Strict Enforcement Of Duty Free Allowances

[sriracha john]

[Post edited. Next time, please turn off your Caps Lock key before posting. Using all caps is equivalent to screaming and is considered bad netiquette. Thank you. /Meadish]

I cannot criticise the customs for doing there job, I know the limits, I make sure I know the limits for every country I enter.

However the sum of 35,000 baht 'fine' is outrageous. That is pure extortion; dishonest and corrupt.

COME ON....... THAILAND IS NOW NOT CORRUPT>>>> NOW THAT THAKSIN IS GONE EVEYTHING IS OK.... NO CORRUPTION, ALL POLICE ARE NOW LAW ABIDING< AND ALL GOVT OFFICIALS are MAGICALLY NOW are as clean as a whistle...................COMON........ ((WINK WINK )

Such short-term Memory Loss is a sad thing...

[LaoPo]

Time for a history lesson. Customs & Excise as they are in the UK were set up originally to protect the income gained from imported goods for the crown. They to this day carry a warrant card that allows them to search ANY premises without the normal process of first obtaining a search warrant. The problems really start when in their (customs worldwide) opinion you are deliberatley smuggling. In the UK on arrival & going merrily through the green lane, if you are stopped & the nice officer says have you read this (duty free allowance) card? If you say yes then what happened at Suvarnabhumi will happen anywhere. So, at that point you plead stupidity say no you haven't read it & proceed to be processed as an idiot rather than as a smuggler. Like many British standards, the majority of customs rules have been adopted worldwide - trying to take in 10 cartons of cigarettes = criminal activity. Singapore is a slight exception in that they do not have a duty free allowance for cigarettes, which mean that the one carton that most tourists will take with them is above the zero allowance & therefore smuggling - straight to Changi do not pass go.

Thank you for the history lesson, tompelli and welcome to ThaiVisa !

I think we all agree on the above and: If you're wrong, you're wrong, but this is about:

"excessive amounts of money" charged to people who DID NOT declare goods they brought in.

Like I wrote before:

"I can understand customs in any country, charging Taxes and even a fine of 100% for goods (cigarettes in this case) people bring in and didn't declare.

But in this case 35.000 Baht is outrageous for 5 cartons of cigs"

that is excessive ! and stinks of corruption !

LaoPo

[Viper]

Hang on a minute! They had 5 cartons each or 5 cartons between them? Its not quite clear. If they had 5 cartons between then then they were only really 1 carton over the limit for the 2 adults and a 35'000 baht fine is ludicrous!!!

[tompelli]

Time for a history lesson. Customs & Excise as they are in the UK were set up originally to protect the income gained from imported goods for the crown. They to this day carry a warrant card that allows them to search ANY premises without the normal process of first obtaining a search warrant. The problems really start when in their (customs worldwide) opinion you are deliberatley smuggling. In the UK on arrival & going merrily through the green lane, if you are stopped & the nice officer says have you read this (duty free allowance) card? If you say yes then what happened at Suvarnabhumi will happen anywhere. So, at that point you plead stupidity say no you haven't read it & proceed to be processed as an idiot rather than as a smuggler. Like many British standards, the majority of customs rules have been adopted worldwide - trying to take in 10 cartons of cigarettes = criminal activity. Singapore is a slight exception in that they do not have a duty free allowance for cigarettes, which mean that the one carton that most tourists will take with them is above the zero allowance & therefore smuggling - straight to Changi do not pass go.

Thank you for the history lesson, tompelli and welcome to ThaiVisa !

I think we all agree on the above and: If you're wrong, you're wrong, but this is about:

"excessive amounts of money" charged to people who DID NOT declare goods they brought in.

Like I wrote before:

"I can understand customs in any country, charging Taxes and even a fine of 100% for goods (cigarettes in this case) people bring in and didn't declare.

But in this case 35.000 Baht is outrageous for 5 cartons of cigs"

that is excessive ! and stinks of corruption !

LaoPo

[LaoPo]

Hang on a minute! They had 5 cartons each or 5 cartons between them? Its not quite clear. If they had 5 cartons between then then they were only really 1 carton over the limit for the 2 adults and a 35'000 baht fine is ludicrous!!!

That's what I understood; 5 cartons between them, but the couple was travelling with their 2 teenage kids.

In another story, here:

5 guys, of whom 4 were smoking and took 10 boxes/each (10 packs/box/each= 400 packs) of cigs. had to pay Sterling Pounds 3,000

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=88699

But, even in that case, the money that had to be paid is excessive.

LaoPo

Edited October 18, 2006 by LaoPo

[tompelli]

LaoPo,

I understand the outrage at "coughing up" 35,000 for a carton of cigarettes. The point is there is a difference between Customs reaction to someone who has mistakenly taken more than their allowance & someone who is deliberately smuggling. If someone checks the Thai regulations, you will probably find the amounts tie up with the maximum penalty (excluding the alternative of going to jail). Smuggling is a serious offence against the crown - nuff said.

