Shipping from Thailand to Japan: What It Costs and What Japan Charges on Arrival
10,000 yen is the number that matters at Japanese customs. Below it most parcels enter free of duty and consumption tax, above it both are charged, and some goods are taxed at any value. A parcel sent from Thailand with Dragon Courier moves by air with all duties, costs and tariffs included in the fee, so the person receiving it in Japan pays nothing on arrival.
How much does Japan charge when a parcel from Thailand arrives?
Japan charges customs duty and consumption tax on a parcel whose total customs value is above 10,000 yen, and on a short list of goods at any value. Consumption tax is 10 percent at the standard rate. Japan Customs states the threshold in one sentence:
"Those goods at a total customs value of 10,000 yen or less shall be exempted from taxation of customs duty and consumption tax."
Source: 1006 Duty exemption for goods at a total customs value of 10,000 yen or less (FAQ), Japan Customs.
The same page lists the goods that stay taxable under that line:
"Leather bags, handbags, gloves, etc., knitted apparel（Ｔ-shirt，Sweater，etc）, ski boots, leather shoes and footware with leather soles."
Source: same Japan Customs FAQ.
A box of T-shirts from a Bangkok market is therefore taxable in Japan even when it is worth 3,000 yen. Splitting an order into several boxes does not change the count either: when one sender sends several parcels to one receiver at the same time, the page adds, "the total amount of customs value of all the parcels shipped separately from that same sender to that same recipient should not exceed 10,000 yen."
Tax | Standard rate | Reduced rate |
|---|---|---|
National consumption tax | 7.8% | 6.24% |
Local consumption tax | 2.2% | 1.76% |
Total consumption tax | 10% | 8% |
Source: 1111 Calculation Method of Amount of Tariff Duty, Consumption Tax, etc, Japan Customs.
Above 10,000 yen, parcels up to 200,000 yen are assessed on a short simplified tariff rather than the full schedule:
"General import freight and international parcel post at the total customs value of 200,000 yen or less are subject to the application of simplified tariff, prescribed separately from general tariff."
Source: 1001 Simplified tariff applicable to goods at a total value of 200,000 yen or less (FAQ), Japan Customs.
On a Dragon Courier shipment none of this reaches the receiver. The fee paid in Thailand already covers duty and consumption tax on every category, under or over the threshold.
How much does it cost to ship from Thailand to Japan?
Shipping from Thailand to Japan with Dragon Courier costs 665 THB at 0.5 kg, 901 THB at 1 kg, 1,374 THB at 2 kg and 3,226 THB at 5 kg, duty and tax included. One rate covers clearance, transport, delivery and documents, with no surcharges.
Weight | Price (THB, duty and tax included) |
|---|---|
0.5 kg | 665 |
1 kg | 901 |
2 kg | 1,374 |
5 kg | 3,226 |
Prices are on the list of 3 August 2026.
A box is billed on whichever is greater, its actual weight or the space it takes up in the hold. Nothing is added for an urgent shipment or a remote address, and there is no discount for anybody: one price applies to a first parcel and to the fiftieth.
Payment is cash or bank transfer, before export, for every customer. Dragon Courier can provide any invoice a sender requires.
Are gifts taxed differently in Japan?
No. A gift sent to Japan is valued and taxed exactly like a purchased parcel, and there is no separate gift allowance on top of the 10,000 yen line. Tokyo Customs puts it plainly:
"Gifts from friends or family members and free product samples, etc., are subject to duty and taxes even if there is no actual payment."
Source: Are gifts and free commercial samples subject to duty and taxes?, Tokyo Customs.
The one narrow exception concerns the taxable list above. A leather bag or knitted sweater sent as a gift for private use can regain the 10,000 yen exemption "in some cases", if Customs accepts the claim. Writing "gift" on the paperwork is not a way around the rule, and on a Dragon Courier shipment it would not save the receiver anything, since the tax is already paid in the fee.
What can't be sent from Thailand to Japan?
Japan adds its own restrictions to the list of goods Dragon Courier does not send to any country, which includes religious items, batteries and anything illegal. The Japanese rules that catch parcels from Thailand most often are meat products, plants, cosmetics in quantity and brand copies.
Category | Japanese rule | Authority |
|---|---|---|
Meat and meat products, including jerky, sausages and meat snacks | Prohibited | MAFF Animal Quarantine Service |
Live plants and cuttings | Phytosanitary certificate and import inspection required; soil prohibited | MAFF Plant Protection Station |
CITES-listed plants, orchids included | Export permit from the exporting country | METI |
Cosmetics for personal use | 24 pieces or less of normal sizes per item | Japan Customs, FAQ 1806 |
Medicines for personal use | Up to two months' consumption | Japan Customs, FAQ 1806 |
Counterfeit or brand-copy goods | Prohibited | Japan Customs |
Thai snacks made with pork or chicken are the case senders miss most. The Animal Quarantine Service names the processed products and removes every excuse:
"Above rules apply if they're for yourself, gifts, bought in a shop (including at an airport), home grown, home made, heat processed or vacuum packed."
Source: Bring animal products into Japan from overseas (by baggage, international parcels), Animal Quarantine Service, MAFF.
