Customs and receiving a package from abroad

[Renzo75]

Hello,

 

Can anyone help or recommend me how to handle the situation when family want to sent a package with a weight of about 5kilo. My family wants to sent me items that are hard to get or not available in Thailand. We have to stay longer than planned because of the Covid-19 situation, just like many others. So things that we normally bring with us when we go to Thailand, are running out quickly now. 

 

What does my family has to do and even better, what do I have to do to get the package delivered?

Does anyone knows if there is a fee that has to be paid at the costums office or delivery company? Is there an amount that will be free of charge and how can I see what to pay if it is a higher amount. Is there a table stating what the costs are??

 

As you can understand this is the first time that i will receive a package from from my family /EU.

 

Looking forward to any reaction that will help me to find the answer. 

 

Thank you very much for your time and information. 

 

[Airalee]

Depends on what they are sending and the value.

 

Under 1000 baht value, no duties.  If you fudge the price to try to evade taxes...they’ll tell you what it’s worth.  Dispute their valuation and you can appeal it and have a 30 day wait for them to approve or deny your appeal.  There are online customs duty (government website) but the percentages listed have never seemed to match what I have paid at the customs office in person (I paid significantly less than the online percentages)

 

If sent by DHL (or the likes) you may be able to pay the delivery driver upon delivery (Depending on value) .  Sent by regular mail (EMS) you can pay at the post office (again, depending on the value).  Over a few hundred $€£ (in my experience) and you’ll have to go to the customs office.  You will receive a notice in your regular mail telling you where you need to go (it will all be written in Thai).

[worgeordie]

Have it posted in smaller packages,larger heavy packages draw the

attentions of customs, small packages ,containing nothing illegal

should get through no bother.

DON'T get anything sent by courier,that's when you will encounter

problems and added expenses,my daughter sent me 900 gram fish

food and 2 packets of toffee, FEDex,they said I needed an import

license for the fish food and toffee !, just abandoned the parcel,

by the time I sorted out import licenses,and paid storage fees,

and an agent to clear the goods,not worth it.

regards worgeordie

 

[Sundown]

Just last week I received a 15kg package of deli meat, sausages and other things very expensive here. Sent through regular mail. You have to put the detailed list of items you are sending, but the post office will help you with this also regarding taxes. All tracked on the website. and once arrived in Thailand, tracked with Thai post and after 2 days was at my house. Whole process, less than three weeks, no paid taxes. 

Also another time I received a package from LA well over 1kg and I paid no taxes at all. Maybe I'm just lucky but I suggest using regular mail and not couriers.

Edited June 22, 2020 by Sundown

[Sheryl]

Agree. Avoid couriers.

[Crossy]

Just what will be in the package? Some things a prohibited and will get you in trouble.

 

Generally, as above, small packages sent via regular mail tend to get through without payment, but they are invariably scanned so those illicit items are very likely to get found.

 

[yeahbutif]

I'm sent parcel from UK via post office CA and only send 2kg cost £21 & was sent back lost £21 &said can't send tins so be careful 

[rwill]

I have vitamins and other supplements regularly sent to me with no problem.  Keep packages small, 2 kilos or less and under 1,500 baht value.

[phkauf]

The one advantage of using a courier like DHL is that you can declare a value when shipped and pay the duty online when the package arrives in Thailand so it's not held up. I don't think they are too strict about valuations as long as you are in the ballpark. Recently had a new mobile sent from US, just declared it as used (repacked from the new box) valued at $300, well less than half the price. Sailed thru no problem - 4 days from the US and only 2,000 baht in taxes.

I have had things sent via USPS get held up at Thai Post for fees and take weeks to get here. It can be very hit and miss. 

[BobbyL]

Finally had a good experience with FedEx.

 

Got a set of kitchen knives sent over recently and it took 6 days from England to here. My family lied on the form and said they were half the real value, therefore we only paid 700b import. 

[Deerculler]

I get things sent by normal post and never had a problem.

[PerkinsCuthbert]

No need to wear a costume, but do dress smartly.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

DONT send by private courier... Send international mail via the sender's national postal service, which will result in the package being delivered here by ThaiPost.

 

Have the sender used a trackable method if the things have value and you want to be able to track their progress and arrival here.

 

There is a 1500b exemption per package on Thai customs duty. So if you keep each package valuation under that limit and send via regular international airmail, the chances of getting hit for any tax or duty in Thailand are minimal.

 

If you go over that limit but still send only by regular postal services and not private couriers, you might get hit by a 7% VAT charge and possible some customs duty -- but nowhere near what you'd pay if the sender uses FedEx, DHL, UPS, etc.

