IMPORTING ULTRALIGHT AIRCRAFT INTO THAILAND

Comments and Suggestions from personal experience by George Stobel 

Thanks for the email and the support from your side. I am very happy that my container including the aircraft is now close to my land, even not yet on it but at least close. The rainy weather did mot allow to go with a crane and a truck on my land to place the container on there but hopefully this very unusual rainy weather will stop soon. I will be back on Phuket on 11.11.03 for another 2 weeks and if everything is ok down there, I might have the chance to pass by at the TFC as well. I would like to help future importer to tell them about my experience to bring in an aircraft, especially a microlight, but everything went so wrong that I think its not a very good idea to share this experience with others. Anyway, I will be able to give basics how to do it :

1. You have to have a Thai working permission or you know someone who does ,so that in this ersons name you will have all the documents that are needed for the aircraft.
2. If you bring in the aircraft in a container , make sure that you have the right agent. How to find the right agent ? I dont know. The corrupt system in Thailand will not allow you to follow the clearing procedure once the agent takes over . so you just have to pay whatever the agent asks you to pay. (If you don't pay, the shipment is GONE !!!)
3. The official import duty on aircraft is only 7% VAT but as I said before 
this is just the rough information that the agent will tell you. If the customs inspector thinks that this is not enough, he will charge whatever he thinks is ok for his pocket. In my case, I paid 2,000 US $ just for him. And never got any receipt or any official statement for what I have to pay that much.
4. The documents for the aircraft are nicely listed in the link that you find on the TFC homepage .
5. in addition to them you need to have the Thai workpermit and the original passport . Both of these documents go with the agent for about 3 to 5 days. At this time you will have no idea where they are and just hope that you will get them back.

So that's all my experience in this matter. Its not much and to cut it short: Have the thai work permit, the original Passport and some Bucks and the aircraft will be cleared. If someone asks for details : There are no real details but trust in the agent's connection to the customs .

That it for now. Hope you are ok and I am very much looking forward to see you again. 
Hope to see you soon again. 

Yours,
George