For live plants, the Plant Protection Station:
"When bringing plants into Japan, it is legally required to submit Phytosanitary Certificate issued by the government of exporting country and to take import inspection regardless of quantity, intended usage and so forth."
Source: Regulations when Bringing Plants into Japan from Another Country, MAFF Plant Protection Station.
CITES-listed species need more than that. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry:
"People who intend to import any listed species of animals or plants under the CITES are required to receive an export permit/a re-export certificate issued by the government of the exporting country"
Source: Imports of goods related to the CITES, METI.
The phytosanitary certificate comes from Thailand's Department of Agriculture. Dragon Courier's plant export service handles that paperwork, and the guide on importing plants from Thailand by country covers the documents in full. A copy of a branded bag or shoe falls under Japan's ban on "Articles which infringe upon intellectual property rights", and Dragon Courier does not accept it for export.
What does a shipment to Japan need from the sender?
A shipment needs the contents of the package and the receiver's name, address and contact number. No account is required to start sending, and there is no cap on volume.
The named product goes on the paperwork: cotton T-shirts, 12 pieces, or ceramic bowls, 4 pieces. "Gift" or "clothes" gives the customs officer nothing to work with.
How does the parcel travel, and how long does it take?
Everything to Japan goes by air. Dragon Courier clears customs itself rather than handing the parcel to a broker, then a courier delivers the last leg to the door. Transit time depends on the parcel, and the office gives the current estimate with the quote.
Dragon Courier intentionally does not collect signatures on delivery, because a signature is often what delays it. If the receiver is out and the package cannot be left somewhere safe, the driver may take it back to the hub for a next day attempt or leave it at a nearby pick up point. Door to door tracking is provided on export day, the sender can share it with the receiver, and Dragon Courier sends a proof of delivery file when the parcel arrives.
When something goes wrong
When a shipment runs into trouble, Dragon Courier checks what happened first and pushes to get it moving again. For parcels, insurance is available and it covers loss.
Damage in transit and missing items are not compensated, and Dragon Courier investigates how they occurred to avoid a repeat. Fragile or valuable items should be wrapped very carefully and insured.
An address cannot be changed after export. What the cover includes, and how claims and delays are handled, is set out in the refund and cancellation policy. How a shipment stuck in customs is handled is covered in the guide on parcels lost, delayed or stuck in customs.
About Dragon Courier
Dragon Courier is a Bangkok-based international courier shipping from Thailand to over 200 destinations, with more than 30 years in the business and more than 20,000 shipments a month. It started as a British business and is Thai family-run today.
For Japan, Dragon Courier manages export, documentation and clearance directly through its own service. One price is quoted in Thailand and the receiver pays nothing on arrival. How that works on every route is explained in the DDP shipping guide, and the cost of the same parcel to other countries is compared in the guide on shipping costs from Thailand with tax included.
Contacts and drop-off
The contents of the box and where it is going are enough to get a quote for the Japan route. Office +66 2656 9019, WhatsApp and LINE at +66 6-5937-0812, or info@dragoncourier.com.
Drop-off runs until 17:00, Monday to Saturday, at the Bangkok office on Sukhumvit Soi 4 (217/3 Crystal Garden Building, 3rd floor, Klongtoey 10110) or the Chiang Mai office on Viangbua Road. A pickup can be arranged in Bangkok and Pattaya for a date and time that suits. Ceramics and glass headed to Japan are worth packing to the standard in the guide on packing fragile and valuable items.
Will my contact in Japan pay import tax on the parcel?
No. On a Dragon Courier shipment, duty and consumption tax are already included in the fee quoted in Thailand, so there is nothing to pay when the parcel arrives, whatever the value. That holds for goods under the 10,000 yen line and for the goods Japan taxes at any value.
How much does it cost to ship from Thailand to Japan?
665 THB at 0.5 kg, 901 THB at 1 kg, 1,374 THB at 2 kg and 3,226 THB at 5 kg, on the price list of 3 August 2026. Duty and tax are already inside those prices and nothing is added on delivery.
Is clothing from Thailand taxed in Japan?
Knitted apparel such as T-shirts and sweaters, and leather bags and shoes, are excluded from Japan's 10,000 yen exemption, so they are taxable at any value. On a Dragon Courier shipment that tax is already inside the fee paid in Thailand.
Can I send Thai snacks to Japan?
Not if they contain meat. Snacks made with pork, chicken or other meat, including jerky and sausages, are banned by Japan's Animal Quarantine Service whether they are homemade, bought in a shop or vacuum packed. Fresh fruit and vegetables fall under Japan's plant quarantine rules as well.
Can I send plants or orchids to Japan from Thailand?
Only with a phytosanitary certificate from Thailand's Department of Agriculture and an import inspection in Japan, and for CITES-listed species an export permit as well. Plants cannot travel with soil, and the certificate is required whatever the quantity or intended use. Dragon Courier's plant export service manages the documentation.
Is there a discount for shipping to Japan regularly?
No. Dragon Courier runs a single price for every customer on the Japan route, whether it is a first shipment or a weekly one. Nothing is added for an urgent shipment or a remote address either, and the price includes duty, consumption tax, clearance and delivery.
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