Huge Fines On Arrival

[Maestro]

i doubt he gonna know what it is

You could always stick a label on it, with the Thai translation for “This is 2403 99 10 Chewing tobacco, not 2403 10 Smoking tobacco”

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Maestro

[joinme2leave]

or maybe: a sticker such alike....this is liquorice candy content.......

(1) Snus - somehow - looks like liquorice

(2) Snus - somehow - tastes like liquorice

i think - somehow - i should not worry too much about this anymore...

[joinme2leave]

anybody here got a thai translation for liquorice ?

BambinA?

[jvc]

Customs are targeting flights out of the UK that stop in the middle east.

You can pick up a carton of UK fags for less than a tenner in most middle eastern airports which if brought back to the UK in suffient quantity in your packed luggage(10 cartons or so) turns into a nice little earner or at least pays the airfare.

Customs have spotters at the baggage carosels for the ME flights watching for punters attempting to transfer the contraband from the duty free plastic bags to their packed luggage.

It's a small time scam, its been going on since the price of cigs went high enough in the UK to make it worth while. Up till recently it has been relativly risk free but now it has been rumbled the scammers will no doubt move on to the next "big oppertunity".

[Maestro]

anybody here got a thai translation for liquorice ?

I would strongly advise against falsely declaring or labelling the product. Too risky.

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Maestro

[Maestro]

joinme2leave, is this what you are addicted to?

DECLARATION OF CONTENTS:

One can contains 50 g (1.8 oz) of loose Snus.

Water

Tobacco

Glycerol

Sodium Chloride (table salt)

Sodium Carbonate (soda ash)

Propylene Glycol

Spirits (ethanol)

Flavour substances

ANALYTICAL DATA:

Water: ca 55 %

Nicotine: ca 8 mg/g

Salt: ca 2 %

Sugar: < 0.2 %

Ethanol: < 0.5 %

Source: http://www.swedish-snus.com/snus-brands.html

Unless you buy it in Duty Free, pack it in your suitcase.

If you get checked, declare it for what it is: chewing tobacco.

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Maestro

[dr_Pat_Pong]

anybody here got a thai translation for liquorice ?

I would strongly advise against falsely declaring or labelling the product. Too risky.

--------------

Maestro

Fines only apply to smugglers

[joinme2leave]

1) yes thats what i am ADDICTED to....ages less dangerous to someone's health than cigarettes (anyway, i never ever smoked a single cig in my life...)

2) the labelling question has been a joke....i would not do such thing...i never smuggle...haha

3) IF you would CHEW the Snus....man oooh man....that would be as worse as eating a cigarette.....it is NOT chewing tobacco...not at all...

4) but i agree....declaration of contents says "tobacco".... so it might be possible they charge for duty (but i still doubt it)

5) can't buy in duty free...unless you fly from Arlanda, Stockholm

[Buckwheat]

1) yes thats what i am ADDICTED to....ages less dangerous to someone's health than cigarettes (anyway, i never ever smoked a single cig in my life...)

2) the labelling question has been a joke....i would not do such thing...i never smuggle...haha

3) IF you would CHEW the Snus....man oooh man....that would be as worse as eating a cigarette.....it is NOT chewing tobacco...not at all...

4) but i agree....declaration of contents says "tobacco".... so it might be possible they charge for duty (but i still doubt it)

5) can't buy in duty free...unless you fly from Arlanda, Stockholm

Beware of bringing in smokeless tobacco...

Tobacco Control Measures

In 1986, the Thai AntiSmoking Campaign Project was formed, supported by 10 healthrelated NGOs. The National Committee for the Control of Tobacco Use, established in 1989, is responsible for governmental tobacco control activities.

Control on Tobacco Products Since 1979, tobacco advertising has been banned by three different laws. The most recent (the Tobacco Product Control Act, 1992) banned advertising in the electronic and print media and on billboards. However, two exceptions permit advertising in international magazines and on live television shows from abroad. There is also a ban on free samples, exchanges, and gifts of tobacco products for commercial purposes. Sales of tobacco products to persons under 18 years and sales from vending machines are banned, as are sales of smokeless tobacco. The Ministry of Health has directed all trading units in health premises to refrain from selling cigarettes.

