Thailand Customs Regulations

Thailand’s customs regulation is enforced rigorously. Violators of laws are subject to fines and in severe cases imprisonment and even death penalty.

Duty-free Allowance:

Visitors are permitted to bring 200 cigarettes or 250gm of tobacco or 250gm of cigars for passengers holding a passport of their own.
1 liter of spirituous liquor for passenger holding a passport of his own.
One still-camera or one movie camera can be brought duty-free. Five rolls of still-camera film or three rolls of 8 or 16 mm. movie-camera films may be brought in free of duty.

Personal effects:

Clothing, cosmetics, jewelry, shoes, glasses, perfumes, etc., and musical instruments for personal or professional use are all exempt of duty.
A certain amount of used household effects accompanying a passenger because of residential movement will be exempted from Customs duties.

Note: Personal effects do not include motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts regardless of the length of time used and owned.

Prohibited items:

All kinds of narcotics (hemp, opium, cocaine, morphine, heroin), and other illegal drugs such as Ecstacy, amphetamine and LCD are considered prohibited substances.
Pornographic materials and obscene literature.
There are restrictions on Thailand on the import and export of firearms and ammunitions except in cases where a permit has been obtained in the proper agency.
The export of antique or objects of art, religious articles (excluding one small Buddha image normally carried on a person) and gold bullion.
Plant and living materials, Radio transceiver equipment, live animals or products, medicines and chemicals require a permit from the relevant government agency.

The following items require a permit from the stated government agency in order to pass Customs formalities:

Office of National Police – Firearms; Ammunition; Explosives objects
Fine Arts Department – Buddha images; Artifacts and antiques
Department of Agriculture – Plants and planting materials
Office of Food and Drugs Administration – Medicines and chemical products
Department of Live Stock Development – Live animals and animal products
Post & Telegraph Department – Radio transceivers and telecommunications equipment