Moving Furniture To Thailand

[STARGASA]

Hello everyone,

Next year we (thai wife and me) will be moving to Thailand from uk. Have checked the import section of thai govt website regarding Thai wife bringing back household goods etc.

Has anyone on this forum gone through this experience and maybe give some tips apart from don`t bother and buy it all again new.

Thanks

[a99az]

My mum took all her own furniture with her to NZ from the UK. When she got there she discovered that had she sold it all off in the UK she would of been better off after buying new in NZ.

<deleted> every one too there own, I always try to sell any house I have with the furniture when I move. Then have a fresh start with stuff that looks good, but I know others who take everything even the dam light bulbs mad.

[onionluke]

My wife and I were charged an unreasonable amount of tax when moving and bringing some household items , all well used , from HK( posted from Macau) to Thailand . The customs officers were very sticky and because my wife was a resident of HK and had no in out stamps for HK in her passport they first said she hadn't been living there , when she showed them her HK id card they then said she was not a resident of Thailand or something like that and we had to pay or forget about our stuff . We paid up around 15000 bhat and recieved our boxes some weeks later . They basically rubbished our packing list and gave a monetary worth to just about every pot , pan, children's plastic toy and broken record player. The only thing they missed was my old LP collection which they didnt recognise as having any value . We were initially in BK dealing with the carrier but couldn't hang around too long and went up country to Ubon and from that time all the correspondence was by fax and phone with the customs and they held all the cards so to speak. Good luck .

[Langsuan Man]

It , unfortunately, is a crap shoot when it comes to dealing with Royal Thai Customs. Most of it is dependant upon the inspector that is assigned to your shipment. Some posters report no problems if a Thai spouse is named as the shipper, others report inordinate charges and nitpicking of the rules

The only advantage your wife has is that she can appeal any "taxes and duty" that are levied in contravention to the rules but she will have to pay first, just to get the stuff out of customs before the storage charges make the duty look like chump change

[Rooo]

If Thai National returning home, should be duty exempt on their second hand goods etc.....

The container should be out of Port / Customs in a day or two. Employ a clearance agent here.

[CharlieH]

Unless its sentimental value I wouldnt bother the stress and hassle that may await you, to say nothing of the expense.

Best of luck with whatever route/option you take.

[Gumballl]

If Thai National returning home, should be duty exempt on their second hand goods etc.....

The container should be out of Port / Customs in a day or two. Employ a clearance agent here.

I think you forgot to also mention that the Thai national must have resided overseas for a certain period of time, which IIRC, is 5 years.

[Gumballl]

My mum took all her own furniture with her to NZ from the UK. When she got there she discovered that had she sold it all off in the UK she would of been better off after buying new in NZ.

<deleted> every one too there own, I always try to sell any house I have with the furniture when I move. Then have a fresh start with stuff that looks good, but I know others who take everything even the dam light bulbs mad.

There's no amount of money I could throw at any furniture vendor in Thailand to acquire the same furniture that I have in the US.

IMHO. the quality of furniture here in Thailand is dismal. Your opinion may, of course, differ. We all have different expectations.

Edited July 28, 2015 by Gumballl

[jes]

We moved to Thailand in my Thai wife name, she had been living outside Thailand for almost 2 years and we had only 1 Electric item of each. No problem what so ever. The Company we used told us about the regulation for importing used household to Thailand. Thereafter they handled everything for us to perfection, from packing, shipping, custom clearance and unpacking.

[Gumballl]

We moved to Thailand in my Thai wife name, she had been living outside Thailand for almost 2 years and we had only 1 Electric item of each. No problem what so ever. The Company we used told us about the regulation for importing used household to Thailand. Thereafter they handled everything for us to perfection, from packing, shipping, custom clearance and unpacking.

Good for you and your wife. I have read that the Thai wife must live 5 years outside of Thailand before being able to claim the duty-free exemption. Maybe (and based on your circumstances) I could be wrong.

[jes]

Yes, Gumball. You are wrong. I not sure WHO told you or where you you read that.

[Sure]

The requirement for returning Thai citizens is just one year (365 days) and the shipment must arrive within 6 months of the person's return. Best to use a reputable moving company and have them check passport details before sending the shipment. Try Asian Tigers, or for a more affordable option http://www.thaimovers.com

[samran]

If Thai National returning home, should be duty exempt on their second hand goods etc.....

The container should be out of Port / Customs in a day or two. Employ a clearance agent here.

I think you forgot to also mention that the Thai national must have resided overseas for a certain period of time, which IIRC, is 5 years.

Only one year...

[p_brownstone]

It's important to note that Thailand makes specific differentation between "Household effects" and "Personal effects" :

From http://www.customs.go.th/wps/wcm/connect/custen/individuals/importing+used+or+secondhand+household+effects+/importingusedsecondhandhouseholdeffects

Quote

IMPORTING USED / SECONDHAND HOUSEHOLD EFFECTS

Returning Thai residents who have been abroad for one year or longer, for the purposes other than touring are eligible to bring in household effects acquired abroad free of taxes and duties. In addition, nonresidents changing their residence to Thailand may import the household effects subject to the conditions stated below without payment of import taxes duties.