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/who/thailand.htm

[popshirt]

1) yes thats what i am ADDICTED to....ages less dangerous to someone's health than cigarettes (anyway, i never ever smoked a single cig in my life...)

2) the labelling question has been a joke....i would not do such thing...i never smuggle...haha

3) IF you would CHEW the Snus....man oooh man....that would be as worse as eating a cigarette.....it is NOT chewing tobacco...not at all...

4) but i agree....declaration of contents says "tobacco".... so it might be possible they charge for duty (but i still doubt it)

5) can't buy in duty free...unless you fly from Arlanda, Stockholm

What DO you do with it?

[libya 115]

Customs are targeting flights out of the UK that stop in the middle east.

You can pick up a carton of UK fags for less than a tenner in most middle eastern airports which if brought back to the UK in suffient quantity in your packed luggage(10 cartons or so) turns into a nice little earner or at least pays the airfare.

Customs have spotters at the baggage carosels for the ME flights watching for punters attempting to transfer the contraband from the duty free plastic bags to their packed luggage.

It's a small time scam, its been going on since the price of cigs went high enough in the UK to make it worth while. Up till recently it has been relativly risk free but now it has been rumbled the scammers will no doubt move on to the next "big oppertunity".

I don't quite understand the logic here. Surely passengers from the U.K. would purchase cigarettes on their return leg through a Middle Eastern airport. About ten sleeves in a large plastic bag is no more risky than a random customs stop in U.K. airports. In fact recently I have not even seen U.K. customs staff upon arrival.

Ten sleeves would represent a profit of around 300 GBP.

Maybe football shirts are a safer bet?

[joinme2leave]

@popshirt...SNUS is used to be kept under your upper lip for a certain period of time.

Nobody sees...nobody smells...nobody knows nothing.

[Thaddeus]

@popshirt...SNUS is used to be kept under your upper lip for a certain period of time.

Nobody sees...nobody smells...nobody knows nothing.

Nobody dies?

[helicoptor]

snus?

[bkkmick]

joinme2leave:

liquorice = ชะเอม which is pronounced cha-aim

One reason that I read thought the entire 11 pages is that my mother's coming to Thailand for Christmas and says that she has bought my kids a lot of presents (been a couple of years since she has been here to see them, I guess granny wants to spoil them a bit) and I was wondering if she could get pulled at customs?

A year or more ago she sent some birthday presents for the girls and I had to go to a postal office and pay 4000baht tax (and there wasn't really that much there either).

Mick

Edited November 13, 2006 by bkkmick

[Maigo6]

Customs are targeting flights out of the UK that stop in the middle east.

You can pick up a carton of UK fags for less than a tenner in most middle eastern airports which if brought back to the UK in suffient quantity in your packed luggage(10 cartons or so) turns into a nice little earner or at least pays the airfare.

Customs have spotters at the baggage carosels for the ME flights watching for punters attempting to transfer the contraband from the duty free plastic bags to their packed luggage.

It's a small time scam, its been going on since the price of cigs went high enough in the UK to make it worth while. Up till recently it has been relativly risk free but now it has been rumbled the scammers will no doubt move on to the next "big oppertunity".

I don't quite understand the logic here. Surely passengers from the U.K. would purchase cigarettes on their return leg through a Middle Eastern airport. About ten sleeves in a large plastic bag is no more risky than a random customs stop in U.K. airports. In fact recently I have not even seen U.K. customs staff upon arrival.

Ten sleeves would represent a profit of around 300 GBP.

Maybe football shirts are a safer bet?

The guys that bring the cigarettes in sell them in Thailand.

There was a time when people would go to Singapore via Bangkok Airport, buy as many sleeves of cigarettes that they could cram into carry on luggage in Bkk Duty free, go to Singapore, get the return flight back without going through customs, re-enter Thailand, walk through customs and sell the duty free ciggies on the black market to people who smuggle cigarettes into the UK.

I was once told by a guy that he could make 15000 baht per trip after expenses, he went once a week and made 60,000 baht a month.

[PhilHarries]

I am a cigar smoker. Anyone knows how many cigars I am allowed to bring in?

250 grams of cigars

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Maestro

Thanks, and about how many could that be?

You are a cigar smoker and you have to ask that question? It depends on the size of the cigars which is why they set a weight limit.

