Obtaining customs clearance

[Don East Stand]

Hi,

My wife ordered some curcumin (pain killer) from Amazon (US) which we believe has now arrived at Swampy. We have received an email from UPS wanting us to send, and I've copied it here:-

In case UPS clearance, kindly provide following information to us;

1. Copy of Passport .

2. Thai description and the photo of your item.

3. Proof of payment.

5. Original passport for register paperless and add UPS as broker process .



****Please send me the first page of your passport so, I can amended the middle name for you first****

It seems really odd to me, and no way am I sending original passport, but I wondered if anyone else has had problems with obtaining customs clearance. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[lomuamart]

Although I can't help you, I'll be looking at the replies with interest.

After a purchase through Lazada fell through, I was going to order the same item through Amazon later today. Included in my costs is a deposit for customs clearance/duty. Did yours have this?

If others say that this is a typical problem with customs clearance through Amazon, I'm not going to bother purchasing.

Sorry to hear of your delay. Hope you get things sorted out.

[Big Boy]

I went through exactly the same thing with something from Amazon UK last week. In fact, as I'm writing this, the package has been delivered. Here is the text from the DHL e-mail:

Your shipment has arrived in Thailand. Please support details and document as below to continue clearance formality with TH customs:

** PLEASE PRESS REPLY TO ALL ** (All expense will pay by shipper)

• Please provide a copy of passport first page , copy visa page and copy immigration page .
• Please confirm detail with brand of your product back to us because we have to presentation to Thai customs for you.
• Please provide a picture of product.

I simply scanned in the 3 relevant pages of my passport, attached the suppliers photo of the item, and included a photo of the item as it would be prepared.

Although I was like a cat on a hot tin roof for the 5 days it took to go through customs, everything went as smoothly as it could have.

I hope your consignment goes as smoothly as mine did.

[Big Boy]

After a purchase through Lazada fell through, I was going to order the same item through Amazon later today. Included in my costs is a deposit for customs clearance/duty. Did yours have this?

If others say that this is a typical problem with customs clearance through Amazon, I'm not going to bother purchasing.

Yes, mine included all of that, but it hasn't been any problem whatsoever.

[PeteC]

Anything I order from Amazon comes to the wife's Thai name. So far no requirements like described above. Haven't ordered anything for a few months so if it's a new requirement for Thais as well as foreigners, I'll let you know in due course. Some Christmas ordering will be happening shortly.

[PeteC]

....I must say however this whole new procedure stinks to high heavens of yet another small jab at foreign residents to hopefully give up and leave. Make it difficult for them to live here in so many small ways something will eventually break them and off they go screaming into the night! It's starting to work, with me at least!

Never in 50 years has there been a customs requirement like described above if the item is legal and the appropriate duty is paid. Why now, and for what reason, because it's addressed to a foreigner?!

It would be such a breath of fresh air if they came out and simply said what their policy is concerning foreign residents, instead of this behind the back typical Asian bullshit.

[Big Boy]

This was a first for me, so I didn't know any different. Apart from the 5 day (unnecessary) panic through customs, it seemed quite straightforward to me. However, requiring my visa and immigration status did seem OTT, but took 2 minutes to scan and attach to my e-mailed reply.

[Don East Stand]

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated as always.

Strangely enough, my wife had ordered something from Amazon (UK) two weeks ago, and it arrived without any problems! Surely Thai customs aren't picking on America?

[Big Boy]

Mine was from the UK.

[PeteC]

There is a 1500 baht limit under which they don’t charge any duty, and possibly not even look at it.

[PeteC]

.....that is unless that has now changed as well? I use that method with IHerb from the US and it has always been the case.

[lomuamart]

Well, all that's made me think twice about ordering. In this prehistoric household, we don't even have a scanner - although I can get it done quite easily around the corner.

BB, you mention that they wanted 3 passport pages. The details page, I can understand but what are the visa and Immigration pages? The permitted to stay stamp, I'm sure is needed but would they also require my original O visa from Penang 11 years ago that's in a different passport? Christ, even Imm aren't interested in that any more.

I bet, in time, they'll want our TM30s, TM28s, TMs whatever as well.

[migrant]

I get packages all the time, but, like Pete, have them addressed to my Thai wife. In fact my son sends the return address using a Thai surname (not his).

The boxes are about .4M x .3M x 2.5cm and I get 95% of them.

I used to lose about one every 6th package but lately, if they aren't just delivered with no word, are accompanied by a letter to pick the package up at the local post office and pay excise tax which ranges from 1500-2500 per box.
Not sure how they are basing the tax since they don't even open the boxes and they have always been exactly the same.

[PeteC]

Maybe they have a cigar sniffing dog in your post office?

[Big Boy]

BB, you mention that they wanted 3 passport pages. The details page, I can understand but what are the visa and Immigration pages? The permitted to stay stamp, I'm sure is needed but would they also require my original O visa from Penang 11 years ago that's in a different passport? Christ, even Imm aren't interested in that any more.

The e-mail asked for, "Please provide a copy of passport first page , copy visa page and copy immigration page ."

I interpreted that as the page with my photo, etc., the page showing my visa transfer + latest extension, and the page showing my last entry and the departure card.

In reality, I suppose I could have sent them anything. Are they really collating all of this information for every package they stop?

I think back to when we moved to Thailand. OK, we brought a lot of stuff with us, but I remember having to provide passport, ID Card etc for my wife. I seem to remember it also included things such as birth certificate.