 

 

 

 

[AAArdvark]

I have had nightmares on a few occasions even with big name couriers.  I got notices from DHL and UPS that packages were in customs.  None of them were expensive with none of them over 500 baht.  I lived in Chiang Mai.  The notices were in horrible English but each one said a couple of things that forced me to abandon the items.  They first wanted me to send a copy of my passport and later to actually send the passport to them in Bangkok.  I was not willing to send my passport so they requested that I fly to Bangkok with my passport.  They also wanted me to go to the local customs office and fill out a form of some kind which I have forgotten the name of. Other packages would just fly through.

There is no way to return the packages the only options were to go to them or abandon.  In both cases, they offered no help and talking to them on the phone was useless.

I started using Amazon which charges a customs fee and takes care of all the customs paper work.  After the package is deliver, which is very fast, they refund and customs duties that were unused.

[allencraig]

So I guess I can also take the info here as meaning they've opened up international mail service. (I was assuming that since the borders were still "closed" no mail was going in or out.)

[Captor]

I have checked with EMS from Sweden and a package will be sent by boat now when the borders still not open. At least 7 weeks. That is not an option so it has to be DHL then. 27 kg in 2 packages. Ventilation details. I need to get it to Bangkok within 3-4 weeks. Is there another way?

[allencraig]

1 hour ago, Captor said:

I have checked with EMS from Sweden and a package will be sent by boat now when the borders still not open. At least 7 weeks. That is not an option so it has to be DHL then. 27 kg in 2 packages. Ventilation details. I need to get it to Bangkok within 3-4 weeks. Is there another way?

That's weird as I sent OUT a small package to the US via regular ThaiPost in March, which would have to go by air, and it was held up through April and May. But the package finally arrived in California on June 6. So that would mean airmail is flying out. But EMS tells you there are no flights IN. Hmmm..

[Isan Farang]

Customs seem to be on a roll at present as the last two small packages i had sent from Japan by Air Mail was hit for Duty, have had many sent with no issues.

 

Waiting on a couple from the USA sent by USPS Prority Mail, first one arrived on Sunday and as per the Thai Post tracking Perform Customs Clearance, never waited this long before.

• 21/06/2563 10:07BANGKOK MAIL CENTER Perform customs clearance
• 21/06/2563 09:28BANGKOK MAIL CENTER Arrival at inward office of exchange
• 13/06/2563 13:04International (United States) Departure From Outward OE

When i go to the USPS tracking it states Held In Customs

 

 

 

 

 

[allencraig]

I guess with so much fewer packages coming in, they have more time to scrutinize. So much for my online CBD oil plans...

[Captor]

2 hours ago, allencraig said:

That's weird as I sent OUT a small package to the US via regular ThaiPost in March, which would have to go by air, and it was held up through April and May. But the package finally arrived in California on June 6. So that would mean airmail is flying out. But EMS tells you there are no flights IN. Hmmm..

Yes, they told me that it will be sent by boat. Maybe your pckage was sent that way as well but they didn´t mention that to you? Or they maybe did not know them self that time when you sent it.  The timeline looks like sea freight March-June. Normally it is by air from Sweden to Thailand.

[Captor]

1 minute ago, Captor said:

Yes, they told me that it will be sent by boat. Maybe your pckage was sent that way as well but they didn´t mention that to you? Or they maybe did not know them self that time when you sent it.  The timeline looks like sea freight March-June. Normally it is by air from Sweden to Thailand.

But DHL uses air freight and have done that during the whole pandemi. Same as the other couriers. They use to have their own planes. EMS are sending with regular flights.

Maybe that is why the couriers are checked more thorough always because of the extra attention to them?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

22 hours ago, allencraig said:

So I guess I can also take the info here as meaning they've opened up international mail service. (I was assuming that since the borders were still "closed" no mail was going in or out.)

 There has been a halt in recent times on OUTBOUND international regular airmail from TH to the U.S.  AFAIK, there never has been any halt to inbound international mail to Thailand.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

19 hours ago, Isan Farang said:

Customs seem to be on a roll at present as the last two small packages i had sent from Japan by Air Mail was hit for Duty, have had many sent with no issues.

 

Waiting on a couple from the USA sent by USPS Prority Mail, first one arrived on Sunday and as per the Thai Post tracking Perform Customs Clearance, never waited this long before.

