Shipping to Thailand - What to expect at customs

[55Jay]

Just a coincidence, this showed up on the TV News page this afternoon.

Better hurry up Capitan Bonio, before they get on the straight and narra! LOL.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/763908-us-businessmen-want-asean-to-reform-customs/

[onthemoon]

Just a coincidence, this showed up on the TV News page this afternoon.

Better hurry up Capitan Bonio, before they get on the straight and narra! LOL.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/763908-us-businessmen-want-asean-to-reform-customs/

Thanks for this.

[expatoz]

can garden tools and electric tools ( drill.wood planer soldering iron,chainsaw,circular saw and hand tools etc.) be included as personal house hold and personal goods for dutyfree into Thailand with Retirement Visas

[Captbonio]

Just a coincidence, this showed up on the TV News page this afternoon.

Better hurry up Capitan Bonio, before they get on the straight and narra! LOL.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/763908-us-businessmen-want-asean-to-reform-customs/

Many thanks... Let's hope they mean it

[Captbonio]

I agree with 55Jay. Door to Door with a reputable company is the way to go. It will cost more, but there will be a lot less aggravation. Also if your spouse is Thai and you are moving household goods back to Thailand, be sure you get that person's stay abroad verified by the Thai consulate nearest you in your country, a passport with entry and exit stamps, we were told is not sufficient. We shipped via IVL in Miami and used Vanguard Logistics Services in Bangkok, not particularly impressed with either company. We did Door to Port to save money and hired our own trucker at the port, worked well, saved money, but cost a lot of time (6 hours) dealing with customs declarations and release of cargo. My wife is Thai and we found an agent at customs, as I stated in an earlier post, otherwise it would have taken a lot longer. Our stuff arrived in Chiang Mai today, so all's well that ends well. Good luck to all who in the process of moving to Amazing Thailand.

Congratulations

Very happy for you... I hope we have similar good fortunes....

[DrDave]

My Thai wife and I just moved back to Thailand from Florida, USA. Our shipment of personal goods, 3.5 Cubic Meters, 550 Kgs, arrived earlier this week vis a US shipping company. We had to pay destination charges of 5,000 Baht to the local company our shipper used, and 7,000 Baht customs because we did not have certification that my wife had lived abroad for 10 years and was returning; we were told an old passport was not sufficient proof. Customs charges could have been much higher, but we used a local agent and we used a list that did not have actual values of our goods. Of, course, if customs had been much higher we would have gotten certification from immigration that we had lived abroad for many years. We spent about 5 hours at the container docks and customs, very confusing until we found our agent, in the end nothing was opened and all goods were released to our Thai trucker. We tipped the local agent for his work, which really cut through the bureaucracy. He did not set a fee. Now waiting for our stuff to arrive in Chiang Mai tomorrow. Overall, pretty complicated, but doable, if you have a Thai spouse or friend who speaks Thai.

Good luck!

Coincidentally, we (my wife) also had 4 cubic meters at 550kg shipped from Florida to Thailand - delivered to Phuket yesterday.

The agent we used in the US was outstanding, the entire cost of the ocean freight (Miami to Laem Chabang) and the agent's fee was only about $600 US.

We were given the option of using their agent in BKK, or choosing our own. We took the path of least resistance, and opted for their agent, as we had been quoted the price for warehouse, handling, customs clearance, and delivery - so there would be no surprises. The fees for the BKK agent came to 29,000 baht (not including delivery), which seems really excessive based on jschorr's experience above - especially considering that my wife had all the documentation proving that she is a returning Thai citizen (US passport showing current entry, and a current Thai passport). I think the overage was due to the agent charging a flat rate of 20,000 for customs clearance (which probably went directly into the agent's pocket). When we received the shipment yesterday, it appeared that nothing had been opened for inspection.

[meatboy]

can garden tools and electric tools ( drill.wood planer soldering iron,chainsaw,circular saw and hand tools etc.) be included as personal house hold and personal goods for dutyfree into Thailand with Retirement Visas

if your thinking of having electical items sent to thailand,do what i done,3pin extension leads,convertor plugs[3pin to 2]

as i have seen no plugs in thailand with earth[3pin].everything we brought [5yrs ago] works perfect.

kitchen items,steam iron,laptop,battery charger,ect,ect,ect.

there have been many posts regarding the quality of electrical goods in the general topics section bought in thailand.

i have binned between 50,000bht-100,000bhts.worth over 5yrs.

also bring plenty of stainless steel pans.they are available here but you need a mortgage.

[onthemoon]

can garden tools and electric tools ( drill.wood planer soldering iron,chainsaw,circular saw and hand tools etc.) be included as personal house hold and personal goods for dutyfree into Thailand with Retirement Visas

There is a major flaw in the law: As a foreigner, you have to have a new work permit (less than one year old) to be allowed one shipment of personal goods to be brought in duty-free. But then, on a Retirement Visa, you are not allowed to work (let alone that you probably don't want to), so you cannot get a work permit.

Catch 22. They forgot to change the customs regulations when they introduced the Retirement Visa.

No, I am not saying that nobody has brought personal effects when retiring to Thailand, I am just pointing out a legal problem.

As for bringing electricals, check the customs website I linked to earlier. That answers the legal side of it.

In any case, just make sure you use the same agent at origin and in Thailand in order to avoid surprises.

[Captbonio]

Just a coincidence, this showed up on the TV News page this afternoon.

Better hurry up Capitan Bonio, before they get on the straight and narra! LOL.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/763908-us-businessmen-want-asean-to-reform-customs/

Many thanks... Let's hope they mean it

Just looking back at this, as it is quite pertinant to me. The US may want this, but wanting and getting are 2 rather distannt cousins me thinks.

Im looking to do this in the next few months and any reforms I would imagine would take a lot more that the US wanting....

[merijn]

What a huge amount of misinformation in this thread.

Yes, Thai customs has to follow rules, regulations, and laws. If you have stuff in your shipment that is not allowed, or attracts import duties, then it is your fault to not have checked in advance. Why would you ship something out from the origin and only later check what the regulations in Thailand are?

And yes, a new work permit is required, that's not crap but the law. Let me ask you whether anybody in your country is exempted from following the law, just because he feels that it should be different? Please get real.

And if you did not check in advance (or better: use the same company from your home abroad to your new home, as they are professionals and check in advance and will advise you accordingly) and then you have to pay THB 15,000 in service fees, the people who provided the service have all the right to keep your passport until you pay up. Of course, they should inform you of the cost before they provide the service, so that you can decline and pay even more when trying it by yourself.

This must be the worst thread in terms of reliable information I have ever seen on ThaiVisa. Did anybody ever read the link to the customs webpage I sent earlier, rather than listening to these horror-stories caused by not being informed, and lots of rumours, I wonder.

Unless things are changed you also can import your stuff when you are married.

When i married i imported a 20" container with my household goods.

As long they where household goods and not new i was allowed to import one time my personal goods.

Atlas movers did everything for me and i paid a discounted import duty as long no receipt was required.

But i agree with you that a lot of people are complaining while they did not follows the rules.

[buwiro]

I have been searching all through the TV posts and just find this so confusing. So maybe someone can clarify the rules and possibly the procedures( as well as a shipping company door to door). I just obtained my 1 year extension of stay, based on retirement. I want to send my personal belongings by freight from Las Vegas to Phuket. I do not have a work permit(retirement) and do not have a Thai spouse. Any suggestions and help will be appreciated.

This post is 6 months old so therefore I thought it might be worth a try. Thank you