hi there,

I have a friend in thailand that has a small british restaurant.

I am thinking of taking some sample indian spice curry kits in my case in plastic bags ready made currie mixes, tumeric coriander etc.

I am a bit worried about taking brown powder in plastic bags through bangkok airport as could look dodgy.

Am I allowed to take these through in my case? they are only curry kits and not drugs.

Do I have to declare at customs england or bangkok?????

RED

hi there,

I have a friend in thailand that has a small british restaurant.

I am thinking of taking some sample indian spice curry kits in my case in plastic bags ready made currie mixes, tumeric coriander etc.

I am a bit worried about taking brown powder in plastic bags through bangkok airport as could look dodgy.

Am I allowed to take these through in my case? they are only curry kits and not drugs.

Do I have to declare at customs england or bangkok?????

RED

Why bother...... Indian spices are readily available in Thailand at a substancial savings from everywhere but India.

I would have thought provided they are in sealed packaging, clearly identified and with list of contents you'd be OK from the drugs standpoint.

As long as the quantities are not excessive I don't think you'll fall foul of import taxes and provided there are no fresh plant materials that would be OK as well. Might be best to check via the www on import restrictions.

Many years ago a lot of the expats I knew were under standing instructions to bring as much OXO, Bisto, HP Sauce etc as they could carry for various bars/guesthouses/restaurants. Nobody ever gave it a second thought and nobody I know ever had a problem. However that was pre 9/11 and customs at Suvarnabhumi do seem to be having a bit of a purge.

If he already has the restaurnt, why does he need the spices?

Don't waste your time; spices and the like are readily available in supermarkets here, and if you want a specialty spice store, "Spice Story" on the ground floor in Siam Paragon has anything he could possibly require.

theres also a number of indian run supermarkets if he really wants to find something he can.

This said if you do bring with you there wont usually be a problem.

Phahurat's the place to look and find whatever you need Indian.