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Guide · Thailand

Export wine to Thailand: the 2026 guide

Updated 13 Nov 2026 · Checked against official sources · Reviewed each year

Key points

  • Customs duty on wine is 0% for every origin since 23 February 2024; the statutory rate is still 60%. Australia, New Zealand and Chile also have 0% by treaty. No EU or EFTA agreement is in force.
  • Excise is 5% of the suggested retail price plus THB 1,000 per litre of pure alcohol; then local tax (10% of excise), fund levies (7.5% of excise) and VAT 7%. On a THB 300 CIF bottle retailing at THB 1,000 before VAT, taxes are about THB 206 (69% of CIF).
  • Each shipment needs an Excise Department import licence and the approved label on the bottle before arrival. Since 27 March 2026 importers of grape wine no longer need a sole-agent letter.
  • Advertising is banned except permitted information (Act amended from 8 November 2025); online sale to consumers is banned since 7 December 2020; sale hours are 11:00 to 24:00.

The market in numbers

Thailand imported USD 142 million of wine in 2025, 14.0% more than in 2024 and over twice the 2019 value. France leads with 39.5% of value, ahead of Australia (19.2%, down 15.1%) and Italy (15.4%, up 39.8%). Full ranking by country, 2025 data.

Duties and taxes

Five layers. Excise is calculated on the retail price, not on CIF:

  1. Customs duty: 0% for every origin since 23 February 2024, still and sparkling (Ministry of Finance Notification No. 7 under Section 12 of the Customs Tariff Decree). It has no end date, but the statutory rate is still 60%. Australia (TAFTA), New Zealand, Chile and AANZFTA also have 0% by treaty. No EU agreement exists: the tenth negotiating round was in October 2026. The EFTA agreement signed on 23 January 2025 is not yet in force.
  2. Excise: 5% of the suggested retail price before VAT, declared by the importer, plus THB 1,000 per litre of pure alcohol (Ministerial Regulation on Excise Tariff No. 39 of 2024).
  3. Local tax: 10% of the excise (Royal Decree of 2017).
  4. Fund levies: 7.5% of the excise (health promotion 2%, Thai PBS 1.5%, sports 2%, elderly 2%).
  5. VAT: 7% of (CIF + duty + excise + local tax); rate fixed to 30 September 2027.
One bottle, CIF THB 300, any originRetail price THB 1,000 before VATRetail price THB 2,000 before VAT
Customs duty00
Excise, 5% of the retail price50.00100.00
Excise, 0.75 litre x 13% x 1,00097.5097.50
Local tax, 10% of the excise14.7519.75
Fund levies, 7.5% of the excise11.0614.81
VAT, 7% of (CIF + excise + local tax)32.3636.21
Total taxes205.67 (69% of CIF)268.27 (89% of CIF)

Rates in force on 13 November 2026. CIF alone does not give the excise: we assumed 75 cl and 13% alcohol, and show two suggested retail prices. The origin changes nothing since duty is 0% for all. We left fund levies out of the VAT base.

Who imports, and what each side does

The importer holds a type 1 liquor selling licence, a Thai FDA food import licence, and an Excise Department import licence for each shipment: one import, within six months (Ministerial Regulation of 2017, amended in March 2026).

Since 27 March 2026 an importer of grape wine no longer needs proof that it is your sole agent. We found no registration of the foreign winery. The importer first submits the label, and a sample or a certificate of analysis from a government agency of your country or a body it recognises.

Labels and stamps

  • In Thai or English: wine name, alcohol content, net volume, legal warnings, names and addresses of importer and producer (Excise Department Notification of 26 March 2026). This label must be on the bottle before the wine enters Thailand.
  • Three framed warnings in Thai, in bold letters at least 5 mm high: no sale to people under 20, drinking impairs driving, people under 20 should not drink (Notification of 22 October 2024).
  • No claims about quality or benefits, no athletes, celebrities or cartoons (Notification of 2015).
  • We found no picture warning in force on the official list of alcohol control rules.
  • A QR excise stamp goes on each bottle; it can be applied at your winery if the importer prepays.

Documents and samples

  • Proof of origin: not needed for the 2024 exemption. A TAFTA claim needs a certificate of origin from an authorised body.
  • Samples: up to 10 litres enter without an import licence through Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Hat Yai customs. Up to 200 litres need a type 5 licence. Excise is still due; the stamp reads "not for sale".

How the market works

Selling licences come in two types: type 1 for sales of 10 litres or more, type 2 for smaller sales. Sales run from 11:00 to 24:00, except in hotels, entertainment venues and international airports (Notification gazetted on 28 May 2026), and stop on five Buddhist holidays, with similar exceptions. No sale to people under 20, no discounts, no free samples to the public.

Advertising is banned, except information allowed by ministerial rules, under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act as amended from 8 November 2025. We found no such rules published yet. No celebrities or influencers. Online sale to consumers is banned since 7 December 2020.

Fair: THAIFEX Anuga Asia (Drinks show), IMPACT Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok, 25 to 29 May 2027.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Pricing from CIF and 0% duty alone: taxes add about two thirds of CIF.
  • Shipping before the licence is issued, or with a label other than the approved one.
  • Planning advertising, influencer posts, discounts or online sales to consumers.
  • Using a pre-2026 checklist: sole-agent rule, label rules and sale hours have changed.

How we work in Thailand

Thailand is covered from our Shanghai office, whose team makes more than 10 trips a year through Southeast Asia. Meet the Shanghai office.

