Importing Plants Accompanied by Personal Luggage
To prevent the introduction of serious pests, such as insect pests, plant pathogens, weeds, or foreign animal pests that may accompany plants and cause outbreaks that damage economically important crops in Thailand, and to ensure compliance with the law, the Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for enforcing the Plant Quarantine Act B.E. 2507, as amended by the Plant Quarantine Act (No. 2) B.E. 2542 and the Plant Quarantine Act (No. 3) B.E. 2551, recommends that international travelers wishing to bring plants or plant products into Thailand adhere to the following guidelines:
1. Prohibited Plants
Plants or plant products listed as prohibited items are strictly forbidden from being imported by incoming international passengers. Violators may face imprisonment, fines, or both. Any plants brought in will be confiscated by officials for destruction, and the importer cannot claim any compensation.
List of Prohibited Plants:
- Fresh fruits of all kinds, such as oranges, apples, pears, persimmons, grapes, cherries, strawberries, mangoes, limes, etc.
- Seeds, cuttings, or plant parts, such as those from oranges, cassava, potatoes, coffee, sugarcane, corn, millet, cotton, tobacco, peppers, eggplants, pineapples, tea, cocoa, rubber trees, black soap, coconuts, oil palms, etc.
- Others, including soil, organic fertilizers from plants or animal manure, agricultural microorganisms, insects, earthworms, nematodes, snails, weeds, predatory and parasitic organisms, etc.
2. Plants Requiring Import Notification for Pest and Disease Inspection
All plants or plant products, except for those listed as prohibited in Section 1, can be brought into Thailand by international airline passengers. However, the importation must be accompanied by a Phytosanitary Certificate (PC) and must be declared to the plant quarantine officials for inspection of pests and plant pathogens at the designated plant quarantine checkpoint before being allowed entry. Violators may face imprisonment, fines, or both, and any plants brought in will be confiscated by officials for destruction, with the importer unable to claim any compensation.
For further information, please contact the Plant and Agricultural Materials Control Division:
Email: technical_ard@hotmail.co.th
Phone: 0-2940-6573 #128
