Retirement Visa/import Of Personal Effects.

[CRUNCHER]

I am in the process of buying a condo in Thailand. I will be shipping my personal effects (furniture, clothing etc. - all used). I was under the impression that if I got a retirment visa then I had 6 months to ship in my personal effects free of tax and import duty. I have recently heard that this is not the case.

Can anyone confirm the correct position please? In particular I would like to know exactly when the 6 months starts, if indeed this is the case.

In the event that there is no tax exemption or for some reason I do not go down the retirment visa road, has anyone any idea of rates of import duty, tax etc. Preumably it is expressed as a percentage of the value?

Thanks in anticipation!

[Axel]

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 for duty- and tax free importation.

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

Total amount payable is difficult to say as it is the customs officer who estimates the value and

will especially look out for electronics, electrical items.

[stickyb]

Having just gone down that route i found the tax was not much. A few tips I picked up.

Have all your things packed professionally and then use the packing list from the shippers for the importation documentation. I had the shippers in the UK fax it direct to the agents in Bangkok. Saved me doing a long list myself.

Don't bring too many electrical items. One each of things like wahing machine, TV, etc, but 2 of any will raise a query and much more tax on the second one.

The shipping agent in Bangkok told me that it is much easier to clear through Laem Chabang port than through Bangkok

Whn my stuff arrived I had not yet got a retirement visa, only a 30 day stamp. This did not cause any problems at all.

[cheshiremusicman]

Sorry for the previous 'Post' it was my first attempt at a 'posting' and only managed to send the 'quote' and not my own message, so sorry for the waste of space.

My wife and I are in the process of moving to Hua-Hin and wish to bring some of our furniture from the UK. We will both be applying for our 'retirement visa' after 60 days ( we presently both have the 'Multiple entry visa' and I thought that this would constitute a yearly visa and thus allow us to import our 'household goods' free of import duty and tax. From what I have read on the 'Forum' this would appear to be wrong (please feel free to correct me) - so where does this leave us with regard to import duty?? We would like to import some furniture that we have had for some 20 years - old though it is, we still like it and having spent a month looking around HH and BKK I can't say that we were overly impressed with the quality that we saw as replacements.

So here is the question that we would like answering if possible from all you experienced people in Thailand - How do the Customs people value 'imported goods'? We have some of the original invoices for our 20 year old furniture (sad though that might seem - but I am a bit of a squirrel, much to my wife's annoyance) so do they take into account its age, the furniture being virtually valueless in the UK, probably worth about £250 if we were lucky in a sale or do they value it on what you would have to pay in LOS for the equivalent?

Any help will be most appreciated.

[backflip]

After receiving my retirement visa 2+ years ago, I brought in 3 cubic meters of clothing and household goods. When I proved to the customs officer that the goods were more than 6 months old, I wasn't charged any duty. As another person posted, to avoid problems, be sure you have a complete and accurate packing slip. When I packed the boxes, the packing slip clearly indicated "box 1 contains 'this'" and "box 2 contains 'that'". When the Bangkok clearing agent typed up a list for customs, the slip read: "30 boxes of used clothing and miscellaneous goods". The customs agent did not appreciate it. He had his troops open, and unload every single item from the boxes.

[pgs]

Why would you bother sending heavy items like washing machine / tv / etc? All of these can be bought quite cheaply in Thailand. We compare prices from Sydney to Bangkok & Chaiyaphum each visit. Pretty much everything can be bought in TH with a good saving - with UK pricing it can only be more. A 5kg front loader in AU is about AUD900, in TH it is about AUD500. Not worth the cost of shipping. You may also have trouble getting parts for machines not sold there.

[simcity]

Why would you bother sending heavy items like washing machine / tv / etc? All of these can be bought quite cheaply in Thailand. We compare prices from Sydney to Bangkok & Chaiyaphum each visit. Pretty much everything can be bought in TH with a good saving - with UK pricing it can only be more. A 5kg front loader in AU is about AUD900, in TH it is about AUD500. Not worth the cost of shipping. You may also have trouble getting parts for machines not sold there.

Shipping is cheap , i send half container Melbourne to Bangkok for 950 dollars , better as to buy everything again !

the higher cost was the packaging-loading from my place to the container and the insurance !

[Lite Beer]

Sell all you stuff and buy again here. I did.

[cheshiremusicman]

Sell all you stuff and buy again here. I did.

Thanks to 'backflip' re the 3 cubic metre import and importance of having each box marked correctly- which I can thoroughly understand customs annoyance at if not marked. Also thanks for the comment re the greater than 6 months old, which was my point.

Ref 'pqs's remarks re the washing machine,TV. etc. we do agree with you about these items as they are easily obtained in LOS at sensible prices, but 'good quality furniture' I've yet to see, other than at astronomical prices for the our equivalent - hence our desire to import same.

Ok 'lite beer' we will be buying a lot of stuff in BKK and HH re 3 piece suites (lots) and all our white goods (already purchased) but some items like 'cut glass', 'display cabinets', etc we have not seen the like of in the shops and wish to bring with us.

[Lite Beer]

Sell all you stuff and buy again here. I did.

Thanks to 'backflip' re the 3 cubic metre import and importance of having each box marked correctly- which I can thoroughly understand customs annoyance at if not marked. Also thanks for the comment re the greater than 6 months old, which was my point.