The term “household effects” includes all goods which are normally necessary to equip a self-contained home e.g. furniture, carpets, books, musical instruments, paintings, tableware, stereos, linens, and similar household furnishings, etc. To be eligible for tax and duty free allowance, the importers are required to have owned, possessed, and used the household effects before they return to Thailand to resume residence. It is important that the importers meet the three requirements of ownership, possession, and use. For example, if they owned and possessed the goods without using them, the goods would be subject to regular taxes and duties. Personal effects accompanied with the owner traveling into or out of Thailand, including any goods used or will be used commercially are not eligible as household effects and cannot brought in tax and duty free as the household effects. NOTE: Motor vehicles, alcoholic beverages and tobacco are excluded from this relief.

Unquote

Patrick

[meatboy]

My wife and I were charged an unreasonable amount of tax when moving and bringing some household items , all well used , from HK( posted from Macau) to Thailand . The customs officers were very sticky and because my wife was a resident of HK and had no in out stamps for HK in her passport they first said she hadn't been living there , when she showed them her HK id card they then said she was not a resident of Thailand or something like that and we had to pay or forget about our stuff . We paid up around 15000 bhat and recieved our boxes some weeks later . They basically rubbished our packing list and gave a monetary worth to just about every pot , pan, children's plastic toy and broken record player. The only thing they missed was my old LP collection which they didnt recognise as having any value . We were initially in BK dealing with the carrier but couldn't hang around too long and went up country to Ubon and from that time all the correspondence was by fax and phone with the customs and they held all the cards so to speak. Good luck .

my wife spent 20yrs.in the uk.and only had 3cubic mtrs.of personel items which she had collected over the yrs.got stuffed for 18,000bht.

mind you she has a farang surname in both her passports,and the so called agents at the docks want copies of of them.

as for furniture i wouldnt bother.you can get some nice stuff here.

[Gumballl]

If Thai National returning home, should be duty exempt on their second hand goods etc.....

The container should be out of Port / Customs in a day or two. Employ a clearance agent here.

I think you forgot to also mention that the Thai national must have resided overseas for a certain period of time, which IIRC, is 5 years.

Only one year...

Thanks for the correction.

Edited July 31, 2015 by Gumballl

[billphillips]

For a person or family re-locating and/or retiring to Thailand .. A one time only shipment of used household effects are permitted, tax free. Only one of each item is permitted per person. (ie for an individual = one sofa. For a couple = two sofas).

In my case, I used a container company rather than a moving contractor. I had friends to help me load up. Cost of container £1150 vat exempt. The thai import agent and transport to my home fees, in Thailand were ฿130,000 (that included a bung to customs. If they unload it to search and check the inventory, you have to reload it yourself, not good).

The best advice is that unless you have a lot of really nice possessions to bring .... Just buy new stuff here. £3 or 4k will go a long way in index Thailand.

[meatboy]

For a person or family re-locating and/or retiring to Thailand .. A one time only shipment of used household effects are permitted, tax free. Only one of each item is permitted per person. (ie for an individual = one sofa. For a couple = two sofas).

In my case, I used a container company rather than a moving contractor. I had friends to help me load up. Cost of container £1150 vat exempt. The thai import agent and transport to my home fees, in Thailand were ฿130,000 (that included a bung to customs. If they unload it to search and check the inventory, you have to reload it yourself, not good).

The best advice is that unless you have a lot of really nice possessions to bring .... Just buy new stuff here. £3 or 4k will go a long way in index Thailand.

are you kidding bp.3750gbp or 187,500bht.for used goods,only a used gal from patts would cost that much

[billphillips]

For a person or family re-locating and/or retiring to Thailand .. A one time only shipment of used household effects are permitted, tax free. Only one of each item is permitted per person. (ie for an individual = one sofa. For a couple = two sofas).

In my case, I used a container company rather than a moving contractor. I had friends to help me load up. Cost of container £1150 vat exempt. The thai import agent and transport to my home fees, in Thailand were ฿130,000 (that included a bung to customs. If they unload it to search and check the inventory, you have to reload it yourself, not good).

The best advice is that unless you have a lot of really nice possessions to bring .... Just buy new stuff here. £3 or 4k will go a long way in index Thailand.

are you kidding bp.3750gbp or 187,500bht.for used goods,only a used gal from patts would cost that much

Yep. That's right. It's not really worth it unless you have a lot of good stuff. As I said in the reply, 3/4k UK will buy a lot of stuff in Index here. Edited August 1, 2015 by billphillips

[meatboy]

For a person or family re-locating and/or retiring to Thailand .. A one time only shipment of used household effects are permitted, tax free. Only one of each item is permitted per person. (ie for an individual = one sofa. For a couple = two sofas).

In my case, I used a container company rather than a moving contractor. I had friends to help me load up. Cost of container £1150 vat exempt. The thai import agent and transport to my home fees, in Thailand were ฿130,000 (that included a bung to customs. If they unload it to search and check the inventory, you have to reload it yourself, not good).

The best advice is that unless you have a lot of really nice possessions to bring .... Just buy new stuff here. £3 or 4k will go a long way in index Thailand.

are you kidding bp.3750gbp or 187,500bht.for used goods,only a used gal from patts would cost that much

Yep. That's right. It's not really worth it unless you have a lot of good stuff. As I said in the reply, 3/4k UK will buy a lot of stuff in Index here.

yep bp.anyone locating to thailand need to check out prices before sending,good quality stainless steel pan sets,cutlery,bedding sheets,wallpaper,just a few items that if you try and buy here you will need a MORTGAGE.