Huge fines for excess duty frees at new airport

[Guest wowpow]

2006-10-15

Post #1

 

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Group: Members

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Joined: 2006-06-02

From: Hua Hin

Member No.: 30,593

 

 

We have today had visitors arriving from the UK (a family of four, 2 Adults and 2 teenage Sons) who were detained and then fined 35,000THB (

[Gaybutton]

Looks like they have come up with yet another way of making foreign tourists feel really welcome in Thailand. 35,000 baht for three cartons too many? That works out to 11,666 baht for each "contraband" carton.

 

I'm wondering about the veracity of the story. It's probably true, but if each individual person is allowed to bring in 200 cigarettes, which is one carton per adult, then the violation amounts to a grand total of three cartons too many since two adults were involved and would be allowed to bring in one carton each. They were taken away from the airport, grilled for hours, and then fined 35,000 baht because of three extra cartons? I'm wondering if there is more to this story.

[gerefan]

mmm

Tea Money??

G

[Guest jomtien]

They were taken away from the airport, grilled for hours, and then fined 35,000 baht because of three extra cartons? I'm wondering if there is more to this story.

 

 

I have a friend that was fined a staggering amount for exceeding the alcohol limit. He brought in a number of gift-packs of assorted, small bottles of Johnny Walker. They obviously set the fines high to discourage travellers from trying to 'cheat'.

 

On a happier note, I'm glad my friend paid the fine. The Johnny Walker Blue was lovely.

 

 

 

[Gaybutton]

I have a friend that was fined a staggering amount for exceeding the alcohol limit.

 

In that case, everybody better familiarize themselves with the customs regulations:

 

Prohibited items : All kinds of narcotics (hemp, opium, cocaine, morphine, heroin), obscene literature, pictures or articles.

 

Firearms : Importation of firearms and ammunition can be done only after a permit has been obtained from instruments may be brought in free of duty.

 

Cameras : One still-camera or one movie camera can be brought in without duty. Five rolls of still-camera film or three rolls of 8 or 16 m.m. movie-camera film may be brought in free of duty.

 

Tobacco, alcoholic beverages : Cigarettes, cigars, or smoking tobacco each or in total must not exceed 250 grams in weight but cigarettes not exceeding 200 in quantity. One litre each of wine or spirits may be brought in free of duty.

 

Household effects : A reasonable amount of used household effects, accompanied by the owner on change of domicile are also free of duty.

 

Plants and animals : Certain species of fruits, vegetables and plants are prohibited. Please contact the Agricultural Regulatory Division , Bangkhen Bangkok Tel:5791581, 5793576. A permission of entry for animals coming in by air can be obtained at the airport. If by sea, application must be made at the Department of Livestock Development, Bangkok Tel:2515136, 2526944. Vaccination certificates are required.

 

(source: http://sunsite.au.ac.th/thailand/tipsonthai/custom.html )

[Guest MonkeySee]

Gaybutton writes, "Cameras : One still-camera or one movie camera can be brought in without duty. Five rolls of still-camera film or three rolls of 8 or 16 m.m. movie-camera film may be brought in free of duty."

 

Would you know about computer equipment? I am thinking about bringing an old desktop computer of mine. It will be for personal use but I am not sure if customs may frown upon this.

 

[Gaybutton]

Would you know about computer equipment? I am thinking about bringing an old desktop computer of mine. It will be for personal use but I am not sure if customs may frown upon this.

 

All I know is what is listed above. I used to bring my laptop back and forth all the time with no problems. As far as I know, nobody has had any problems bringing in a laptop. You, however, are talking about a desktop. I have no idea, but it does say a reasonable amount of used household goods is no problem, so you probably won't have any problem bringing it with you. You might call Thai Airways and ask them if they know or at least know know how to find out. The Thai embassy also can probably tell you.

 

But why bring the entire desktop? When I moved here I brought only the hard drive and a few peripherals. The desktop itself was too big and bulky to be something practical to bring along. I had a new desktop built here, which can be done relatively inexpensively, and had them use my hard drive. There was no problem about doing it that way at all, and it is that very computer and hard drive I'm using at this moment.

[Guest fountainhall]

If one is caught with things like excess cigarettes or booze, surely you can just leave them at customs rather than pay any fines? In over 20 years of coming in to Bangkok, l have never once been stopped at customs and so I always pack small over-the--limit items in my luggage. For larger items, I find it's worth going through the red channel.

 

Two years ago I brought in a new dehumidifier from Hong Kong, having failed to find a decent one anywhere in Bangkok. It cost around HK$3,800 (US$490). Since it was in its original heavy duty box that would attract suspicion had I tried the green channel, I put on an honest face and stood at the unmanned red channel. Eventually an officer came over and asked what it was. Trying to explain taxed my mental resources, even with little diagrams. Eventually I suggested I take it out of the packing and let him see it.