Ref 'pqs's remarks re the washing machine,TV. etc. we do agree with you about these items as they are easily obtained in LOS at sensible prices, but 'good quality furniture' I've yet to see, other than at astronomical prices for the our equivalent - hence our desire to import same.

Ok 'lite beer' we will be buying a lot of stuff in BKK and HH re 3 piece suites (lots) and all our white goods (already purchased) but some items like 'cut glass', 'display cabinets', etc we have not seen the like of in the shops and wish to bring with us.

Personally I do not think it is worth having expensive furniture here. What with the heat and humidity, termites, wasps making holes for eggs , gecko poo and other local problems. I buy cheap, but maybe that sums me up. Don`t trust local removers with your cut glass.

Any way enjoy your retirement in L.O.S

[cheshiremusicman]

Personally I do not think it is worth having expensive furniture here. What with the heat and humidity, termites, wasps making holes for eggs , gecko poo and other local problems. I buy cheap, but maybe that sums me up. Don`t trust local removers with your cut glass.

Any way enjoy your retirement in L.O.S

Thanks for the comments 'Lite Beer'. When I say 'expensive' I am not talking about antique furniture, just 'good quality veneered funiture' with a bit of weight in it. It didn't cost a fortune when we bought it all that number of years ago, but it still looks 'classy' and suprisingly, not really dated. We just thought it would look nice in our new house against the tiled floor and complement the furniture that we have decided to buy in Thailand.

The only really nice, 'solid looking' furniture, that appealed to us, was in one very nice shop in BKK, but when we enquired about the prices we made a very hastey retreat to the exit door. I think that we were the only people she had seen all day and now I know why!

Anybody know of a good carpenter (and I mean Carpenter, not chippy!) in the Hua-Hin area or nearby?

[COBBER]

You will be up for "tea money" which ever way you do it.

Some examples of what others have told me are: 5000 baht for 4 tea chests.

: 50000 baht for a 20 foot container.

Your only hope is to try to negotiate the tea money down a bit.

My suggestion would be to only send sentimental personal items, things that you cant buy here, and things that are too expensive to replace here.

Even if there is no duty applicable and everything is legal they will still find some way to get at you.

[cheshiremusicman]

Thanks 'Cobber', I've been told the same by a freind in HH.

We will probably be shipping a 20 foot container and if we have to pay 50,000 Baht then so be it - doesn't seem as though there is much choice, as we have virtually decided what we are bringing out with us.

All I can say is, they must have a varacious appetite for 'TEA' !

Any suggestions as to who to use as our AGENT in BKK. We are thinking of using AlliedPickfords to do the shipping and don't know who they use as an agent, or suppose that they probably have there own. We don't know if some of them have a more 'solid/understanding' relationship with the Customs officials than others.

[phusingpete]

Thanks 'Cobber', I've been told the same by a freind in HH.

We will probably be shipping a 20 foot container and if we have to pay 50,000 Baht then so be it - doesn't seem as though there is much choice, as we have virtually decided what we are bringing out with us.

All I can say is, they must have a varacious appetite for 'TEA' !

Any suggestions as to who to use as our AGENT in BKK. We are thinking of using AlliedPickfords to do the shipping and don't know who they use as an agent, or suppose that they probably have there own. We don't know if some of them have a more 'solid/understanding' relationship with the Customs officials than others.

Hi, I used Allied Pickfords when I moved some household goods to Sisaket from England.They did a door to door service,very efficient and reasonable price. You will certainly have to pay customs Tea money, my 13 boxes cost me 12000 baht tea money.

[cheshiremusicman]

Hi, I used Allied Pickfords when I moved some household goods to Sisaket from England.They did a door to door service,very efficient and reasonable price. You will certainly have to pay customs Tea money, my 13 boxes cost me 12000 baht tea money.

Hi , Thanks for that info re AlliedPickfords. I was not aware that they existed outside of the UK until I saw one of there vans in HH.

Did you have to turn up in person at the Customs house or did the agent sort it all for you and just deliver all your 13 boxes to you new address in Sisaket?

Forgive my ignorance but whereabouts in LOS is this located

[backflip]

I neglected to mention it, but I didn't pay any "tea money" - not a single baht.

[phusingpete]

Hi, I used Allied Pickfords when I moved some household goods to Sisaket from England.They did a door to door service,very efficient and reasonable price. You will certainly have to pay customs Tea money, my 13 boxes cost me 12000 baht tea money.

Hi , Thanks for that info re AlliedPickfords. I was not aware that they existed outside of the UK until I saw one of there vans in HH.

Did you have to turn up in person at the Customs house or did the agent sort it all for you and just deliver all your 13 boxes to you new address in Sisaket?

Forgive my ignorance but whereabouts in LOS is this located

Hi, I had to send my passport to the agents in Bangkok who dealt with the paper work.They sent it back with the goods to my home in Sisaket.

[cheshiremusicman]

I neglected to mention it, but I didn't pay any "tea money" - not a single baht.

Hi 'backflip'

What was your secret re the "no tea money", did you have a work permit or something that gave you exemption? Or do you know someone that I don't ( and that wouldn't be hard)!