Customs scraps baggage inspection for arriving travelers

[buksida]

The customs department on Monday said arriving travelers are no longer required to open their bags for inspection of personal belongings.

Customs spokesman Phantong Loykulnant said the new policy, which is now effective at all customs checkpoints, aims to provide convenience to tourists. Travelers may walk through the green channel without having to declare valuable items exceeding the duty-free allowance if they are bought in for personal use, he said.

“Customs officers will not conduct inspections of arriving tourists, even though they are carrying a luxury handbag or wearing a multi-million baht watch if these items are imported for personal use, not for commercial trade,” Phantong said. “We want to provide convenience, not to cause difficulties to tourists entering Thailand.”

Under the customs procedure, passengers are allowed to import personal belongings that are worth no more than 20,000 baht, a total of 200 cigarettes or 250 grams of tobacco, and a liter of alcoholic beverages without having to pay for duty.

Still, inspections will be carried out if officials have a reason to believe the traveler is smuggling luxury goods for sale.

“If we are tipped off about the smuggling or we find it obvious that the tourist is not importing the items for personal use, we will conduct a search,” Phantong said. “One such instance is wearing multiple watches on their arms.”

The new policy would be applied to both Thai and foreign nationals, Patchara Anuntasilpa, head of the Customs Department, said Monday. He also warned that the absence of baggage screening does not mean illegal goods can be bought into the kingdom.

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/202 ... oreigners/

Six bottles of single malt okay then?

[pharvey]

All sounds a tad strange to me - There's got to be some money making somewhere......

[STEVE G]

I come through Suvarnabhumi at least four times a year and I've never been stopped at customs since it opened.
The only people I've seen having a problem have been those with baggage beyond what a normal traveller would have with boxes, sacks and large packages.

[Dannie Boy]

In all the years I’ve been coming to Thailand, I think I’ve been asked to put my bags through the x-Ray machine about twice. Even though on both occasions I would have had items that officially could have been classed as “illegal” (mainly food items rather than alcohol or cigarettes or other such naughties), I was never asked to open the cases and waved through.

[HHTel]

I think the difference now is that they have publicly stated that baggage inspection has been scrapped.
Although in the past it was rare to have your suitcase opened, there was always that doubt.

[dtaai-maai]

It's good of them to announce it like that. Rather like a smugglers' charter!
Bring what you like, we won't look!
(Unless you're wearing 8 Rolexes up your arm... )

[Dannie Boy]

Some four legged varieties of baggage inspection - seems they particularly like pork sausages!!
https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand ... l/40027129

[STEVE G]

Some four legged varieties of baggage inspection - seems they particularly like pork sausages!!
https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand ... l/40027129

They're wasting there money on trained beagles, I've got dogs that came off the street that could find pork sausages from a kilometre away!