Returning Thai Nationals

[Balance]

My wife (Thai) and I came back to the U.S. almost five years ago (jumping through residency requirement for survivor social security benefits).  We will return 1st or 2nd Q next year.

 

Does anyone have any recent info, or good sources, on what a Thai national can bring back with them duty free?  We would like to bring back our car in addition to household goods.

 

Thanks

 

Ken

[theoldgit]

It seems like you're wishing to return to Thailand, so I'll move your question to a more appropriate forum.

[ubonjoe]

The car would be difficult and costly since it requires excise taxes have to be paid. And another problem would be that is left hand drive.

Your wife can send your household goods duty free. See: http://www.customs.go.th/cont_strc_simple.php?ini_content=individual_F01_160426_01&ini_menu=menu_individual_submenu_02&lang=en&left_menu=menu_individual_submenu_02_160421_01

[jackdd]

52 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

The car would be difficult and costly since it requires excise taxes have to be paid. And another problem would be that is left hand drive.

The main problem is that personal used car imports are banned since end of 2019. So forget about the car.

[KamnanT]

jackdd has it right: it used to be ridiculously expensive, now it's impossible.

[BritTim]

5 hours ago, KamnanT said:

jackdd has it right: it used to be ridiculously expensive, now it's impossible.

 

Something I am curious about ...

 

You are allowed to import a car temporarily (for up to six months, I believe). If you change your mind, and do not remove your car from Thailand within the six months, you must inform the authorities. The regulations then seem to say you will be charged the excise tax. Is there a loophole in the regulations that could be used to bypass the import ban that exists for all except those working in Thailand? I appreciate that this is an academic question as actually incurring all the costs would almost always be nonsensical.

[LawrenceN]

Speaking of cost effectiveness, also forget about bringing anything electrical with you, unless you know it's 220 volt compatible. Most small electronics' DC chargers are OK. I have a TV here in Chiang Mai that I bought in the States a year or two before we moved, but I made sure it was 220-volt compatible when I bought it. It's not worth the trouble to re-wire part of your home for 110-volt. Plus there's the risk of plugging into the wrong outlet. 

Edited April 9, 2021 by LawrenceN
Misspelling

[Captor]

On 4/8/2021 at 4:08 AM, ubonjoe said:

The car would be difficult and costly since it requires excise taxes have to be paid. And another problem would be that is left hand drive.

Your wife can send your household goods duty free. See: http://www.customs.go.th/cont_strc_simple.php?ini_content=individual_F01_160426_01&ini_menu=menu_individual_submenu_02&lang=en&left_menu=menu_individual_submenu_02_160421_01

This is only for a returning Thai national? What rules are there if I want to move to Thailand when I retire? I am also married with a Thai woman. I am living in Sweden now. Is it same rules?

Edited April 9, 2021 by Captor

[ubonjoe]

8 hours ago, Captor said:

This is only for a returning Thai national? What rules are there if I want to move to Thailand when I retire? I am also married with a Thai woman. I am living in Sweden now. Is it same rules?

Ship everything in your wife's name if she is living with you in Sweden and it will be duty free.

[jackdd]

8 hours ago, Captor said:

This is only for a returning Thai national? What rules are there if I want to move to Thailand when I retire? I am also married with a Thai woman. I am living in Sweden now. Is it same rules?

As a retiree you aren't considered as "moving to Thailand", but you are just "temporarily visiting Thailand", thus no duty free for you.

[Captor]

14 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Ship everything in your wife's name if she is living with you in Sweden and it will be duty free.

That is my problem. My wife is living in Bangkok. Sorry I should have mentioned that before.

That is why I am wondering. It look like hard to get correct information about this. Different information when I talk to different people. I am a swede and living in Sweden and want to move to my Thai wife in Bangkok or other place in Thailand. As far I have found out before I can not bring my households like clothes, book, stereo, TV, computer, furniture and so on without paying a lot customs. I hope of course that is wrong, hence my question.

[Captor]

14 hours ago, jackdd said:

As a retiree you aren't considered as "moving to Thailand", but you are just "temporarily visiting Thailand", thus no duty free for you.

How can I be like considering moving to Thailand? I guess retirement or marriage visa is not enough then? Is that it? I need to buy everything again? And sell or give away my old stuff in Sweden. This is something the Thai government should look into (too) if they want expats to come and stay and spend money in Thailand.

Edited April 10, 2021 by Captor

[Balance]

28 minutes ago, Captor said:

That is my problem. My wife is living in Bangkok. Sorry I should have mentioned that before.

That is why I am wondering. It look like hard to get correct information about this. Different information when I talk to different people. I am a swede and living in Sweden and want to move to my Thai wife in Bangkok or other place in Thailand. As far I have found out before I can not bring my households like clothes, book, stereo, TV, computer, furniture and so on without paying a lot customs. I hope of course that is wrong, hence my question.

Has your wife ever lived with you in Sweden?  If so, and she came back early, and you already have a valid marriage or retirement visa, then maybe, again MAYBE she could take your marriage papers and copy of your passport showing your visa to customs and tell them that she wants to ship her things, repeat HER things, back to Thailand. 

 

If she cannot prove she lived with you in Sweden, forget it, or if you don't have marriage or retirement visa already, sell everything and buy what you need in country. 

 

I did this 10 years ago, but I came into the country on a three month business visa and applied for retirement visa as soon as I could and Patt and I were not married at that time.  But, ship arrived before I had the visa and was stuck in  Bangkok due to the very bad floods.  I had to pay duty. 