 

By this time, another officer had appeared. He couldn't grasp its purpose either. He asked how much it cost. I showed him the receipt. He wanted to know in Baht. Both stood looking at the number I had written down, but nothing was happening. Finally I asked how much duty would be payable. Absolutely together, one said "Bt. 4,000" and the other "Bt. 2,000". "I'll take the 2,000" I said, half jokingly. They laughed and within a minute I had a formal receipt for my Bt. 2,000.

 

Years ago, I arrived at London's Heathrow at Christmas with a quantity of toys and electronic goods again bought in Hong Kong that was vastly over the permitted limit. A friend had recommended that I write out a list of some of the items and mark the value down considerably. Again I went to the red channel and said something like "I think I may be a bit over the limit. officer." He asked what I had bought and I showed him the list. "Well," he said, "It's Christmas. That'll be one pound!!!!" I had trouble not smiling.

 

If there's any moral, my limited experience is to try the red channel and act as though you are not sure whether you should be going through green or red.

[Guest Snowkat]

He asked what I had bought and I showed him the list. "Well," he said, "It's Christmas. That'll be one pound!!!!" I had trouble not smiling.

 

If there's any moral, my limited experience is to try the red channel and act as though you are not sure whether you should be going through green or red.

 

 

When getting back to the UK, I quite regularly bring the likes of Thai whiskey, after-shaves, perfume, Thai cooking sauces and mixtures, along with a lot of other small items for friends, which more than exceed the duty free allowance for gifts. One particular friend has a liking for Benjarong pottery and I bring back something of this most visits. Every time I use the red channel and using an apologetic voice (and a look of bewilderment as well as looking flustered) tell the Customs officer that I am not sure what requires duty payment and can he help.

 

Not once (in about a dozen or so occasions) have I ever been asked to pay duty (not even one pound !!). I have also only been told four times to open my baggage for inspection. It also seems to have helped that, being partially disabled and using a walking stick, I laid on the limp a bit more than is natural !

 

Mind you, this was always at Heathrow. My performances have at times been worthy of an Oscar but I would not try the little lost traveller routine anywhere else. I suspect that at most other airports, especially in the Middle East, South East Asia or Far east the ploy would not work and the duty officer(s) would be rubbing their hands with glee at the thought of fleecing this dozey old English tourist.

[Gaybutton]

I believe there is something more to the cigarette story. It is just too outrageous a story to accept on it's face.

 

I agree with fountainhall. As far as I know, Thailand does not even issue customs declaration forms anymore on incoming international flights. I know someone wrote that the in-flight magazines explain the customs rules, but does Thailand actually expect people to get their customs information solely from an in-flight magazine? I doubt that. But I don't doubt that you are expected to find out the rules before you travel.

 

Declaration form or not, if you have any reason to believe you might be carrying something dutiable, then you're much better off going through the red "items to declare" line than trying to sneak through the green "nothing to declare" line. If you get stopped and inspected, and it turns out you are carrying something that should have been declared, that's where the trouble starts. On the other hand, most customs inspectors anywhere are usually sympathetic and a lot more likely to be helpful if you are being honest with them.

 

You might not have had any idea that you were carrying something that was supposed to have been declared, but if there is any doubt in your mind, then it seems to me that the smart thing to do is to voluntarily go to the red line. I believe fountainhall is right. If you go to the red line and are told there is duty to pay, then you have the option of paying or letting them confiscate the item. If you go to the green line, chances are good that you will not be stopped, but if you are stopped, then the cigarette story clearly illustrates what can happen.

[Guest fountainhall]

Snowcat is absolutely right - a touch of the theatricals deinfitely helps. Remember that there are officers watching you from the moment you pass through immigration. They have spotted most of the people they want to stop long before you get to the red or green channels. So if I have decided to take the red channel, I always look confused, read the signs, look at first the red, then the green channels, then hesitanty double back to the red and start with the words "I am not sure . . ."

 

Another 'ploy' is to latch on to an elderly lady or gentleman. Ask them if they need help getting their bag off the carousel, get a trolley for them, and then go through the green channel together. In my experience, a 'couple', mother/father and son are far less likely to be stopped than a single shifty-looking male! Never was it more true - "all the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players"

 

 

[Guest namjai]

When I came to Thailand a few weeks ago, I had two cardboard boxes with me containing personal items of art and various Buddhas that I have collected in other countries. As I am planning to move to Thailand in about a year, I am storing these things in a very good friends house.

 

As I was moving these boxes through the "Green Customs" one of the officials politely asked me what I had and could he scan the boxes. After the boxes went thru the scanner, the officer told me ok, and then started to laugh. I asked him what was funny and he replied that for many years he has stopped farang from smuggling out Buddhas, but I was the first he caught smuggling Buddhas in.

[Guest wowpow]

Kudos to Gaybutton for obeying the letter of the law. Perhaps exposure to excessive corruption would ease his viewpoint.

 

I am reminded of a joke sign at Cabbages and Condoms

"The Thai Government"

Please do not steal.

