation.

I'm not sure of this guys status and he does seem to know his way around this office and user her desk and office equipment, etc. I'm thinking he does work there but he then walks me out to the parking lot to his "desk" and starts filling out forms again.AAAGH!

This guy is another independent contractor trying to get another 8,000baht fee!!!

I abandon this guy and find an office where someone speaks some english, flash my papers and they point me to a gentelman that can help me. Turns out he is another independant contractor wanting to help me get my duty free shipment for another 8000baht fee. Ok, ok he says, 5000baht.

What kind of crap is this?

So I abandon him and start over AGAIN. 3 hours I'm in this whirlpool of deceit.

Now, off I go to the Thai Air Cargo office where the pleasant but useless Mr. Boonchai still sitting there and he tells me the Official Customs Officer is too busy to speak with Farang, come back tomorrow!

By the way I had contact with about 35 different people so far never made it to Room room #223, then ground floor to see customs oficer, then to warehouse#2 and contact Thai Air cargo Staff, then customs inspector then back to Bldg#2 and office #37........................Maybe tomorrow?

[Jockstar]

Good luck skipper. And good on ya for not paying the fee.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

I guess it's sometimes easier to pay for a shipping agent!

[The Skipper]

To tell you the truth, I took 20,000 baht out there not knowing to expect.

When I heard the words DUTY FREE, I dug in.

I've got time.

[samran]

First things first, what visa do you have to be here? The rules changed a little while back that people on non-O visa's couldn't bring stuff in duty free anymore. For non-B's and retirmement I beleive you can bring personal items in, but you have to do so with in the first 6 months of being here. If you were previously resident in Thailand, then you have to be out of the country for more than a year.

If not, personal or not, it is liable for duty.

[TRIPxCORE]

I just learned the hard way that the way it works out there is exactly what you experienced. I too had a couple boxes sent to me via FedEx. Never going out there before I didnt know what to expect. I quickly learned, just as you did, what the deal is out there with all those clowns!

[udon]

To tell you the truth, I took 20,000 baht out there not knowing to expect.

When I heard the words DUTY FREE, I dug in.

I've got time.

Skipper, be aware of "storage" charges.

Another way to screw you.

[Axel]

The official customs rules are

a) Personal effects and household goods must arrive within 6 months of the owners arrival to be accepted as tax- and duty-free.

The importer (owner) must have a valid work permit.

Above leaves lots of space for the customs officer to 'negotiate' and the fact that something arrives by expensive airfreight makes them think, it must be valuable.

[The Skipper]

They were already adding storage fees even though the first 3 days are free.

I guess many items just end up abandoned and then they get 100%.

What kind of drag on the economy does this behavior cause I wonder when the Cargo Mafia get a cut of everything coming in?

Who is in charge out there and worse, will he be running the show at the new airport?

[thaihome]

...I've got time...

Good on ya.

For me, I got much better things to do then waste a couple of days to save $150 to say nothing of the agravation. I guess it comes down to how much is your time worth.

My time is not cheap...

TH

[The Skipper]

I do have time.

I'm retired but like to stay busy.

Usually I'd be planning some new business, hiring people, paying rent, taxes, etc., but not a chance around here. Way too much aggravation. I don't want those guys as "business partners".

So a few people are probably out of work, but the scumbag at Customs has his beer money for the week.

They drag the whole Country down.

[barryofthailand]

If you have a retirement visa, household goods suppose to be duty free, but when it comes down to picking them up, you still pay 6 to 8,000 baht. Nothing you can do about it.

Barry

[The Skipper]

If you have a retirement visa, household goods suppose to be duty free, but when it comes down to picking them up, you still pay 6 to 8,000 baht. Nothing you can do about it.

Barry

I know. You can't fight City Hall as they say.

I'll probably hire a local to go do the deed so I dont end up popping a vessel.

[Axel]

If you have a retirement visa, household goods suppose to be duty free, but when it comes down to picking them up, you still pay 6 to 8,000 baht. Nothing you can do about it.

Barry

Sorry, Barry, in many countries you would be right. Under Thai customs laws, however, a non-immigrant visa for retirement does not carry any duty-free allowance:

Note : Nonresidents entering into the Kingdom with a non-immigrant visa "code O" who wish to retire in Thailand or accompany spouses of Thai residents are not qualified...source:

http://www.customs.go.th/Customs-Eng/House...nuNme=HouseHold

[kc_phil]

Thanks Skipper.

You have gotten the idea of importing a personal vehicle completely out of my head...bravo!

Good luck getting your stuff

[jdinasia]

I'll never figure out the rules* of how it works ...

I just sent myself a big box of clothes and sheets and 4 pairs of new shoes from the USA ... Parcel Post (US Mail) and got it in a couple of days ... no Duty

My parents sent me a present at Xmas ... they beat on me through FedEx for 6k baht. (I beat back and got it reduced significantly)...

So far everything I have sent via mail has been dutyfree and everything else has cost me $$

granted I have everything sent to my partner except the 2 things I ended up paying duty on ....

[OldAsiaHand]

A couple of years ago I had some forwarded mail arrive by FedEx. Nothing at all in the package but about a dozen first class letters containing bank statements and that sort of thing.

FedEx presented me with a bill for something like B4200 in customs duty and refused to deliver the envelope I paid in advance. I protested and they just shrugged. Even FedEx is in on it. Eventually, I refused to pay and told them where they could stick the mail.

By the way, I wrote a letter of complaint to FedEx in the US after that and outlined in some detail the extortion that their people were engaged in here. A few months later I got a letter from FedEx in the US saying that nothing I related had actually happened. And how did they know this in the US? Well, they asked the local office, they said, and were assured that I made up the whole story.

Welcome to Thailand.

