Shipping Household Goods to Phuket: Customs, Duty and Movers (2026)

Should you ship at all?

Furnished rentals are common in Phuket and furniture is cheap to buy locally, so many people ship only personal items, books, clothes, small electronics and things of sentimental value. Shipping a full household makes sense mainly for a long-term move with valuable or hard-to-replace items. Compare the shipping and clearance costs against buying locally, and remember the humid climate is hard on wood, leather, books and fabrics.

The duty-free personal effects rule

Thai rules allow people moving to take up residence to import used personal and household effects free of duty and tax, with specific conditions. Movers and expat guides describe these conditions:

• You usually need a qualifying long-stay visa, commonly a non-immigrant visa, and the shipment must normally arrive within about six months of your first arrival in Thailand.
• The items must be used and owned for a minimum period, commonly given as six months, and must come from the country where you lived before the move.
• Reports describe the concession as one sea shipment and one air shipment, so consolidate to avoid a second shipment being taxed.
• New, unused items, commercial goods and vehicles do not qualify.
• Sea shipments must be described as used household goods and personal effects, and air shipments as used personal effects only, as movers' guides say.

Requirements differ by visa type and can change, so ask the Thai embassy or Customs Department and your mover which conditions apply to you. A tourist visa or visa exemption does not normally qualify.

What attracts duty and tax

New items, high-value electronics, appliances, wine and spirits, and vehicles can attract import duty and 7 percent VAT on the assessed value, and one guide says the total on electronics can reach 30 to 40 percent. Duty is assessed by category, so a mover should list items carefully. Carrying goods in your luggage has a separate small duty-free allowance, which one source puts at 20,000 baht of personal belongings, so do not use luggage as a way to bring in a lot of new goods.

Some items are restricted or prohibited, including certain medicines, weapons, drugs and some food and plant material, and pets need their own permit. See the pets guide.

Sea, air or shared container

• A full container suits a whole household, but costs the most and may be more than you need.
• A shared or groupage shipment puts your boxes in a container with other people's. It is the practical choice for most expat moves.
• Air freight is fast, often about 5 to 10 days, but expensive, so keep it for urgent or valuable items.
• Courier boxes are fine for a small move, but check the rules for used goods and the declared value.

Phuket does not have a major container port, so many shipments arrive through a mainland port and are trucked south. Ask your mover how the shipment reaches Phuket and who pays for the last leg.

Choosing and managing a mover

• Get at least three quotes, and ask for a door-to-door price that includes destination handling, customs clearance, delivery and unpacking.
• Ask who clears customs, and whether they have experience with Thai used-goods clearance.
• Make a detailed inventory, with the value of items, and photographs of valuable ones.
• Check insurance, and ask what happens if goods are damaged or delayed.
• Plan for clearance time of about a week or more, plus delays and storage charges if documents are missing.
• Keep your passport, visa papers and the original shipping documents ready.

What to leave behind

Consider selling bulky furniture, big appliances and anything that needs a different voltage or plug. Thailand uses 220 volts, so many appliances from the United States and Canada need converters or replacement, and cheap local electronics may cost less than moving them. Check that your electronics work in Thai conditions, and bring spare parts for specialist items. For household contents once you arrive, see the electricity and mould guide.