That is a right we reserve to ourselves"

 

The best way to get through customs with contraband - say 200 cigarettes over the limit - but priced higher than the same brands in Thailand. Hire a distraught woman to pose as your partner plus 3 kids under seven years old and a babe in arms. Give the little ones a stiff clip around the ear so that they bawl and proceed to pass through the Green channel.

 

I have only been stopped by Customs once which was at Heathrow and they found a VCD with a cover of muscle men shagging. After much fuss they decided that this was illegal porn. After writing down the whole interview in longhand and getting me to sign every page top and bottom, they seriously said " This item is impounded and is no longer your property. It is now the property of Her Majesty The Queen". A few months later they changed the law and such stuff is no longer illegal though it is still illegal to send it by Her Majesty's Post.

 

I always thought it amazing that Thai Customs were so lax in checking arriving passengers at the airport. The opportunities for financial gain must be huge. The reputation for Thai Customs greed for Tea Money is legendary.

 

The only people that I have seen stopped by Thai Customs have been hippy types. Maybe that's now changed?

 

Either my memory is getting very bad or the original copy and paste that made mentioned ten sleeves of cigarettes and a fine of UK

[Guest namjai]

http://www.customs.go.th/Customs-Eng/indexEng.jsp

[Guest MonkeySee]

Thanks Gaybutton for the suggestion. I had not thought about bringing in just the hard drive. The initial plan was to bring in only the CPU and to buy the peripherals in Thailand. The computer works well but since I bought a new and improved model last year, the old one has just been sitting in the closet. The tower is somewhat compacted and so I thought I would see if I could stow it in the luggage. Although I was going to cushion it between my clothes, I wonder how well it will fare amongst the many bumps and grinds that the baggage handlers will give it?

[JayBee]

Gaybutton: The fine is high but there have been similar anecdotes related on the Stickman site of high fines for the same thing. Here's his comment following the most recent one:

 

"Almost every story I have heard of Westerners getting caught for exceeding the allowances sees guys approached by officers after they have already cleared Immigration and Customs. And ouch, the fines are awfully stuff!"

 

It's odd that they can nail you after you've cleared customs. In most countries, since the agents could never prove that you brought everything in yourself (perhaps other passengers brought in the "extras" legally and gave them to you after clearing customs...) this would seem unlikely to happen. But of course, TIT.

 

The times I have brought extra cartons in, I have packed them in the bottom of my carry-on bag while on the plane, and left the bag from the duty-free shop behind, so as not to attract attention.

 

Jomtien: The clear lesson of this story is for tourists to stop sneaking in extra cigarettes for expat friends, no matter how much they plead. It's just not worth the risk.

 

[Guest jomtien]

Jomtien: The clear lesson of this story is for tourists to stop sneaking in extra cigarettes for expat friends, no matter how much they plead. It's just not worth the risk.

 

 

But if you love the person you're visiting, surely it's worth it!!

 

 

[Guest fountainhall]

Since we are into anecdotes, Wowpow's is similar to one experience I had 4 years ago in New York. Having a couple of hours free after checking out of the hotel, I popped down to Greenwich village and purchased 4 porn DVDs. To avoid unlocking my suitcase, I put them into my carry-on bag completely forgetting to take out the covers. After checking in at American Airlines at JFK en route to LAX, I was subject to the most rigorous of searches by an extremely large African American lady. Everything in my carry-on bag was taken out and put on a table for all the world to see. After 5 minutes, all my stuff was repacked and I made my way to the gate.

 

Finally on the plane, I heard an announcement asking for me to come up to first class with my bags. Great, I thought, I'm getting an upgrade. Alas, no. I was met by 2 airline cops who asked me to get off the plane as there was a query about my luggage that needed to be cleared up. Back at the gate, we had to wait whilst the aforesaid large lady waddled towards us. "They're in there" she said, pointing to the front section of my wheelie bag which I then had to empty again. It turned out she had some objection to the porn and wanted it confiscated. The airline cops then screamed at her to go away, apologised profusely to me for her stupidity and asked for my address so the airline could send a formal apology (I guess this must be something to do with first amendment rights - could I have sued AA for harrassment, I wonder?). Back on board, the head steward apologised again and again, and kept me topped up with champagne from first class (but no upgrade)!

 

On a more serious note, now that the US authorities are able to access a lot of your personal data, be aware when flying in the US that if you give a Thai address when purchasing the ticket you may be subject to additional heavy searches. On that trip 4 years ago, following so many searches, I discovered that my boarding passes all had "SSS" heavily stamped on them. No-one would tell me what this means, and I eventually assumed it is "Special Security Screening". It turned out my Thai travel agent had made a mistake and given the authorities my Bangkok address rather than the Hong Kong one. Now that I live here, my agent always gives the airlines a (legitimate) non-Thailand address when I go to the US - and I've had no similar problems!

[Guest wowpow]

I SuSpect that SSS = Suspected Serial Sodomite?

[Guest fountainhall]

Of course! Now why didn't I think of that!