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Licenses to Import Alcohol to Thailand

Are you planning to import your favourite alcoholic beverage for commercial purposes, or intending to supply wines from abroad to wholesalers in Thailand? Let us help you to apply for the appropriate licenses. The process may seem lengthy, but we break down the steps for you here in order to provide a clear understanding of the requirements. Applications for alcohol-related licenses are to be submitted at the Thai Excise Department. Please note that different types of alcohol may have slightly different requirements.

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Alcohol Licenses

Acquiring a license to import and sell alcohol has recently become easier in Thailand as the government revoked the required license to store alcohol. Now, businesses will need to apply for alcohol license depending on how they will be selling it: Alcohol License Type 1 – wholesale distribution OR Alcohol License Type 2 – retail distribution.

Conditions for Importing Alcohol

Import for Non-Trade

Import for non-trade requires:

  • Copy of the Proforma Invoice
  • Copy of ID Card or Registration Certificate (depending on the case)
  • Power of Attorney

Import for Trade

Import for trade – Licenses to sell imported alcohol requires:

  • Copy of Alcohol license Type 1
  • Copy of Invoices
  • Label Approval Letter
  • Copy of Household Registration/Lease
  • Copy of ID Card or Registration Certificate (depending on the case)
  • Power of Attorney

How the Alcohol License Application Process Works

Step 1: Submitting the Alcohol License Application at the Excise Office

The first step is submitting your application for the license to sell alcohol and registration for the importer of alcohol at the Excise Office responsible for the district in which your company has its registered address – whether you are allowed to use the space for doing so.

We will require the following documents to submit your application:

  • Your company registration documents; National ID Card (In case of natural person)
  • Landlord documents similar to those needed for VAT registration with the Revenue department for the company’s registered address / Lease Agreement with specified objective to operate
  • Map, location
  • Power of Attorney
  • Copy of PP20

The Officials will evaluate the location of your business, type of the operations, make sure you comply and do not in any way, violate against the regulations or operate based on restrictions, such as, selling alcoholic beverage in school zone. Once they have approved, they will report to you.

Step 2: Register as Importer at Excise Department (Form ภส.01-01)

Step 3: Request for Approval of Labels from the Excise Department and Request to Import

Once your company has obtained the license to sell alcohol, the next step is requesting approval of your labels from the Excise Department. For this, you will need to request the following documents from your manufacturer/supplier abroad:

Required Documents

The import license and license per shipment will be required for each shipment containing the alcoholic products, for which you will need to evidence documents such as:

  • Commercial invoice
  • Bill of Lading
  • Invoice
  • Export Packing List (if any)
  • Airway bill
  • GMP – Certificate of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)– i.e. a statement which verifies that the product has been manufactured by an approved processing plant
  • A letter from manufacturer appointing you as a sole seller in Thailand
  • Business registration documents from the manufacturing company
  • Ingredients list
  • Certificate of Origin
  • 5 labels (in original) that are attached to each product for which the license will be applied for
  • Sample of the label prepared by your company which must be in the Thai language; must include details such as name, degree of alcohol and quantity in the bottle; and a general warning statement. Once the sample is approved by the officials, you should have the labels printed to be attached as stickers on the alcohol bottles.
  • Sample of the beer
  • Invoices, packing list, etc. to evidence your purchase/order of the products from the manufacturer

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