Shipping to Thailand: container, air freight and the customs rules in detail
Which option fits is arithmetic; whether it lands duty-free is law. This guide covers both.
Three ways to move belongings to Thailand: a dedicated container, a shared (groupage) shipment, or air freight. The choice between them is a volume question your mover’s survey answers. Whether the shipment lands duty-free is a separate, stricter question decided by your visa and timing, and it is where the money moves.
- 20ft container a typical 2–3 bed home
- 1 month before / 6 after the arrival window for exemption
- 1 appliance per type 2 per type for families; extras taxed
- Used goods only from your country of residence
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Tell us the load and the route and we will match you with a specialist who can quote directly.
The three options
A 20-foot container swallows a typical two-to-three-bedroom home and is yours alone: fastest through the system once landed. Groupage (shared LCL) puts your crates in a shared container: cheaper for small loads, slower and less predictable because the container moves when full. Air freight prices per kilo and makes sense for one to three cubic metres of essentials that beat you there. The break-even between a big groupage load and a small container is exactly what three surveys establish; the movers guide covers getting them.
The duty rules, in detail
The exemption for used household goods, per the Customs Department’s published conditions: a non-immigrant visa plus evidence of a one-year stay (a one-year work permit from the Department of Labour, a letter from Immigration confirming an annual temporary stay, or a government letter for experts working at least a year); the shipment arriving between one month before and six months after your own arrival (Customs may extend this); goods that are used and were owned in the country you lived in; and one of each type of electrical appliance for a single person, or two per type for a family relocation. A third TV is taxed even in a qualifying shipment. Returning Thai nationals qualify after living abroad at least a year. Everything else pays duty and VAT assessed by customs. In enforcement practice, movers report the work-permit route as the one that clears smoothly; treat the other routes as to-be-confirmed for your case, in writing, before the container is packed.
What that means in practice: a retiree’s container is a taxed container, and pricing that honestly changes what is worth shipping at all. For many moves, selling and rebuying beats shipping once duty enters the equation.
The practical file
What clearance actually requires: passport, visa and work permit copies, a detailed packing list in English, and the mover’s Thai-side agent handling the entry. Keep receipts for anything new-looking. Restricted and prohibited items follow Thai law, not your origin country’s: no surprises beats fast unpacking.
Shipping FAQ
Container or air freight?
Container for a home, air for essentials, groupage for in-between; the survey does the arithmetic.
How is duty calculated if I do not qualify?
Assessed by customs on the goods' value; rates vary by item. We cite no rates because only the official assessment counts; budget with your mover.
Can I ship a car?
Vehicle import is a separate, heavily-taxed regime beyond this guide; specialist advice required.