Thailand Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in thailand, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Import Requirements and Documentation
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Import licenses are required for the importation of many raw materials, petroleum, industrial machinery, textiles, pharmaceuticals, defense products, firearms and ammunition, and agricultural items. Imports of some items not requiring licenses may be subject to extra fees and certificate of origin requirements. Additionally, some products fall under special controls imposed by various laws and regulations.

Thailand imposes domestic purchase requirements on importers of several products subject to tariff-rate quotas (TRQs), including coffee, tea, potatoes, corn, soybeans and soybean meal. A similar domestic purchase requirement also applies to feed wheat, even though it is not subject to a TRQ.

Additionally, some products are subject to import control and require authorization from specific government agencies:

  • Processed foods, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, vitamins, and cosmetics require licensing from the Food and Drug Administration under the Ministry of Public Health.
  • Tungsten oxide, tin ores, and metallic tin in quantity exceeding two kilograms require permission from the Department of Mineral Resources under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
  • Arms, ammunition, or explosive devices require licensing from the Ministry of Interior.
  •  Antiques or objects of art, registered or not, require permission from the Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Culture.
  • Animal-derived products, including meat, meat and bonemeal, and feather meals, require audits of production facilities for importation by the Department of Livestock Development, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.
     

Thailand’s import and export clearance process requires the submission of a Customs Import Entry or Export Entry form. The form should be accompanied by standard shipping documents, which include a commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading/airway bill, and letter of credit. Some products may require an import/export license and/or authorization from relevant agencies. These include food products (processed or unprocessed), pharmaceuticals, medical devices, healthcare products, cosmetics, hazardous substances, animals, and some agricultural products. 

Thailand eliminated its requirement of a certificate of origin for information technology imports pursuant to the WTO Information Technology Agreement. The use of a freight forwarder to handle import and export customs clearing in Thailand is strongly recommended.

Import licenses are required for the importation of many raw materials, petroleum, industrial machinery, textiles, pharmaceuticals, firearms and ammunition, and agricultural items.  In some cases, imports of certain items not requiring licenses are subject to extra fees and certificate of origin requirements.  Additionally, several products are subject to import controls under miscellaneous laws.  Thailand imposes domestic purchase requirements on importers of several products subject to tariff-rate quotas (TRQs), including soybeans and soybean meal.  Thailand also imposes a domestic purchase requirement on importers of feed wheat, which is not subject to a TRQ.

Additionally, several products are subjected to import control:

  • Importation of processed foods, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, vitamins, and cosmetics requires licensing from the Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Public Health.
  • Importation of tungsten oxide, tin ores, and metallic tin in quantity exceeding two kilograms requires permission from the Department of Mineral Resources, Ministry of Industry.
  • Importation of arms, ammunition, or explosive devices requires licensing from the Ministry of Interior.
  • Importation of antiques or objects of art, registered or not, requires permission from the Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Education.

General customs clearance procedures for both imports and exports in Thailand require the submission of a Customs export entry form or import entry form. The form should be accompanied by standard shipping documents, which include a commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading/airway bill, and letter of credit. Some products may require an import/export license and/or authorization from relevant agencies. These include food products (processed or unprocessed), pharmaceuticals, medical devices, healthcare products, cosmetics, hazardous substances, animals, and some agricultural products. Thailand has already eliminated its requirement of a certificate of origin for information technology imports pursuant to the WTO Information Technology Agreement. The use of a freight forwarder to deal with import and export customs clearing in Thailand is highly recommended.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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