[vegas]

Patience and good manners will bring the rate down. My company deals with customs on a daily basis so we have a lot of experience with negotiating tax and duties. Lose your bottle and you are stuffed. Good luck.

[kat]

I had my diplomas and transcripts sent to me via fedex about a year ago with no problems. However, I've had a few bank statements and bank cards disappear. Most banks in the U.S. don't send ATM/debit cards in the mail here. I had to pick mine up back in the states.

I have a question: if I'm moving out of Thailand, what is the most effective way to send non-urgent materials out?

Thanks.

[diddlysquat]

Good on ya.

For me, I got much better things to do then waste a couple of days to save $150 to say nothing of the agravation. I guess it comes down to how much is your time worth.

My time is not cheap...

TH

It is not simply a matter of money. It is a matter of standing firm on principle. I admire the Skippers perseverance.

You obviously want to impress, so how much is your time worth? You'll need to come up with a figure way in excess of 150 dollars for 2 days.

[Donz]

A couple of years ago I had some forwarded mail arrive by FedEx. Nothing at all in the package but about a dozen first class letters containing bank statements and that sort of thing.

FedEx presented me with a bill for something like B4200 in customs duty and refused to deliver the envelope I paid in advance. I protested and they just shrugged. Even FedEx is in on it. Eventually, I refused to pay and told them where they could stick the mail.

By the way, I wrote a letter of complaint to FedEx in the US after that and outlined in some detail the extortion that their people were engaged in here. A few months later I got a letter from FedEx in the US saying that nothing I related had actually happened. And how did they know this in the US? Well, they asked the local office, they said, and were assured that I made up the whole story.

Welcome to Thailand.

well maybe you did

[jdinasia]

6000 baht was the price mentioned ... roughly $150 USD

Having never had to make a crazy run to the airport on mutiple days .... who knows what I would do.

I certainly don't expect things to be duty-free when they shouldn't .. but getting things appraised correctly is important.

(that being said I will never use UPS/DHL/Fed-Ex again

[Donz]

I ship many things from Thailand to sydney and use DHL, on a few occasions I have recieved them free of charge for some reason but I mostly have to pay.

I used UPS and they wouldnt do the customs clearance for me and i had to hire my own customs broker and I had to pay nearly $500 AU, pricks

[udon]

I have everything sent to my partner except the 2 things I ended up paying duty on ....

JDIA,

If I catch your drift, I should post parcels to myself as follows?

K.Thaksin Shilawatra (any Thai name)

Freddy's Bar

43 Soi 33

Bangkok

Thailand

Yes?

An warn my M8, the bar owner...

TIA

[libya 115]

I receive several courier packages from the U.K. I only once had a problem:

I was following a package on the tracking on the internet and saw that it had arrived in Bangkok, after a few days it did not arrive, so I called the UPS helpline to find out what was going on.

The woman spoke little English and just kept on saying "customs" and quoting a large number in Thai baht. I was puzzled because the opened package was merely documents, not of any obvious value.

I got my Thai speaking Mrs. to call the helpline and find out what was going on.

It seemed that customs had opened my 'Farang-addressed' package and were demanding 5,000 baht release fee. I was furious and said no way, if I did not pay it would be returned to sender.

After calming down, I agreed to pay the 5,000 baht fee to the courier.

It is wrong. But TIT.

So now, I never use UPS (never had a problem (yet) with DHL and FEDEX) plus I always arrange for the recipient of my packets to my wifes long and very Thai name.

I suspect that packets addressed to John Smith, or Jimmy Brown are selected by customs for financial extortion.

[Donz]

Ive never had a problem with DHL, i think its great, UPS is the worst in my experience

[OldAsiaHand]

A couple of years ago I had some forwarded mail arrive by FedEx. Nothing at all in the package but about a dozen first class letters containing bank statements and that sort of thing.

FedEx presented me with a bill for something like B4200 in customs duty and refused to deliver the envelope I paid in advance. I protested and they just shrugged. Even FedEx is in on it. Eventually, I refused to pay and told them where they could stick the mail.

By the way, I wrote a letter of complaint to FedEx in the US after that and outlined in some detail the extortion that their people were engaged in here. A few months later I got a letter from FedEx in the US saying that nothing I related had actually happened. And how did they know this in the US? Well, they asked the local office, they said, and were assured that I made up the whole story.

Welcome to Thailand.

well maybe you did

Gee, you make me really glad I made the effort to share the experience I had. Glad you benefited so much from hearing about it.

[Donz]

A couple of years ago I had some forwarded mail arrive by FedEx. Nothing at all in the package but about a dozen first class letters containing bank statements and that sort of thing.

FedEx presented me with a bill for something like B4200 in customs duty and refused to deliver the envelope I paid in advance. I protested and they just shrugged. Even FedEx is in on it. Eventually, I refused to pay and told them where they could stick the mail.

By the way, I wrote a letter of complaint to FedEx in the US after that and outlined in some detail the extortion that their people were engaged in here. A few months later I got a letter from FedEx in the US saying that nothing I related had actually happened. And how did they know this in the US? Well, they asked the local office, they said, and were assured that I made up the whole story.

Welcome to Thailand.

well maybe you did

Gee, you make me really glad I made the effort to share the experience I had. Glad you benefited so much from hearing about it.

No problems, anytime

[Thaipwriter]

This episode is just one of the many reasons Thailand is regarded as a joke on the world stage. Both now and in the future.

[backflip]

I had a completely different experience. In my case, the freight agent tried to extort a huge fee, and a Customs official intervened on my behalf. With this gent's assistance, I took possession of 2.5 cubic meters (20 boxes) of goods and, even though I didn't have a work permit, I wasn't charged any duty. I emailed the freight forwarder (located in San Francisco) about their Thai partner, and never received a response.