[Master of the court]

"Duty Free Allowance

The duty free allowance will be applied to accompanied personal effects up to Bath 10,000 worth if i) the items are intended for your own personal or professional uses; ii) the quantity are reasonable; and iii) the items are not subject to prohibition or restriction.

However, there are limits on the amount of alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, cigars and smoking tobacco to which you may include in your duty free personal exemption as follows:

· 200 cigarettes or 250 grams of cigars or smoking tobacco

· 1 litre of spirituous liquor.

Personal effects do not include motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts regardless of the length of time used and owned. " Thai Customs.

So the Duty Free allowance is 200 cigarettes per person and they brought in 2000 each. The fine has nothing to do with the duty and tax on the cigarettes and everything to do with trying to smuggle goods into Thailand.

Having established my moral high ground, I am very concerned to learn that Customs are actually stopping and searching people at the new airport. They hardly ever did that at the old one. How many bottles of wines will I risk bringing in on my next trip? Maybe I'll put a bottle of J W Black label on the top of my suitcase contents?

OK, do you know how much cash you bing in............I have 200.000 Baht in Cash I was going to bring in Dec.....but Im not sure if its a good idea now ????

[Maestro]

I have 200.000 Baht in Cash I was going to bring in Dec.....but Im not sure if its a good idea now ????

I’m afraid that’s not a good idea at all. The latest I heard is they have a shredder in the customs hall and you will be made to put your Baht notes through the shredder before being allowed to exit the customs area

And by the time you arrive in December they will have implemented a system whereby you will be referred to a psychiatric hospital to have your head examined, for the sheer silliness of buying your Baht outside Thailand where you get a much worse exchange rate than in Thailand

Yes, I know, you were just kidding – and so am I.

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Maestro

[Master of the court]

I have 200.000 Baht in Cash I was going to bring in Dec.....but Im not sure if its a good idea now ????

I’m afraid that’s not a good idea at all. The latest I heard is they have a shredder in the customs hall and you will be made to put your Baht notes through the shredder before being allowed to exit the customs area

And by the time you arrive in December they will have implemented a system whereby you will be referred to a psychiatric hospital to have your head examined, for the sheer silliness of buying your Baht outside Thailand where you get a much worse exchange rate than in Thailand

Yes, I know, you were just kidding – and so am I.

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Maestro

HA HA.good one.......well, I wasnt kidding and I did not buy my Baht outside Thailand, just bringing them with me back......since I dont have a bank account in Thailand............ ofcourse there shouldnt be any problems bringing cash in.........but then on the other side, we never know what they are up to......and I defenetly dont want to waste my time explaining how much fun I can have for the money !!.........so do we know how much cash we can bring in ??

[austallia_1980]

Last time I came to thailand, i brought about 60 chocolate bars that cannot be purchased in thailand. it took me about 8 mo's to finish them off. should i expect the customs to have a problem with it this time around? I will make sure i take a reciept, the cost is under 60 dollars. How much will I have to pay in customs tax?

[cclub75]

Last time I came to thailand, i brought about 60 chocolate bars that cannot be purchased in thailand. it took me about 8 mo's to finish them off. should i expect the customs to have a problem with it this time around? I will make sure i take a reciept, the cost is under 60 dollars. How much will I have to pay in customs tax?

http://www.customs.go.th/Tariff/Tariff.jsp

Type "chocolate" in the english entry field.

Duty rate looks like 60 % for products containing cocoa, or 5 or 10 or 40 % if AFTA or WTO. But with a discount = 10 %.

Anyway, thanks to Thai Customs... it's absolutly obscure. And variable. That's the inner beauty of Customs...

[Maestro]

http://www.customs.go.th/Tariff/Tariff.jsp

Thank you for this link, cclub. I had been looking for it myself but could not find it, and I already had occasion just now to pass it on to somebody else who may find it useful.

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Maestro

[Alonso's Army]

All the cigarettes and alcohol that get confiscated by Thai customs is sold off in a special auction once a month. I haven't been to one yet but a co-worker goes and brings back a lot of goodies. You need to know the right people to go.

Last month we polished off a Johnny Blue Label and smoked some fine Juliet cigars. I am currently "testing" a new carton of Davidoff ciggies - they are very smooth.

