Like many who have come to Thailand, I was attracted by the Buddhist philosophy that dominates the region and having lived here for over 3 years I've become for the most part Buddhist in my religious orientation. That being said, I still prefer to divide my time between Thailand and the northwestern United States. I love the tropical climate here but I miss the change of seasons and so choose to divide my time so as to enjoy the best of both worlds.

My question is related to the restriction of the export of religious images. I have a sitting Buddha image that is about 14" tall that I would dearly love to take with me to the States. It's nothing of historical signifigance as I bought it for 1200 baht at Chatuchak Market but it would be nice to have it back in my US home for inspriation.

Having seen the multitudinous array of Buddhist images on sale inside the waiting area for international flights at Don Muang, I'm curious as to what difficulty I would encounter in atempting to bring this image of which I am quite fond, back to my US home.

Many thanks,

Bkkxpat

You need an export permit. Many people don't care to get one and don't get any trouble for it but that is no guarantee. I heard a story a couple of years ago about a tourist that had packed one down next to underwear in a suitcase. This was very disrespectful and a guaranteed way to get in trouble even if it was just done out of ignorance.

Here's what the Thai MFA says:

7. Export of Objects of Thai Cultural Heritage and Import of Buddha Images into the Kingdom of Thailand

7.1 Export Buddha images, Bodhisattva or fragments thereof are forbidden to be taken out of the Kingdom, with the exception only for worship by Buddhists or as being part of a cultural exchange or for educational purposes. A license for exportation must be obtained from the Department of Fine Arts, Ministry of Education.

Such a license is a legal document to allow export out of the Kingdom of antiquities and objects of arts, whether they are originals or reproductions

Items to present to apply for a license

- Two postcard-sized photographs of the object's front view (maximum 5 objects on each photograph)

- Application form, obtained directly from the Department of Fine Arts, duly filled in and signed by the applicant

- Passport of the applicant with a copy certified true by the DCIO concerned

Procedure

Object(s) to be exported, photograph(s), passport of the applicant and copy and application form(s) have to be submitted to the Department of Fine Arts, at least eight days before the shipment of goods or departure of the applicant, for verification before the issuance of license(s).

Edited May 5, 200422 yr by ka12345

I guess I have been extremely lucky.

I allways come back with suitcases packed with buddhas lots of them, to the point the bags are labeled heavy.

We also two years ago shipped a large shippment of Buddhas to San Diego

One standing 6'4'' one sitting about 48'' tall they were huge.

Lot's of other smaller ones as well.

We weren't even charged import duties on this end as they were not for commercial use...

Best to follow the rules though.

If you are just shipping back a one or a few, cant you just say its for personal worship?

Its not uncommon for a buddhist to have a shrine in there house. Some have several. As long as you are not taking out national treasures, I think this would be perfectly acceptable.

You can say it's for personal workship, but this won't change the legal framework.

You are allowed to take out the small 1/2"-1" figures which are used for personal talismans.