[tonythailand]

They were criminals they were smuggling tobacco. Why is so many people think they can just come to Thailand and break the rules and because they are on holiday it is ok

NOT VERY PHILOSOPHICAL MATE,the thieves were wearing suits.Confiscation is the keywork ,the world over,seen as a sport to overdoo the cigarette allowance.Stop giving these corrupt people cedibility,same corrupt officials are charging 80k for copies of thai music on dvd! JUSTIFY THAT ONE, (copyright law-my ass)

[leisurely]

I truly don't understand why people would bother bringing cigs and spirits into Thailand. They are so cheap here already and who wants to be bogged down with extra carrier bags when they arrive? Not me. When people come to visit and want to know what sort of Gin they should bring I normally tell them not to worry, same for cigarettes. Last year I saw in Dm that I could save a whole 35 baht on 200 if I got them duty free . What would the point be of bringing stuff in from overseas?

[Koratbob]

I recall the case of 5 English guys who brought 5 cartons each and had to pay Pounds Sterling 3.000,-- ohmy.gif

What the heck is going on ?

Is there NO WAY this can be stopped ?

The best way to STOP THIS is adbide with the law. Just think how harsh you would be thinking the punnishment if you went into Malaysia with 2 joints. If you want to try to beat the system, be prepared to pay.

I just dont get it. When you break the law here you are at the mercy of the Thai people. But, when you al get caught, then you want to rag on the Customs, Police, etc.

I am reminded of an old friend of my that tried his hand in smuggeling of some Cocaine. It was his first attempt and he had

only 2 oz. Well, he got caught, and is serving 5 years in prison. At the trial the judge pointed out that he did not believe that this was his first time to try this, and impossed a high sentence. DOES THAT MAKE THE JUDGE CORRUPT ?

I think not.

[Claymore]

The British Government loses £billions each year on lost revenue from cigarette smuggling.

Much more than music companies do from CDs DVD etc.

Tourists who smuggle cigarettes are quite frankly both stupid and dishonest. They really should not be able to travel if they cannot follow the basic rules.

In this case of course they were doubly stupid because cigarettes bought on the streets here are certainly cheaper than UK duty free and probably cheaper than Dubai/Abu Dabi.

They have not merely to pay the duty free but massive fines for cheating.

They have had their holidays' ruined. Sympathy quotient zero.

Please also bear in mind there are "duty free on arrival" shops in the arrivals hall. One can only wonder if these shops are advising customers of this new strict enforcement of the rules.

Indeed. One wonders whether the same laws apply for purchases that line the pockets of King Power.

[Insight]

Can we knock the "they broke the law" rhetorical nonsense in the head for a minute?

Ask any Thai, anybody who's been in Thailand for a while and especially anybody who has tried to import a car here, and they'll politely remind you that Thai customs are far from the wholesome, above board authority you wish us to see.

I regularly mail order from the UK for the same item. Sometimes there’s a zero customs charge, sometimes it’s ridiculous, regardless of size and weight. There’s no consistency whatsoever. On one of the more ridiculous charges I asked what I can do to dispute it only to be told that I’d have to wait at least a month and the end result would be the charges being more expensive. That, or have it sent back to the UK. You are effectively held to ransom for whatever you receive, the amount depending on what mood the customs official is in.

If what these people tried to bring in to the country was over the permissible limits, couldn’t they offer to surrender it and have it confiscated?

The way people mention “smuggling” for a product which is generally cheaper to buy out here is also borderline absurd. I’ll bet my next customs charge the OP’s mentioned customs case was a genuine mistake.

[chuchok]

I recall the case of 5 English guys who brought 5 cartons each and had to pay Pounds Sterling 3.000,-- ohmy.gif

What the heck is going on ?

Is there NO WAY this can be stopped ?

The best way to STOP THIS is adbide with the law. Just think how harsh you would be thinking the punnishment if you went into Malaysia with 2 joints. If you want to try to beat the system, be prepared to pay.

I just dont get it. When you break the law here you are at the mercy of the Thai people. But, when you al get caught, then you want to rag on the Customs, Police, etc.

I am reminded of an old friend of my that tried his hand in smuggeling of some Cocaine. It was his first attempt and he had

only 2 oz. Well, he got caught, and is serving 5 years in prison. At the trial the judge pointed out that he did not believe that this was his first time to try this, and impossed a high sentence. DOES THAT MAKE THE JUDGE CORRUPT ?

I think not.

If he pocketed any money from a "fine", then yes.

[IMA_FARANG]

Correct, the limits are 200 cigarettes and 1 litre of spirits per adult.

I certainly do carry more, most of the time, but I am aware of some problems, shold I be stopped.

