Answered5 years ago

How can I claim back import duty for household goods with an O/A visa in Thailand?

O/A visa import duty shipping household goods tax waiver customs regulations moving to Thailand

Mark **********

asked Mar 15, 2022

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I have an O/A visa and will be moving to Thailand next month. I will be shipping some household goods, I understand I can claim back or waiver the import duty. Does anybody know how?

Answer summary

The post discusses the process of shipping household goods to Thailand while holding an O/A visa. Users share experiences and tips about avoiding import duties by listing the goods under a Thai name, particularly that of a spouse. Some report no duties charged, only a processing fee, while others caution about arbitrary charges from customs if goods are shipped in bulk. Several commenters suggest getting quotes for shipping costs and weighing the expenses of shipping versus buying new items in Thailand.

7 repliesnewest first

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Dave *********

Get a few quotes for your shipping first, it can be very expensive based on weight and that's before you add on possible tax at this end... I got rid of electrical tools and furniture before coming here as the cost of sending against buying new here for me just didn't make sense.

5 years ago

Stuart *********

That’s the official line. However in practice if you are shipping a container here you may or may not get charged. More likely you do and that customs will make up an arbitrary figure that you’re due according to the bill of lading.

A shipping agent once told me that it’s best just to pay what they ask. If you query the charge then they’re likely to go through the stuff with a fine tooth comb and set taxes on it all.

The end result is almost always a higher amount due.

5 years ago

Terary **********

@Stuart ********

Traffic police work the same way.. I think it maybe a thai thing.

5 years ago

Brian ***********

We shipped household stuff from Uk on OA visa, no duty was charged just processing fee of 8000 baht.

5 years ago

Steve **********

I shipped a bunch of stuff from Saudi to here. We put it in the wife’s name. She was able to show her passport and prove she was there with me and this was just our shit and we avoided a bunch of “tax”. We had to pick up the boxes near the airport cargo area. It was a nightmare.

5 years ago