Export and Import Licenses in Thailand

The import/export business appeals to many foreign entrepreneurs in Thailand because it is a line of business that is not restricted by the Foreign Business Act of 1999. This means that a foreigner can engage in an import/export business without a 51% Thai shareholder or without having to apply for permission from the Thai government.

Another appealing factor is that there is no overarching law regulating the import of goods, which means that generally speaking, goods may be imported into Thailand without restriction. However, Thai law does restrict the import of specific goods. The difficult aspect of running an import business is that, although the Department of Foreign Trade issues import licenses for many goods, licenses for different goods will be issued through various different government departments, since there are different government policies involved in controlling the import of one type of good as opposed to another. Furthermore, the importer must be responsible for obtaining the import license from the relevant government department.

Examples of goods that require an import license from the Department of Foreign Trade include unfinished clothing parts (for statistical information gathering purposes), used motor vehicles and used motorcycles (in order to protect the public) and intaglio printing machines or color copy machines (in order to prevent the production of counterfeit banknotes).

On the other hand, the import of drugs, chemicals and pharmaceutical products is controlled by the Food and Drug Administration in order to protect public health, but also for the purposes of national economic security. The import of gold requires a license from the Ministry of Finance in order to protect national financial security. The import of antique idols requires a license from the Fine Arts Department in order to protect national cultural artifacts. Machinery which can be used to copy compact discs and videos requires an import license from the Department of Intellectual Property in order to prevent copyright violations. The import of chainsaws requires a license from the Royal Forest Department, in order to prevent illegal logging.

Foreign entrepreneurs who are uncertain of whether they must obtain an import or export license for a certain good should contact the Department of Foreign Trade, which is a subdivision of the Ministry of Commerce.

If you have questions related to Export and Import Licenses in Thailand that are not addressed in this article, please feel free to contact us.

 

Tags: export license thailand, import export license thailand, import from thailand, import license thailand, import permit thailand, importing from thailand, importing goods into thailand, thailand import license

Category: Business in Thailand, Company Law