The custom guys have an eye for the good stuff and know the market value so don't try to be coy with them, just hand it over so I can enjoy it :-)

[bacwy1]

Sooo, if I am reading this right than I can take my smokeless tobacco as long as I declare it and not try to hide it. I just can not buy it any place in Thailand. Kind of funny that they would ban smokeless tobacco, it is less of a health risk for the non smokers since there is no second hand chew affects, unless you drink the spit I am leaving in 4 days and I am taking about 35 cans with me. I am leaving from SFO to Teipei. I am thinking of putting the cans into my carry on bags instead of my checked bags.

[A_Traveller]

As an aside, flying in the other day I could hear 'just ' as part of the 'we will be landing shortly' announcement {just before we went into holding} reference to the duty free limits which I've never recalled hearing on an inbound flight before.

Regards

[Ricardo]

Just an update to say that, as of Friday morning, the plain-clothes "I'm an officer - please can I check your bags" man is still lurking, after Customs in the Arrivals-area. I wouldn't mind, but I'd already just been checked by Customs in the green channel, and wasn't even carrying any ciggies.

I suspect I was pulled because one of my carry-ons displays a battered 20-year-old advert for 'Rothmans King-Size'. The bag contained Sugar-Puffs (the cereal - not some new exotic smoke !).

[libya 115]

Just an update to say that, as of Friday morning, the plain-clothes "I'm an officer - please can I check your bags" man is still lurking, after Customs in the Arrivals-area. I wouldn't mind, but I'd already just been checked by Customs in the green channel, and wasn't even carrying any ciggies.

I suspect I was pulled because one of my carry-ons displays a battered 20-year-old advert for 'Rothmans King-Size'. The bag contained Sugar-Puffs (the cereal - not some new exotic smoke !).

Just out of perculiar interest; I have read about these 'plain clothes customs officers' that appear after custom control. Did he show photographic I.D. ?

This sounds like a possible scam; I would be wary of these:

QUOTE

"plain-clothes "I'm an officer - please can I check your bags" men still lurking, after Customs in the Arrivals-area. "

[Arkady]

Just an update to say that, as of Friday morning, the plain-clothes "I'm an officer - please can I check your bags" man is still lurking, after Customs in the Arrivals-area. I wouldn't mind, but I'd already just been checked by Customs in the green channel, and wasn't even carrying any ciggies.

I suspect I was pulled because one of my carry-ons displays a battered 20-year-old advert for 'Rothmans King-Size'. The bag contained Sugar-Puffs (the cereal - not some new exotic smoke !).

Just out of perculiar interest; I have read about these 'plain clothes customs officers' that appear after custom control. Did he show photographic I.D. ?

This sounds like a possible scam; I would be wary of these:

QUOTE

"plain-clothes "I'm an officer - please can I check your bags" men still lurking, after Customs in the Arrivals-area. "

This tactic is almost certainly not part of official customs policy. They have plenty of opportunity to check passengers going through the green channel and there is no advantage in stationing a plain clothes officer beyond customs. It is possible that these people are real police or customs officers who are freelancing while off duty. Remember the gang of real police in the 90s who used to "arrest" Chinese tourists in Patpong and take them out of Bangkok to rob and murder them - only investigated after strenuous protests from the Chinese Embassy.

I have noticed that security at Suvannaphum arrivals is more relaxed than Don Muang. They are allowing in a far greater number of annoying touts offering taxi services, probably unlicensed taxis - how long before the unlicensed operators claim their first tourist tourist murder there? So it seems likely that AOT officials are allowing in the plain clothes "officers" to harass tourists for a rake off, along with all their other scams.

Suvannaphum seems to be Thaksin's monument to government sponsored corruption and crime - even female workers are being harassed by construction workers. No doubt the first rape will be reported before long. And yes, I too have experienced the amazing toilets at Suvannaphum - any petrol station owner in India would be proud!

[libya 115]

I think, if I were challenged after customs control I would be especially cautious. I would refuse to leave the airport with them and demand to back-track to customs inside the arrivals terminal.

The case of the disappearing Chinese tourists is new to me, but I have heard the dreadful {alleged report} of the minibus-taxi, that caused CO-gassing of collected fares at BBK DM.

At least Manila got rid of the internal taxi-touts and safer coupon taxis are easily available inside the airport.