[Captor]

2 minutes ago, Balance said:

Has your wife ever lived with you in Sweden?  If so, and she came back early, and you already have a valid marriage or retirement visa, then maybe, again MAYBE she could take your marriage papers and copy of your passport showing your visa to customs and tell them that she wants to ship her things, repeat HER things, back to Thailand. 

 

If she cannot prove she lived with you in Sweden, forget it, or if you don't have marriage or retirement visa already, sell everything and buy what you need in country. 

 

I did this 10 years ago, but I came into the country on a three month business visa and applied for retirement visa as soon as I could and Patt and I were not married at that time.  But, ship arrived before I had the visa and was stuck in  Bangkok due to the very bad floods.  I had to pay duty. 

Unfortunately she has only been here for a short time. Holiday only for 3-4 weeks not lived here. So then I need to sell everything which is pity because some of the stuff I cant get in Thailand and IF I can find it then it will be expensive. I am thinking of the stereo gear mostly.

 

So when you did this 10 years ago you don´t had to pay because you did not have a retirement visa that time? Maybe if you had that in place it would not been so expensive?

Or marriage visa?

[Balance]

1 hour ago, Captor said:

That is my problem. My wife is living in Bangkok. Sorry I should have mentioned that before.

That is why I am wondering. It look like hard to get correct information about this. Different information when I talk to different people. I am a swede and living in Sweden and want to move to my Thai wife in Bangkok or other place in Thailand. As far I have found out before I can not bring my households like clothes, book, stereo, TV, computer, furniture and so on without paying a lot customs. I hope of course that is wrong, hence my question.

You can bring in household goods by yourself, but you have to have the retirement or marriage visa before the ship leaves Sweden.  You come back, get a marriage or retirement visa, go to a shipping agent in Bangkok and give them a complete list of the things that are waiting to be shipped, with their current "used goods" value (give them value in kroner and dollars). Verify with the agent that they will come in duty free. 

 

After you have your visa in hand, wait for a couple of weeks and then notify the shipping agent to put the crates on the boat.  The agent will complete the paperwork.

[Captor]

28 minutes ago, Balance said:

You can bring in household goods by yourself, but you have to have the retirement or marriage visa before the ship leaves Sweden.  You come back, get a marriage or retirement visa, go to a shipping agent in Bangkok and give them a complete list of the things that are waiting to be shipped, with their current "used goods" value (give them value in kroner and dollars). Verify with the agent that they will come in duty free. 

 

After you have your visa in hand, wait for a couple of weeks and then notify the shipping agent to put the crates on the boat.  The agent will complete the paperwork.

That sounds very good! I can do that. I will be in and out of Thailand for a year anyway in order to find a place were we want to settle down. That will take some time. Thank you very much for explaining this. It is very helpful.

[jackdd]

7 hours ago, Balance said:

You can bring in household goods by yourself, but you have to have the retirement or marriage visa before the ship leaves Sweden.

Not according to the customs website posted by ubonjoe.

Do you have any source for what you say?

 

8 hours ago, Captor said:

How can I be like considering moving to Thailand?

According to the customs website you would need either permanent residency status or be working in Thailand.

[Peterw42]

8 hours ago, Balance said:

You can bring in household goods by yourself, but you have to have the retirement or marriage visa before the ship leaves Sweden.  You come back, get a marriage or retirement visa, go to a shipping agent in Bangkok and give them a complete list of the things that are waiting to be shipped, with their current "used goods" value (give them value in kroner and dollars). Verify with the agent that they will come in duty free. 

 

After you have your visa in hand, wait for a couple of weeks and then notify the shipping agent to put the crates on the boat.  The agent will complete the paperwork.

 

Where are you getting this from ???? There is no duty exception for holding a retire/marriage visa.

 

There is no verifying the goods will be duty free, there is no such exception. 

[Balance]

2 hours ago, jackdd said:

Not according to the customs website posted by ubonjoe.

Do you have any source for what you say?

 

According to the customs website you would need either permanent residency status or be working in Thailand.

It is my own experience, and there was a post on this thread that gives the URL for the Thai customs site.  I came over on a 3 month business visa.  I was in Chiang Mai several months earlier and set up a retirement account.  I applied for a retirement visa immediately.  I crated my households and shipped them right before I left.  I did not get in duty free because the ship docked before I had received my visa.  But my evaluation my stuff was accepted and I paid, I believe about $300 plus what the agent got. 

 

I posted the originally question about a Thai coming back and if she could bring a car in duty free (my wife wants to bring the car).  The web site was very clear about that, NO unless you are with an embassy, etc.

[Balance]

2 minutes ago, Balance said:

It is my own experience, and there was a post on this thread that gives the URL for the Thai customs site.  I came over on a 3 month business visa.  I was in Chiang Mai several months earlier and set up a retirement account.  I applied for a retirement visa immediately.  I crated my households and shipped them right before I left.  I did not get in duty free because the ship docked before I had received my visa.  But my evaluation my stuff was accepted and I paid, I believe about $300 plus what the agent got. 

 

I posted the originally question about a Thai coming back and if she could bring a car in duty free (my wife wants to bring the car).  The web site was very clear about that, NO unless you are with an embassy, etc.

I was incorrect about the car.  You can bring a car in from a neighboring country to use but you only get a max of six months and then the car has to leave.