When you come back from a holiday in Thailand, it can be a nasty surprise for tourists if they have to pay customs tax. Holidaymakers sometimes still have to pay VAT, excise duty or import duties on the items they have purchased abroad.
Tourists returning from countries outside the EU, such as Thailand, are allowed to import 430 euros worth of goods duty-free. It must then concern items for personal use or gifts. The value of a product cannot be shared among several people. If a traveler brings an item worth more than 430 euros, he must pay tax on the entire amount.
Drink and smoking restrictions
There are also restrictions on drinks and smoking materials, among other things. Tax must be paid on more than one liter of spirits, two liters of sparkling wine or two liters of liqueur wine. Tax is also charged on comparable combinations. You are also allowed to take a maximum of two hundred cigarettes, 250 grams of smoking tobacco, one hundred cigarillos or fifty cigars tax-free. If the tobacco products are not intended for personal use, the buyer may receive an additional assessment. The products will then be confiscated and the traveler may be fined.
No tax has to be paid on medicines intended for personal use during the trip. There are exceptions for medicines that contain narcotics or components of protected animal or plant species. The price of imported medicines, tobacco products, alcoholic products and personal luggage do not count towards the maximum amount of 430 euros.
An upper limit of 10.000 euros applies to money and securities. If the traveler takes 10.000 euros or more with him, he must report this to customs. He does not have to pay taxes on it.
Red passage: declare goods
If a tourist exceeds the maximum amount of 430 euros or takes more than the amounts mentioned above, he must take the red passage (declare goods). Customs can also check the luggage at the green passage (nothing to declare).
Special traveler rates apply for items worth more than 430 euros, but less than 700 euros. These rates are only charged if someone reports the goods to customs themselves. If the goods are only found during a check, customs will charge the full pound. There is an app from the customs that allows travelers to calculate in advance whether and how much tax they will have to pay on their return. The app also indicates what can and cannot be taken along. The application is available for iOs on Android.
Counterfeit items
In principle, it is forbidden to bring counterfeit items. The buyer must return such items and also pay a fine for it. This usually concerns shoes, clothing, bags, watches and perfumes. To determine whether a branded product is 'genuine', Customs looks at security features. Dubious labels, poor stitching and disappointing quality often reveal that it is a counterfeit item.
Customs does allow counterfeit goods if it concerns small quantities for personal use. For example, you are allowed to bring a maximum of three watches, 250 ml of perfume, three pieces of clothing, three pairs of shoes, three copied music CDs and three copied DVDs. A DVD with three movies is considered to be three image carriers. Data carriers containing, for example, copied computer games are not allowed in the suitcase.
Importing animal products, cultural goods, ammunition and weapons usually requires a certificate, a permit or specific permission.
Proof of purchase
Travelers also sometimes take brand new items from home on holiday. When you return, it must then be clear whether those products were not purchased at the holiday destination. Customs may ask the traveler to prove whether products have previously been purchased in the Netherlands or another EU country. In that case, tax has already been paid on it.
Customs officers pay particular attention to luxury goods and expensive items such as photographic equipment, musical instruments, laptops and jewellery. The customs officers check the items for traces of use and check where the model in question is sold. A serial number can be used to find out where, for example, a camera was made.
The Tax and Customs Administration advises consumers to bring proof of purchase or warranty for such products. A so-called customs declaration can also offer a solution. This must be requested at a customs office before departure. The applicant must then show the goods and present proof of purchase, payment or guarantee.
More information: www.taxdienst.nl
Source: Nu.nl
430 euros…., if you have a laptop with you, you are already close to or over it, my question is also; what if you live in Thailand, so deregistered from the EU, and only come to visit NL or BE, the same rules apply since you normally take everything back to Thailand + provisions supplement…
Data carriers…. yes....everything has data carriers nowadays, from your laptop over your smartphone to your camera and more that I don't even know yet.....
If I can't or don't want to take proof of purchase of a laptop, camera, watch, etc.,
When I leave the Netherlands, can I not get paper on which the customs/tax records what I take with me from the Netherlands, so that I can also submit that paper when I return?
Very simple to solve. Take pictures of it, possibly put it on a memory stick, then you can discuss this. Bought an expensive lens some time ago, did not believe that the lens was bought in the Netherlands, had to pay a fine, then made a request for a refund and received it without any problems.
Sometimes they are tricky jl With my shoes bought in the USA 4 man counterfeit I was told. After thorough research, I really did and I got them back. Never had any problems for the rest.
It is not clear in the article that the excise goods that you may take with you freely is or and not and.
So 1 liter of distilled spirits or 2 liters of wine, 200 cigarettes or 250 grams of tobacco or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars.
Let that be clear!
If you import/or export an amount of 10.000 Euro or more, you normally have to declare this officially. What exactly is the situation, if, for example, a couple divides an amount of, for example, 16.000 euros over two bags, where each person has no more than 8.000 euros, is this seen by Customs as common money, or is it this way without problems? To import/or to export? This last possible possibility is not exactly described anywhere, and is often answered on the basis of suspicion but not knowing anything for sure. Even if you inquire with Customs by E-Mail, you often get an answer that you need a lawyer to understand. Maybe you as editors know a clear answer here.?