Coming into Thailand literally hundreds of times I once had to open my suit case for a hand search. (They complained it was too heavy but ignored alcohol and cigs inside ) and once was asked to run it through the X-ray machine in the customs area. I did, took my bag and just walked on with a friendly 'thank you' and a smile. Guess, he was a bit shocked and did not find the words to ppointout the result of the x-ray.

Some years ago I was living in a guesthouse on Soi 38 Sukhumvit. The owner and I were good friends. I made a visa run to Singapore. Since he knew I was going. he asked me to pick up 20 kilos of prime rib from his meat supplier in Singapore. (He said good prime rib wasn't available in Bangkok at that time). So I did my visa run, got my visa, and made a pickup at my friends butcher. When I arrived in Don Muang, for some reason they wanted to search my luggage when I went through customs. The only clothes I had was what I was wearing, but my luggage consisted of 20 kilos of prime rib wrapped in protective waxed paper.

Try explaining to customs why you are carrying a suitcase full of meat as your only luggage. (I got 2 free prime rib dinners with all the trimmings for my efforts.)

[bolt]

I am a regularly traveller through Abu Dhabi, they will sell you more than the allowance of cigarettes. But they advise you, “that your are over the limit.”

Also I was followed out of Don Muang, I was standing outside at the taxi rank, I was jut about to get in a cab when I was tapped on the shoulder, luckily I had 1 bottle of Whisky and 1 bottle of wine. I told the customs guys this and they said fine, they let me go

http://www.customs.go.th/Customs-Eng/Trave...?menuNme=Travel

Edited October 18, 2006 by bolt

[samjaidee]

You must pay duty on those in excess if you want to keep them. I'd let them have the fags and be on your way. 5 cartons - worst happens is confiscation, this has to be a one off.

Be interested to see the legislation here.They would probably have to pay the duty plus a penalty etc.

well most dutymen follow this policy in my experience - unless its an obvious taking the piss, more than self consumption - ie trying to sell.

Seen at Heathrow - asian lady was pulled aside with her bags and counterfeit dvds/cds and must have been hundreds cartons of ciggies. These are the types they are looking for not some lad with 5 cartons. Waist of time and more headaches than its worth.

About 5 years ago, when I was living on Samui, I did a border run to Ranong and when I got off the LongTail back in Ranong two plain clothes asked to check my bag. They found 3 cartons of cheapo Burmese cigarettes. 600 cigarettes worth 150 Baht. They took me to immigration and then to some kind of Police Building where I met, for the second time, the pick-up driver who took me everywhere. Anyway......... It cost me 6,500 Baht for 150 Baht worth of cigarettes. I don't know if it's the same now; but then you paid a starting fine plus an extra fine per cigarette. I took a gamble as I did every time I went and that time I got caught. My fine of 6,500 B five years ago was almost 2 weeks wages at the time. A lot of money. I'm fairly sure 30,000 Baht wasn't 2 weeks wages for him.

Okay he probably was over charged but this is Thailand and surely; as much as you want it to change; you can't be surprised. Hopefully the recent change of government up will go someway to reverse the expansion of corruption but it's not going to happen overnight.

The big question is....... did the pick-up driver set me up? I don't know; but it seems to be a strange coincidence that he was at the Police Station later. It was a long time ago but................. BE WARNED

[chanchao]

> Hopefully the recent change of government up will go someway to reverse the

> expansion of corruption

ha - ha - ha . . . . you ain't seen nothing yet.

[Dasant]

I certainly agree that the punishment seems harsh, extortion would seem a bit far fetched, but you must also agree that ignorance is never an excuse - especially when travelling with family! The first thing you should do before travelling to any country is be aware of the laws - obviously an in depth study is impractical but basic laws on what type and how much of certain goods are allowed to be taken in and out of a country is crucial for a trouble free journey! It is the responsibility of the traveller to find this out, i myself have been locked up for 3 days and nights in an uncomfortable situation for a similar "act of ignorance". End of the day......S**t happens, i hope your friends holiday here in Thailand turns into a great one!

[orchis]

For which value can one bring gifts into Thailand though, is it still 5,000 thb?

[bri1guy]

Buying cigarettes in Thailand from street vendors is cheaper than duty free.

But considering the country of origin, they probably thought they were getting a good deal.

You should have told them it's cheaper to buy everything in Thailand...

Anybody who travels should know there are rules on CIGS LIQUOR FRUIT PILLS ETC the fine is too much but Its a simple Law to follow , and they all commited a Crime ! I think all the other perks of traveling to Thailand outweigh this .

[skippybangkok]

Have been flying in and out of this country for 14 years or more ona frequent basis. Have never once been stopped, nor know of anyone who has.

Not sure why these guys were pulled over to start with ?

[Sophon]

I can understand customs in any country, charging Taxes and even a fine of 100% for goods (cigarettes in this case) people bring in and didn't declare.

