Customs Clearance Service In Thailand

If your business involves the import or export of goods through Thai customs, you’ll need to have some idea of the custom clearance procedures and the related documents. Here is your brief guide on this subject.

Importing

Once a shipment arrives in Thailand, the importers will be required to file a Goods Declaration and supporting documents for the imports with a Customs officer at the port of entry. Imported cargo can not enter the land until the delivery of the merchandise has been authorized by the Customs. All the applicable taxes should be paid and cleared prior to the clearance of the cargo. Depending upon the nature of the goods, the importers may need to secure a permit to facilitate their clearance.

Required Documents

The minimum documents required to be submitted to the Customs for the clearance of imports include:

• Import Declaration
• Bill of Lading (B/L) or Air Waybill
• Invoice
• Packing List
• Import License (if applicable)
• Certificates of Origin (if applicable)
• Other relevant documents such as catalog, product ingredients, etc.

Import declaration & Custom clearance process

The process of Customs Clearance for import will generally involve 4 stages:

1. Submission of a Declaration:

The primary stage of import clearance process is to complete an Import Declaration and submit it to the e-Customs system. Prior to the arrival of cargo or upon the arrival of cargo, a shipping agent electronically transmits a ship or aircraft arrival report, and manifests the information to the e-Customs system. If it is error-free, the ship or aircraft arrival report number is automatically generated by the e-Customs system and the response message is transmitted to the shipping agent. When the cargo arrives at the port or place of entry, an importer or a Customs broker submits an Import Declaration to the e-Customs system.

2. Check and Verification of the Declaration:

The stage after this, is the checking and verification of the Declaration and all other required documents (in case of red line) made by an importer. once more, the e-Customs system verifies the given data and issues a Declaration and Payment Numbers within a few seconds in conjunction with the e-payment. In addition to this, the selectivity profile system will validate the transmitted data and specify the Goods Declaration to be the Green Line or Red Line.

3. Payment of Import Duties and Taxes:

The third stage is making of the required payment of applicable duties and taxes and/or guarantee. Presently, there are 2 options for the payment of import duties and taxes: payment at the Customs Department, and payment via e-Payment system.

4. Inspection and Release of Cargo:

The last stage is to inspect and finally release cargo from Customs custody.

Exporting

Goods intended for export from Thailand are subject to normal export procedures. All goods being exported from Thailand will have to undergo and pass customs clearance. Customs gather information regarding the nature and volume of exports to help government and industry with policy and decision-making. Unless specifically exempt, goods may not be loaded for shipment for export until they have secured Customs approval for export.

Required Documents

In case of red line (high risk shipment), the minimum documents required to be submitted to the Customs for the clearance of export consists of:

• Export Declaration
• Invoice
• Export License (if applicable)
• Other relevant documents such as catalog, product ingredients, etc.

Export declaration & clearance process

The process of Customs Clearance for export will generally involve 4 stages:

1. Submission of a Declaration:

The export procedures start when an exporter/broker submits an Export Declaration in ebXML message to the e-Customs system.

2. Verification of a Declaration:

The next stage is automated verification of the Declaration. As soon as the e-Customs system gets the Export Declaration data, this data undergoes preliminary verification and validation. In those cases where the validated data contains no error, the Goods Declaration number is generated in conjunction with the e-Payment system (in case export taxes and duties are applicable.). The response message, then, is sent to the exporter/broker. In addition to this, the selectivity profile system will verify the data that was transmitted and will classify the Goods Declaration into one of these two categories: Green Line and Red Line.

3. Payment of Duties and Taxes:

The third stage is payment of applicable duties and taxes and/or guarantee. Presently, there are 3 methods of payment of export duties and taxes: payment at the Customs Department, payment via e-Payment system, and payment at banks.

4. Inspection and Release of Cargo:

The final stage is inspection and release of the cargo from Customs custody. At this stage, a freight forwarder loads cargo into the containers and electronically the cargo control report is transmitted to the e-Customs system. The e-Customs system verifies the data, and reports in case of an error for immediate online correction. The cargo control report number is generated automatically by the system and the response is then sent to the freight forwarder and the exporter/broker, in the case of no error being found,. After this, the freight forwarder prints the cargo control report with its number and removes the cargo to the exit port. At this last stage, the Customs officer at a sub-gate inspects whether the declaration is a Red Line or a Green Line.

We are the licensed company to handle international customs clearance services in Thailand. Our licensed customs clearance professionals are experts in handling international custom clearance procedures. Our professionals are efficient, prompt and flexible. We also have strong relationships with Thai Govt officials. If you need to get custom clearance in Thailand and want to understand the proper way to do so, get in touch with us. Our legal professional experts can guide you successfully through the legal custom clearance processes. Get in touch with us today. Call us at +66 26260277 or write to us at [email protected]