Gr.John.
That doesn't seem that difficult to me, it concerns a limit of up to 10.000 euros per person. So both 8.000 euros (or that amount in other currencies, for example, such as Bahtjes) in your pocket should work out fine.
http://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/bldcontentnl/belastingdienst/prive/douane/geld_over_de_grens_meenemen/
I would rather wonder whether those amounts are still age-related or not: may a two-year-old who travels with mom and dad also export up to 10 thousand euros? It is extremely unlikely that the money actually belongs to the child and that the parents are of course also legally responsible.
Dear Rob,
You also start answering with the words,, That doesn't seem that difficult to me” and this actually falls under the conjecture, which I already had, but don't know 100%. You also refer to a site of the tax authorities, where everything is related to the person. My question, however, was whether Customs automatically assumes joint money for a couple, as far as I can read this is not clearly described anywhere. If you inquire about this with Customs by e-mail, you will notice that this is not as simple as many think, you often receive an e-mail back, which consists of a Dutch official, for which you need a lawyer as a normal traveler to to understand it. A clear Yes / No this is not a problem, if we both think this is not the case at all, hence my question.
Gr. John.
Everything is per person, the drink, the cigarettes etc.
The tax site also describes it per person, as you report yourself.
If it were different for money with a couple, this would have been clearly stated.
And moreover, would a couple who are married under a prenuptial agreement out of community of property have to submit a certified notarial deed in order to be able to take 10.000 per person?
That's not how the world works.
Dear Rob, (In addition)
When you ask whether the amount of 10.000 euros is age-related, it is a lot easier, because Customs has to assume that the executing person has the money himself. The latter is never credible with a 2-year-old child, so that the adult person is always responsible. (The latter I know for sure from Customs sources)
On the website of the European Union, there is an answer in English/French that seems crystal clear to me: http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/customs/customs_controls/cash_controls/declaration_form/article_6139_en.htm
1. EVERY traveler or crew member counts as a natural person for the limit of EUR 10.000;
2. for persons traveling in a group (such as a couple), the limit amount is applied individually for each person (i.e. 2 persons traveling together may carry less than EUR 20.000 together)
3. Minor children also count as natural persons for this limit amount, through their parents.
Customs does not easily dare to confirm or deny the latter because there is a fear of abuses, but art.3.1 of EC Regulation no. Community enters or leaves …): see http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2005:309:0009:0012:NL:PDF
MVG
Marc
happened to see Bordersecurity yesterday. Here were 3 people who had a total of $28.000. But because it was held by one person, it was considered a violation. Each person had to keep their own exempt maximum amount. So eg in the hand luggage of each person. The travelers made the mistake of assuming that the amount could simply be divided by 3, so that they would not have to make a claim. If the holder had simply filled in the input form and reported it, nothing would have happened. Now they had to pay a fine.
ps according to customs (brother-in-law at Schiphol) the bearer of the money must be at least 16 years old. When filling in the documents, we are also asked who the carrier is and who the owner is. So this could be different people.
This form serves two purposes.
Customs wants to know who is bringing it across the border and is therefore interested in the carrier.
The tax authorities, on the other hand, are mainly interested in who owns it. 😉
Indeed, form mentions carrier or owner, also good explanation for transitters also on page 2, on form this is the back, and throughout the EU you can use any form from any country.
http://download.belastingdienst.nl/douane/docs/aangifteformulier_liquide_middelen_iud0952z4fol.pdf
tip if you buy something via the internet, put all receipts often enclosed as pdf in your phone or ereader
Ever had a tough discussion with a fresh customs officer about a new camera where I turned out to know more than customs to start with that Thailand is not cheap and Schiphol is certainly not
Fortunately, his boss cut it off with the comment that knows more than you stop! saved time though the boss almost pissed himself laughing
Strangely enough, they didn't look at those plastic bags with plant bulbs in my hand luggage that I expected misery from (which is allowed since there is no green or protected)
In Thailand, just buy in a department store and keep receipts, you can still reclaim tax yourself
I always put receipts easily accessible added up and converted visible in the luggage saves posturing
On the penultimate day of our holiday, we always go to “Gourmet Supermarket” under Siam Paragon in BKK. to make purchases. Here they have an incredibly large selection of high-quality fresh products. In addition to the papayas for the SomTam (importing yourself pays off, especially price and quality), tropical fruit and a large number of fresh curries are also brought along. In view of the 23 Kg limit for checked baggage, this stuff, often more than 12 Kg in total, goes in hand luggage. Fortunately, our hand luggage has never been weighed. My question; can Thai fruit and vegetables be taken without a certificate, and what about the fresh curries, these are most likely not. Until now, the suitcase with fresh goods has always escaped inspection, so I do not have experience.
Regards, Paul Schiphol