• 21/06/2563 10:07BANGKOK MAIL CENTER Perform customs clearance
• 21/06/2563 09:28BANGKOK MAIL CENTER Arrival at inward office of exchange
• 13/06/2563 13:04International (United States) Departure From Outward OE

When i go to the USPS tracking it states Held In Customs

 

 

The two small packages sent from Japan to TH that were hit for customs duty... what sending method did you use for those?

 

The USPS Priority Mail package that arrived Sunday... that did or did not have any customs duty assessed?

 

I too have experienced delays on several packages I had sent from the U.S. to TH in early June which have still not been delivered to me here in BKK -- even though the normal delivery time via the airmail method I use typically is about 2 weeks. So they're about a week overdue at this point.

 

Tracking info shows they arrived to Swampy at the end of last week and were cleared out of the airport, but nothing so far after that.

 

On the U.S. end, it appears they sat in the U.S. waiting for many days to be shipped out internationally, and when I checked on that, I found the following message on the U.S. tracking page for each of those packages.

 

 

Up until this recent snafu, all of my U.S. to TH airmail parcels had been arriving here as usual within the approx. two week timeframe with absolutely no delays or problems for the duration of the CV pandemic... until just this month.

 

I wonder if it might have some relation to THAI Air's recent bankruptcy situation. It would seem unlikely it has anything to do with the current/recent CV situation in Thailand.

 

Edited June 24, 2020 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Kon Kaoli]

Referring to my experience, DO NOT USE UPS THAILAND.

Your cargo will be hold at the custom and they will charge you more with broken information.

If you want to know how they would handle yours, google "UPS Thailand" and read reviews (1.9 start amongst 123 reviews). I shipped mine via UPS and I got same experience with them stated in their reviews. It is my regret that I did not read their reviews beforehand.

 

Useless to file your complaint afterwards. 

I did for their improvement but the reality was that CS team is also in same team with brokerage import team.

[Captor]

9 minutes ago, Kon Kaoli said:

Referring to my experience, DO NOT USE UPS THAILAND.

Your cargo will be hold at the custom and they will charge you more with broken information.

If you want to know how they would handle yours, google "UPS Thailand" and read reviews (1.9 start amongst 123 reviews). I shipped mine via UPS and I got same experience with them stated in their reviews. It is my regret that I did not read their reviews beforehand.

 

Useless to file your complaint afterwards. 

I did for their improvement but the reality was that CS team is also in same team with brokerage import team.

Thank you very much for that info!

[VocalNeal]

I have a courier package from Indonesia which is stuck in limbo in Sing. as there are no scheduled flights yet.

[twizzian]

On 6/23/2020 at 9:59 AM, phkauf said:

The one advantage of using a courier like DHL is that you can declare a value when shipped and pay the duty online when the package arrives in Thailand so it's not held up. I don't think they are too strict about valuations as long as you are in the ballpark. Recently had a new mobile sent from US, just declared it as used (repacked from the new box) valued at $300, well less than half the price. Sailed thru no problem - 4 days from the US and only 2,000 baht in taxes.

I have had things sent via USPS get held up at Thai Post for fees and take weeks to get here. It can be very hit and miss. 

I ordered some computer ram from amazon recently, sent via UPS. it took only 5 days went from Several US States to Canada, to Korea, Samut Prakarn, Bangkok, then to my province.

paid the extra for tax/import, but I was nervous throughout its journey and amazed it got here.

[Renzo75]

Thank you ALL very much for the response, 

 

The value of the package will be around €180,- (inside, coffee and other items, not dangerous goods or elements).

 

I am thinking about asking to divide the items over 2 parcels and sent it with regularmail ( as mentioned by others too ), does each parcel have 1000thb tax free and all above that amount I have to pay taxes over it?? 

For example 4000 (parcel) - 1000(tax free)= 3000thb times tax? 

 

Just considering what to do and not to have pay to much taxes. 

Someone mentioned that I will receive a letter (in Thai) that the parcel is at postoffice and need to pay the taxes. Will that be an postoffice close my address or just anywhere in Bangkok??

I forgot to mention that I live in Bangkok.

 

All items and costs will be specified on the costums declaration that needs to be filled in, in The Netherlands. Is that also depending on the exchange rate or/and the value in Thailand or just as mentioned on the costums declaration form??

 

Thank you all again for the great response and help really appreciate that.

 

[Khun Tae]

10kg of books from Singapore via FeD costs me incld tax = 4000 Baht 

[innosiem]

just make sure invoice/receipts are included,
so there is no dispute over the value of goods

usually can pay any fees on delivery

check before shipping if any items have any restrictions,
do not assume everything is fine just because you can buy it at tescos back home

not really sure what you cannot live without these days
as many items available here if you search hard enough