Importing belongings, passports and visas

[Edu48c]

Please can anyone advise? My (English) wife and I moved here at the end of our teaching contracts in March. Our new employers refused to send any paperwork so we were unable to obtain any Non B visas before we arrived. In fact our new boss was very rude when we contacted him after our second unsuccessful visit to the Thai Embassy in Singapore. "You can get a non B visa when you are in Thailand, and dont send insulting emails" was the gist of it.

So, six months later I do have a work permit and have just got the nine month extension on my non B. My wife continues to work on a tourist visa and the school wanted us to go down the dependant's O visa route, but did not realise they would have to send us back to the UK to get our marriage certificate legalised by the Thai Embassy in London. Just as it was when we worked in UAE. She continues on a tourist visa!!!

Now our 5 boxes of personal possessions have arrived from Singapore and is at customs at Suvarnabhumi. TNT are demanding my passport for three days before they will release our goods. Everything I have ever read, on this site and others, clearly states that you never let your passport leave your sight in Thailand. Is there nothing we can do? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Singapore, UAE, Brazil and South Africa were so easy and calm compared to this country. Thank you in advance

 

[ubonjoe]

You do not need to return to the UK to get your marriage certificate legalized. Info on doing it by mail is here:  https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/461071/Legalising_a_signature_or_seal_final_Sept_15.pdf

Copies of your passport should be all that is needed for customs clearance.

[Tagaa]

Regarding your personal effects at customs...When I moved here I had the same situation. I was allowed one duty free shipment as I was on a new retirement visa. The logistics called asking me to send them my passport. Initially I said no. They said no passport to document dates & visa type, I'll have to pay duty.

 

Grudgingly, I sent them my passport , via EMS with tracking. A few days later my stuff arrived and the driver had my passport.

 

It made me a bit uneasy, but it worked out OK. Just make sure you send it EMS with tracking & signature requirement. Or take it to them personally. That's probably not convenient.

[Edu48c]

Thank you both for such prompt and informative replies. We have been left with no option but to go with EMS and we will inform the school of the above link to get our marriage certificate legalised.

thank you both again 

[The Dark Lord]

3 hours ago, Tagaa said:

Regarding your personal effects at customs...When I moved here I had the same situation. I was allowed one duty free shipment as I was on a new retirement visa. The logistics called asking me to send them my passport. Initially I said no. They said no passport to document dates & visa type, I'll have to pay duty.

 

Grudgingly, I sent them my passport , via EMS with tracking. A few days later my stuff arrived and the driver had my passport.

 

It made me a bit uneasy, but it worked out OK. Just make sure you send it EMS with tracking & signature requirement. Or take it to them personally. That's probably not convenient.

Can you do this by sea shipments? Wife and I have all our UK house possessions in storage in U.K. And am on retirement visa here in LOS wife is indigenous

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, The Dark Lord said:

Can you do this by sea shipments? Wife and I have all our UK house possessions in storage in U.K. And am on retirement visa here in LOS wife is indigenous

You can import you your household goods by  sea. But the will not be duty free unless your wife is Thai. See: http://www.customs.go.th/wps/wcm/connect/custen/individuals/importing+used+or+secondhand+household+effects/importingusedsecondhandhouseholdeffects+

[The Dark Lord]

3 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

You can import you your household goods by  sea. But the will not be duty free unless your wife is Thai. See: http://www.customs.go.th/wps/wcm/connect/custen/individuals/importing+used+or+secondhand+household+effects/importingusedsecondhandhouseholdeffects+

Hey thanks very much indeed. You might have missed my terminology for which my apologies. Yes wife is indigenous ( Thai) and a royal pain in the nether regions right now but it will pass.

 

any time frame from arriving to importing as we have been here 3 yrs plus looking for the right place all our stuff in UK storage at a staggering £400 per month! <<probably best I read the link -sorry>>

[Tagaa]

On 10/6/2016 at 1:53 PM, ubonjoe said:

You can import you your household goods by  sea. But the will not be duty free unless your wife is Thai. See: http://www.customs.go.th/wps/wcm/connect/custen/individuals/importing+used+or+secondhand+household+effects/importingusedsecondhandhouseholdeffects+

 

Was curious so I tried to follow your link...Error 404...so...Can't comment.

 

When I came here, (2007) all you needed was a retirement visa. You could import personal possessions, with a few exceptions, for a few months before and up to 6 months after you entered the country. I shipped about 1200 lbs of stuff & paid zero duty.  It was clothes, family photos, a few items of furniture, albums, CD's, good quality pots & pans and kitchen utensils...stuff like that.

 

They needed my passport to verify visa & date of arrival.

[Tagaa]

On 10/6/2016 at 5:15 PM, The Dark Lord said:

Yes wife is indigenous ( Thai) and a royal pain in the nether regions right now but it will pass.

 

any time frame from arriving to importing as we have been here 3 yrs plus looking for the right place all our stuff in UK storage at a staggering £400 per month! <<probably best I read the link -sorry>>

 

First thing...It will not pass. You are here now & she has you by the nards. I saw this with my ex & I see it on a daily basis with other farangs I know & have known. Many got so tired of the constant verbal abuse they left everything they had here and went home. So you don't think this is an isolated instance, 5 farangs that I have known have returned home due to this circumstance. Only one was hooked up with a bar girl. Another one that, by the way,  just bought an expensive new truck, is considering it as I write this.

 

 

If you've been here 3 years you have missed the window under the rule that I came in on. Can't comment on ubonjoes link as it will not open.

 

Anyway...Good Luck.

[ubonjoe]

33 minutes ago, Tagaa said:

 

Was curious so I tried to follow your link...Error 404...so...Can't comment.

 

When I came here, (2007) all you needed was a retirement visa. You could import personal possessions, with a few exceptions, for a few months before and up to 6 months after you entered the country. I shipped about 1200 lbs of stuff & paid zero duty.  It was clothes, family photos, a few items of furniture, albums, CD's, good quality pots & pans and kitchen utensils...stuff like that.

 

They needed my passport to verify visa & date of arrival.

The link was working when I posted it. Found the new page on website: http://en.customs.go.th/content.php?ini_content=individuals_151007_02&lang=en&left_menu=menu_individuals_151007_02

Things have changed since 2007. Only those with work permits can now do it duty free.

 

[The Dark Lord]

4 hours ago, Tagaa said:

 

First thing...It will not pass. You are here now & she has you by the nards. I saw this with my ex & I see it on a daily basis with other farangs I know & have known. Many got so tired of the constant verbal abuse they left everything they had here and went home. So you don't think this is an isolated instance, 5 farangs that I have known have returned home due to this circumstance. Only one was hooked up with a bar girl. Another one that, by the way,  just bought an expensive new truck, is considering it as I write this.

 

 

If you've been here 3 years you have missed the window under the rule that I came in on. Can't comment on ubonjoes link as it will not open.

 

Anyway...Good Luck.

Thanks my friend. 

 

The boss is inherantly good good and issues invariably get resolved my way. 

 

Sorry you you and your chums got rogered but don't give up on the indig pussy, some pass the test........

[Tagaa]

I didn't get rogered, as you put it. We split up and I live here happily on my own.

 

Some GF's or wives work out just fine. It's when they begin finding fault with everything that you do is when you know that the tide has turned.