Duty Free Allowance?

[jeffandgop]

The TAT website states:

Thailand customs allows visitors to enter Thailand with personal effects, the value of which does not exceed 80,000 Baht, without paying import fees as long as: 1) the items are specifically for personal or professional use; 2) the amount of goods are reasonable; and 3) the items are not subject to restriction or prohibition.

The Thai Customs website states:

If you are bringing in with you the items with total combined value more than 10,000 baht, these items are subject to import taxes and duties. A flat rate of duty will be applied on the dutiable items provided that:

The dutiable items are intended for personal use;

They are at a reasonable quantity and not intended for commercial use, business, or trade purposes;

The total value is not exceeding 80,000 Baht; and

Passengers are able to pay taxes and duties in cash on the date of arrival.

So is duty free less than 10,000THB?

[JLT]

I bought many personal and business items in my luggage when I moved here 5 years from the UK and had other personal and business items shipped out a week or so later. There was no problem at CNX customs when I was waved through and my shippers completed the necessary customs import / value documentation and declaration for the other items, which turned up all intact a month or so later. I collected everything with no problem. It might be that the shippers have a far better idea of exactly what the financial requirements are, so perhaps a word with a shipping company will be more useful for you.

[jeffandgop]

I'm not bringing household goods. It's just returning from a vacation with small items purchased overseas that I can't get here.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

These regulations are hopeless. I'd say outdated, but I'm, not sure that they were ever reasonable since WW2 or so.

(Wearing any decent wristwatch will put you over 80,000 already.)

So: don't worry about it for typical things that typical tourists and business travellers bring along.

When bringing anything valuable that's really out of the ordinary (like, an Espresso machine or something) I recommend to not go through customs in Chiang Mai, but do it in Bangkok where they're a lot less likely to check people and especially not white people.

If you must go through customs in Chiang Mai and the out-of-the-ordinary item isn't too big, then stick it in as small a handbag as possible, which they don't X-Ray when going through customs.

Edited March 29, 2016 by WinnieTheKhwai

[jeffandgop]

The question remains. If someone knows if the duty free allowance is up to 10,000THB or was revised up to and now is 80,000THB then that info would answer the request. That is only what I'm asking

[jeffandgop]

The question remains. If someone knows if the duty free allowance is up to 10,000THB or was revised up to and now is 80,000THB then that info would answer the request. That is only what I'm asking

[Bill97]

It does not matter. It is all up to the inspector and if you confront him with your view of the regulations then you will loose.

[MadMac]

A single laptop or a camera is in the range of 40k. Everybody brings one. Nobody cares.

[chuang]

Recently back from Singapore with g/f...with nearly 50 kgs of luggage..passed through X-ray machine and was told to open up bags but when told that we arrived from Singapore..they just waved us on.....