Sources

  1. Ministry of Finance Notification under Section 12 of the Customs Tariff Decree (No. 7), 14 February 2024: wine exempt from customs duty, Thai Customs Department, link (primary)
  2. Integrated Tariff Database, subheadings 2204.10.00 and 2204.21.11, rates on 13 November 2026 (general, TAFTA, New Zealand, Chile, AANZFTA, RCEP), Thai Customs Department, link (primary)
  3. Thailand tariff on Australian wine, HS 2204.21.11 (MFN, TAFTA, AANZFTA, RCEP) and certificate of origin, Australian Government, DFAT FTA Portal, link (official, secondary)
  4. Ministerial Regulation on Excise Tariff (No. 39) B.E. 2567 (2024), item 13.01 (1): wine 5% and THB 1,000 per litre of pure alcohol, Excise Department of Thailand, link (primary)
  5. Excise Tax Act B.E. 2560 (2017), Sections 17, 18, 150, 154 and 156, Excise Department of Thailand, link (primary)
  6. Royal Decree on the excise tax collected in addition for local administration B.E. 2560 (2017), Section 3, Excise Department of Thailand, link (primary)
  7. Health Promotion Foundation Act B.E. 2544 (2001), Section 11, Excise Department of Thailand, link (primary)
  8. Thai Public Broadcasting Service Act B.E. 2551 (2008), Section 12, Excise Department of Thailand, link (primary)
  9. Sports Authority of Thailand Act B.E. 2558 (2015), Section 37, Excise Department of Thailand, link (primary)
  10. Act on the Elderly B.E. 2546 (2003) as amended in 2017, Section 15/1, Excise Department of Thailand, link (primary)
  11. Revenue Code, Sections 77/1 (19) and 79/2 (VAT base on imports), official English translation, Revenue Department of Thailand, link (primary)
  12. Royal Decree (No. 807) B.E. 2569 (2026) on the reduction of the VAT rate, to 30 September 2027, Revenue Department of Thailand, link (primary)
  13. Knowledge note on customs taxes: VAT base = CIF + duty + excise + interior tax, Excise Department of Thailand, link (official, secondary)
  14. Thailand Eliminates Tariffs and Reduces Excise Taxes for Wine, GAIN report TH2024-0014, 5 March 2024, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, link (official, secondary)
  15. Growing Wine Market: Opportunities for US Exporters, GAIN report TH2026-0022, 7 July 2026, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, link (official, secondary)
  16. Ministerial Regulation on permission to import liquor B.E. 2560 (2017), clauses 2, 3, 5 and 8, Excise Department of Thailand, link (primary)
  17. Ministerial Regulation on permission to import liquor (No. 3) B.E. 2569 (2026), Excise Department of Thailand, link (primary)
  18. Notification of 26 March 2026 on sole-agent evidence for type 1 import licences (grape wine excepted), Excise Department of Thailand, link (primary)
  19. Notification of 26 March 2026 on the wording of labels for imported liquor, Excise Department of Thailand, link (primary)
  20. Notification of 26 March 2026 on type 5 import licences (samples up to 200 litres), Excise Department of Thailand, link (primary)
  21. Notification of 27 September 2017, as amended on 6 June 2019, on liquor samples allowed without an import licence, Excise Department of Thailand, link (primary)
  22. Notification of 2 December 2025 on QR excise stamps for liquor, clauses 3.4 to 3.6, Excise Department of Thailand, link (primary)
  23. Notification of 27 August 2026 on QR excise stamps for liquor (No. 2): samples, Excise Department of Thailand, link (primary)
  24. Ministry of Public Health Notification on liquor, 4 November 2009 (Food Act B.E. 2522), Thai Food and Drug Administration, link (primary)
  25. FAIRS Country Report Annual, Thailand, GAIN report TH2025-0050, 23 February 2026 (food import licence), USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, link (official, secondary)
  26. List of alcohol control laws, checked 13 November 2026, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, link (primary)
  27. Alcoholic Beverage Control Act (No. 2) B.E. 2568 (2025), Sections 26, 29 and 32/1 to 32/5, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, link (primary)
  28. Alcoholic Beverage Control Act B.E. 2551 (2008), Section 30, English translation, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, link (primary)
  29. Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee Notification on packaging and warning statements B.E. 2567, 22 October 2024, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, link (primary)
  30. Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee Notification on labels B.E. 2558, 8 January 2015, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, link (primary)
  31. Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee Notification on sale hours B.E. 2569, 27 May 2026, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, link (primary)
  32. Prime Minister's Office Notification on days when sale is prohibited B.E. 2568, 7 May 2025, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, link (primary)
  33. Prime Minister's Office Notification prohibiting electronic sale of alcoholic beverages B.E. 2563, 7 August 2020, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, link (primary)
  34. Alcohol Beverage Control Act 2025 Situation Report, GAIN report TH2025-0031, 3 December 2025, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, link (official, secondary)
  35. Market access: Thailand update, 6 March 2024 (draft picture warnings), Australian Grape & Wine, link (secondary)
  36. EU-Thailand agreement: documents and negotiating round reports, European Commission, link (primary)
  37. EFTA-Thailand Free Trade Agreement: key facts, EFTA Secretariat, link (primary)
  38. THAIFEX Anuga Asia 2027, Koelnmesse, DITP and Thai Chamber of Commerce, link (primary)

This guide summarises official texts for exporters; it is not legal or tax advice. Rules change: check with your importer or with us before shipping.

Benjamin Birot

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Benjamin Birot
Founder, General Manager Asia-Pacific

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