Thais are no longer required to declare valuable items to customs officers before leaving the country following the Customs Department’s recent termination of a much-maligned mandate.
The Customs Department decided to remove the 4th requirement in its 60th directive, issued on Feb. 26, which demanded that Thais leaving Thailand via airport register their valuable belongings, including cameras, watches, laptops and other expensive items, with customs officials. The annoying requirement, which required two photos of each item, has now been removed following public criticism, reported NNT.
Customs Department Deputy Director General Chaiyut Kumkun clarified after the removal that not everyone had to declare their belongings to the customs office.
He added the requirement had been designed for manufacturers and event organizers, who often travel overseas with a large number of items. By declaring the items before boarding, they could prove on their return that the items were not purchased overseas, therefore avoiding having to pay Thailand’s hefty import duties, on items that were not new.
