shopping in other countries...whatabout customs and taxes? when you comeback
baiken122
PExer
i would like to ask does all tourist who came back from other countries; do we need to pay all the stuff that we are bringing back home ? like if i bought a cellphone or a digital camera from other countries should i pay the item's customs and taxes? even if it is for personal use?
i tried calling in the customs department in our local airport they say that we should pay the customs and taxes of all the items that we are bringing in (all the stuff you bought in other countries even pasalubong or gifts) even if it is for personal use we still need to pay for the items customs and taxes?
is this true? if so where can we see the law about this matter?
thanks
i tried calling in the customs department in our local airport they say that we should pay the customs and taxes of all the items that we are bringing in (all the stuff you bought in other countries even pasalubong or gifts) even if it is for personal use we still need to pay for the items customs and taxes?
is this true? if so where can we see the law about this matter?
thanks
Comments
http://www.iatatravelcentre.com/PH-Philippines-customs-currency-airport-tax-regulations-details.htm
Customs Rules
Import regulations::
Free import:
1. all passengers (18 years of age and over) (duty free allowance only once per year per passenger):
a. 400 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 grammes pipe tobacco;
b. 2 bottles alcoholic beverages of not more than 1 litre each;
2. once a year the following categories of passengers may bring in goods as specified below duty free:
a. returning residents who have stayed abroad more than 6 months:
used electronic or electrical appliances and personal effects up to the value of PHP 10,000.-;
b. contract workers:
used personal effects up to value of PHP 10,000.- and
used home appliances, limited to 1 of each kind, up to the value of PHP 10,000.-.
Prohibited:
1. printed subversive, obscene and pornographic materials;
2. drugs or substances for abortion;
3. gambling machines and articles, jackpot or pinball machines, lottery sweepstakes tickets, coin operated video machines;
4. articles of gold, silver and precious metals without indications of actual fineness of quality;
5. misbranded and/or adulterated drugs or foodstuffs.
Arms and Ammunition regulations::
Prohibited:
firearms and firearm parts, replicas, explosives and ammunition.
Wild Fauna and Flora::
Prohibited:
1. marijuana, poppy, coca leaves, heroin, opium or any other prohibited drugs; opium pipes and parts thereof;
2. to transport to the Philippines all plants, planting materials, fruits and vegetables, irregardless of quantity, if not accompanied by a valid quarantine documents (Import Permit/Authority to Import).
Export regulations::
Free export by passengers (18 years and over):
- 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 500 grammes of tobacco;
- 1 quart of alcoholic beverages.
Pets::
All animals must be accompanied by:
- veterinarian good health certificate issued at the point of origin stating that animals have not been exposed to communicable disease; and
- prior import permit obtained from Bureau of Animal Industry.
Cats and dogs must also have a certificate of inoculation against rabies (issued at point of origin). The Station Manager of the transporting airline at point of disembarkation must notify the Quarantine Inspector in Manila at least 24 hours before arrival of animals. Pets may enter as passenger's checked baggage, in the cabin or as cargo.
Baggage Clearance regulations::
Baggage is cleared at the first port of entry in the Philippines. Crew members should clear their luggage at the Customs Crew Counter.
Exempt: transit passengers with a destination outside of the Philippines.
Basta yung mga masyado ng mahal na items. This is to protect the car trade in the country. The principle there kasi, is for every car you buy outside the country, the car dealers and the govt. would lose so much, if the car was bought in the Philippines instead.
pero small items. parang hindi naman. Yung nabili kong printer, laptop, ipod touch, car vacuum cleaner, air humidifier, digicam, handbags ,etc. ok naman.
and I think pag customs, yung mga ibebenta naman ata. while as to taxes, binayaran mo naman na yung tax nung item nung binili mo abroad. so Id think its safe.
Import regulations::
Free import:
1. all passengers (18 years of age and over) (duty free allowance only once per year per passenger):
a. 400 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 grammes pipe tobacco;
b. 2 bottles alcoholic beverages of not more than 1 litre each;
***tingin ko ito lang yata ang mga duty free para sa lahat ng travelers pero subject for taxes pa rin kasi sabi lang duty free e. please do correct me if i am wrong.
2. once a year the following categories of passengers may bring in goods as specified below duty free:
a. returning residents who have stayed abroad more than 6 months:
used electronic or electrical appliances and personal effects up to the value of PHP 10,000.-;
b. contract workers:
used personal effects up to value of PHP 10,000.- and
used home appliances, limited to 1 of each kind, up to the value of PHP 10,000.-.
Prohibited:
1. printed subversive, obscene and pornographic materials;
2. drugs or substances for abortion;
3. gambling machines and articles, jackpot or pinball machines, lottery sweepstakes tickets, coin operated video machines;
4. articles of gold, silver and precious metals without indications of actual fineness of quality;
5. misbranded and/or adulterated drugs or foodstuffs.
*** ito naman para sa mga benefits na ito ay para sa mga OFWs lang yata. not unless any tourist who went to abroad can also be considered as OFWs then pwede itong benefits na ito sa ating lahat. kasi merong pre-requisite na stayed in abroad more than 6 months e.
meron bang libro tungkol sa customs? o kaya isang libro na masmadali maintindihan ang mga customs law natin or regarding sa travel laws?
Case to case basis rin, depends on the Customs officer kung kanino ka matatapat. Minsan papabuksan luggage mo and iinspect.
Recently there was a Korean na nakasabay ko na sinisingil ng Customs dahil may dalang designer bag (I think sa Incheon Duty Free). Sinasabi pa nung Customs officer "M'am it's for the government, not for us, we give you 50% discount already!". I'm sure that must have left a bad impression.
may mga iba naman hindi consistent yung mga sagot i asked before sa bureau of customs sabi ok lang daw magpasok ng items dito basta personal use. nung nag tanong naman ako sa airport sabi naman hindi lahat daw ng mga items na binili from abroad whether it is for personal use o commercial use dapat e declare.
parang rumors ang mga laws natin dito, walang consistent na answer. sometimes other officials binabawasan nila *** laws para lang makuha nila *** gusto nila. like ito nga sa pagpasok ng items sa bansa natin hindi natin alam kung merong mga added conditions. if you read yung mismong laws naman sobrang hirap intindihin. kung iba pagkakaintindi mo tapos nahuli ka end up ikaw pa ang sorry. bayaran mo kung magkano *** sinisingil sa iyo.
this year, yun isang friend ng officemate ko is galing hk siya. bumisita siya sa pinas, meron dalang digicam para ipang-regalo sa officemate ko.pinabayad siya ng tax, meorn naman receipt.
IMHO, unfair that "returning residents who have stayed abroad more than 6 months" and "contract workers" have exemption. paano kung mag-uwi nga sila ng electronics or applicances that's less than 10k pesos, yun pala ibebenta? Compare sa isang Filipino na nagtravel abroad, mayaman siya, tapos bumili ng 10different shirts and 10 different pants worth more than 10k pesos for his/her personal use, tapos siya yun biglang hihinalaang magbebenta tapos sisingilin pa ng tax.
Best plan is to make all you newly bought clothes look "used". Mga bags, gawin mo na lang hand-carry. For electronics, don't bring the box na, or put the box on your hand carry, there are less chances na i-check nila hand-carry mo.
no need to buy, just print Customs and Tariff Code of the Philippines in chanrobles.com. sige next time pakitaan mo ang customs hehehe
once na umabuso ang isang custom officer sitahin mo na.