Hints for Travelers on Customs
Customs laws and procedures that travelers in and out of Thailand should know:
1. Outgoing Travelers
1.1 The travelers who have carried personal effects
with them such as, video, camera, radio, tape, etc. and would like to bring
their personal effects back into Thailand, they shall have to report to
the Customs for exemption on import duty before their departure under the
following conditions:
- Used effects in reasonable
quantity
- Marks and Numbers for verification
Practice: Travelers are
required to show their boarding passes, passports, air tickets, and their
effects to the customs officers at the Customs Office (Departure) at Bangkok
International Airport.
Note: Articles which are not personal effects but are of commercial
nature, please contact customs officers for customs procedures before departure.
1.2 Prohibited goods which cannot be taken out
of the Kingdom;
- Narcotics
- Explosives
1.3 Restricted goods means certain goods which
are under control upon exportation, the persons who wish to take out or
export such goods shall be required to obtain permits from the government
agencies concerned to be presented to the customs officers upon exportation;
such as,
- Buddha images, religious objects,
antiques (Fine Arts Department)
- Wild animals or domestic animals,
such as, birds, monkeys, cats, etc. (Forestry Department or Livestock Department)
- Plants, such as Durian, Longan
(Agriculture Technical Department)
- Firearms, Ammunitions (Police
Department)
2. Amount of Thai or foreign currencies/monetary instruments that may be taken out of the Kingdom of without prior permission from the banks.
2.1 Thai currency
- Travelers
going to Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. 500,000 Bath
each;
- Travelers
who take out Thai currency more than the stipulated amount shall have to
obtain permission from the Bank of Thailand via commercial banks and shall
have to show such permission to the customs officers at the time of their departures.
2.2 Foreign currency or
foreign monetary instruments
- Outgoing
travelers or temporary travelers according to the period shown on the air
ticket can take out unlimited amounts.
3. Thai currency or foreign currencies or foreign
monetary instruments may be brought into the Kingdom.
- Unlimited amounts for importation;
Note: For further details relating to the exportation of currencies,
please see the Exchange
regulations in Thailand or contact all commercial banks and customs
officers stationed at Customs-House nationwide.
4. The Inspection of Luggages for travelers upon
entering the KIngdom.
4.1 Travelers are required to
fill out the customs declaration form before taking their luggages past
the customs officers.
4.2 Travelers who have
no dutiable, restricted or prohibited goods shall submit their declaration
forms at the Green Channel with the signboard showing "Nothing to
Declare,"
4.3 Travelers who have
dutiable, restricted or prohibited goods or are uncertain whether the goods
are subject to payment of duty shall submit their declaration forms to
the Customs officers at the Red Channel with the signboard showing "Goods
to Declare,"
Note: Travelers who have smuggles dutiable, restricted or prohibited goods
through the "Green Channel" shall be fined 4 times of the value
of goods, plus duty and the goods shall be confiscated.
5. Goods Exempted form Payment of Duty
- cigarettes not exceeding 200 pieces or cigars and
tobacco not exceeding 250 grams;
- Liquor 1 Liter;
- Reasonable amount of personal effects
Personal effects, accompanied
with the owner for his own or professional use, in reasonable quantity,
and their values must not exceed 10,000 Baht (excluding the articles which are
of commercial nature although their values do not exceed 10,000 Baht), except
motor vehicles, firearms and ammunition, provisions; but for spirituous
liquor, cigarettes, cigars or smoking tobacco, being personal effects and
accompanied with the owner, the Director-General of Customs may impose
any restriction with respect to the exemption form payment of duty at any
port as he may think fit but the quantity must not exceed the amount of
cigarettes and the liquor stated above.
Note: For more information, you may see the section of the Goods
Exempted from Payment of Duty or directly contact the Privileged Goods
and Investment Promotion Sub-Division, Formalities and Assessment Division,
Customs Department at Tel. (662) 249-2314 or Fax. (662) 249-4213.
- Used household effects brought in by the owner due
to change of domicile in reasonable amounts. (Please see the section of Used Household Effects)
6. Prohibited and Restricted Goods for Importation
6.1 Prohibit ed goods
means goods which are not allowed to be imported, such as:
- Obscene
articles, obscene publications;
- Narcotics:
6.2 Restricted goods means
goods which are allowed to be imported upon obtaining prior written permission
from the government agencies concerned before importation, such as:
- Communication
equipment and walkie-talkie (Post and Telegraph Department)
- Firearms
and Ammunitions (Police Department)
- Plants
and parts of plants (Agriculture Technical Department)
- Animals
(Livestock Department)
- Cosmetics
(Public Health Ministry)
- Aquatic
animals (Fishery Department)
- etc.
For more information, please contact the customs officers or at any
Customs Houses or at:
Bangkok International Airport
Customs Houses at Tel. (662) 535-1431
Inbound Passenger Inspection
Sub-Division at Tel (662) 535-1258, or (662) 535-1269
Public Relations Sub-Division,
Customs Department at Tel. (662) 249-9017 or (662) 249-3298.
Source: The Customs Department of Thailand
***This page is maintained by the Office of Economic and Financial Affairs,
Washington, DC, who can be reached at econ-fin@ari.net. ***
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