len commented : [quote:qphs7yx0]by naksuthin on Wed 16 Mar 2011 5:45 pm I am married to a Thai citizen We live in the US We are planning on building a house in Thailand My wife plans to go back and forth to Thailand to oversee the building process while I remain in the States. When the house is finished in a year or two, we both plan to move to Thailand to retire. The rule for shipping personal belongings to Thailand for Thai residents like my wife states: Returning Thai residents who have been abroad for one year or longer, for the purposes other than touring are eligible to bring in household effects acquired abroad free of taxes and duties. Question: If my wife is traveling back and forth to Thailand to oversee the building of the house, does that mean at some point she will have to return to the States and remain there for another full year before we can qualify for duty free shipping?[/quote:qphs7yx0] One suggestion mate! I would consult with a few different shipping agents in Thailand in advance and get an idea of what you’ll have to pay when your things arrive. Don’t rely on the US shippers to make contacts for you or wait till things arrive in Thailand and not know who you'll be dealing with in Thailand. My point is, when my things arrived in Thailand, some custom broker, or Thai shipping agent, I can’t remember, wanted 40,000 baht for duty, etc. I was fortunate to be able to contact a foreigner working in the Thai shipping / moving industry who got my things in for 8000 baht.

critical commented : I think when the transfer of residence is applied for goods brought into Thailand, the person is required to stay atleast 3-6 months before s/he can leave again or so I've heard. Do check it with the customs department in Thailand once here. As mentioned above, do inquire about the shipping agent for releasing the goods in advance. Also, which port it would be coming down to. When I had brought in a container with my personal belongings into Thailand, I was asked for 80,000.

Eric commented : Singapore Changi Airport pride themself on this benchmark of 30 minutes from arrival, immigration and getting your check-in bags and exiting the airport. Most time that I travel there, it pass the benchmark. Sadly, most time it takes from 30 to 45 minutes pass Suvarnabumi immigration and you still have to wait for your bags. Approx total time slightly more than an hour.

len commented : [quote:3ijq4a0u]by Eric on Thu 17 Mar 2011 9:23 am Singapore Changi Airport pride themself on this benchmark of 30 minutes from arrival, immigration and getting your check-in bags and exiting the airport. Most time that I travel there, it pass the benchmark. Sadly, most time it takes from 30 to 45 minutes pass Suvarnabumi immigration and you still have to wait for your bags. Approx total time slightly more than an hour [/quote:3ijq4a0u] The wait is worth it, mate! Thailand has it, Singapore is bore!!