But in this case 35.000 Baht is outrageous for 5 cartons of cigs.

LaoPo

I agree that the amounts as well as the treatment mentioned seems excessive, especially since people have been used to just breezing past customs in BKK for years.

On the other hand just having to pay taxes and a 100% fine would be no deterrent at all. We all know that most of the time we won't be stopped by the customs officers, so the punishment when we do has to be "excessive" to a certain degree. If shoplifters when caught were only asked to pay the price (or twice the price) of the goods stolen, I'm sure there would be a lot more shoplifters out there.

Sophon

[bkkandrew]

Have been flying in and out of this country for 14 years or more ona frequent basis. Have never once been stopped, nor know of anyone who has.

Not sure why these guys were pulled over to start with ?

As I said in in earlier post, they seemed to be scanning the luggage of all passers by. I just steamed past, eyes front!

[Pui]

Were your friends aware of the duty-free limitations? Most in-flight magazines list duty-free allowances for those countries served by the carrier. Even after purchase your friends could have left the excess duty-free items on the aircraft, or with airline personnel, prior to deplaning in BKK. In general it is advisable to be aware of such rules, and to try and abide by them. Maybe this experience will allow them to consider stopping smoking?

Thats a bit harsh.

[Firefan]

What are the rules for beer and wine? Can not see same on the customs homepage. Does it have to fit into the 1 liter limit, or is it unlimited(with in reason)? Cheers!

[astral]

Have been flying in and out of this country for 14 years or more ona frequent basis. Have never once been stopped, nor know of anyone who has.

Not sure why these guys were pulled over to start with ?

Customs have been tightening up over the last year, x-raying incoming baggage.

[thaigene2]

Please also bear in mind there are "duty free on arrival" shops in the arrivals hall. One can only wonder if these shops are advising customers of this new strict enforcement of the rules.

Indeed. One wonders whether the same laws apply for purchases that line the pockets of King Power.

It sounds like it was extortion. I once brought a DVD player home to Bankok from Dubai and was naive enough to leave it in the box. The choice was 3,000 baht with a 'receipt' or 500 baht 'no receipt'. I paid the bribe - sorry to say.

Other than the odd bottle of whisky - which often works out to about the same as the off-licence at my Soi, I could never undestand why anyone would buy anything from duty-free stores - especially, and I mean especially, King Power.

I only buy the whisky when I forget to bring one from home. This is what Thailand is all about..and I only see it getting worse to be honest.

[baboon]

I remember being pulled up in Don Muang about 10 years ago. I mean, they literally took my bag to pieces, frowning and looking increasingly menacing all the time. I was terrified they would "find" the drugs I did not have but luckily I was eventually waved through, but what a welcome! I have no objection to being searched in accordance with the law of any country, but I AM INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY, AND AS SUCH TREAT ME THAT WAY! I an not only complaining about Thailand in this respect. Some people with long hair dont smuggle, you know.

[Estrada]

> Hopefully the recent change of government up will go someway to reverse the

> expansion of corruption

ha - ha - ha . . . . you ain't seen nothing yet.

Quite right!

Already we have seen them threaten to raise the legal age for drinking Alchohol to 25 years! A few days, and no doubt much "Lubrication" later, the threat is removed.

We also have seen the 3 imminent mass transit projects threatened to be cancelled, only to be reinstated a few weeks later.

Looks like the same old techniques, no change.

[thaigene2]

Yes..good point. Threatening to cancel something probably does result in a lube job to the right people.

Having said that one of the most unlikely and laughable laws about corruption comes from the USA. Apparently it is illegal for US companies to pay bribes anywhere in the world. Yeah right..if there were no need to pay bribes there would be no need for 'middle-men' now would there?

[Jarrod]

Travellers sometimes make mistakes obviously and this may be an example and as such they should not be regarded as criminals. However, the law should stand and if a quota is exceeded than a fine in proportional excess (say 20X) of the value of the goods as well as confiscation seems very reasonable to me. I suggest that this unfortunate family was carrying in cigarettes to save money by avoiding customs duty. This is a common mind-set even when travelling for holiday. I suggest they may save more money by stopping their smoking habit. Please obey their basic requirements which are not particularly difficult to understand. 200 maximum means no more than 200 cigarettes. Please The experience may help them quit.

I have travelled to Thailand 9 times and it is delightful. I only have problems when I return to AKL when I have been stopped 5 times for a complete search for two hours every time (and I live here). I dread coming back and I tell my family to delay picking me up at the airport. Try that after a 12 direct flight.

Incidently, at AKL you will get a $NZ200 (THB 4600) instant fine and an official warning for carrying any food off the aeroplane.

I do not smoke but I do feel sorry for fellow travellors who do and who cannot smoke for long periods on an aircraft.