Dernière mise à jour le 5 septembre 2026
Thai Customs seized 49 gold ornaments from a company accused of dealing in smuggled goods. No prosecution was ever brought: the case became time-barred and the procureur général dropped it. So the owner sued to get the gold back, and the fight that followed, decided this month in Dika 208/2569, est une leçon pour chaque voyageur, importateur et entreprise en Thaïlande : récupérer des marchandises saisies est un parcours du combattant procédural, et choisir le mauvais tribunal peut vous coûter des années. Voici comment fonctionne la saisie douanière en Thaïlande et quoi faire si cela vous arrive.
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Que s'est-il passé à Dika 208/2569
Customs officials seized 49 items of gold jewellery from a company’s premises on suspicion of customs offences, namely dealing in goods smuggled without payment of duty, the offence under L'article 27 bis de la (ancienne) loi sur la douane de l'ère bouddhique 2469, la loi en vigueur à l'époque (aujourd'hui les dispositions équivalentes se trouvent dans la Loi douanière B.E. 2560 (2017), notamment les articles 242 et 246).
No criminal case was filed within the délai de prescription. The Special Public Prosecutor formally dropped the matter as time-barred. The company then sued the Customs Department in the tribunaux civils, s'appuyant sur le droit de suite du propriétaire Section 1336 of the Code civil et commercialrends-moi mon or, ou paye-m'en la valeur.
Mais l'entreprise avait déjà contesté essentiellement la même réclamation par le biais de Administrative Court of First Instance and the Supreme Administrative Court, qui l'avait rejetée. Lorsque la question de la juridiction est parvenue au comité qui tranche les conflits entre les ordres de juridiction, la décision a été ferme : le litige relève de la système de juridiction administrative, under Section 9(1) and (3) of the Act on Establishment of Administrative Courts and Administrative Court Procedure B.E. 2542 (1999). A claimant cannot re-run an identical claim about the same official action in a second court system after losing in the first. The case stays in one consistent judicial track.
Pourquoi c'est important : la saisie est un acte officiel
The instinct of most owners is simple: “It is my property, so I file a civil claim to get it back.” Dika 208/2569 shows why that instinct can be wrong. A seizure by customs officers is the exercise of state power. Challenging how that power was used, including refusing to return goods after a prosecution collapses, is generally a dispute with an administrative agency, not an ordinary quarrel between private parties. And once you have chosen a forum and lost, you do not get a second run at the same claim in the other system.
The practical consequences are strict deadlines (administrative annulment cases generally must be filed within 90 days of knowing of the act), different remedies, and different evidence. Which track applies depends on precisely what you attack: the legality of the seizure, the refusal to return the goods, a forfeiture order made by a criminal court, or a settlement demand. This is where cases are won and lost before they begin, and our overview of the système judiciaire thaïlandais explique comment les tribunaux judiciaires et les tribunaux administratifs se partagent le travail.
Comment fonctionne la saisie douanière en Thaïlande
À l'aéroport
Travellers arriving in Thailand choose between the Green Channel (nothing to declare) and the Red Channel (goods to declare). Walking through the Green Channel with dutiable or restricted goods (jewellery and gold above personal-use quantities, more than 200 cigarettes, more than 1 litre of alcohol, commercial merchandise) is itself an offence, and the goods can be seized on the spot. Since May 2025 every foreign traveller also files the Carte d'arrivée numérique de Thaïlande (TDAC) avant l'arrivée ; il ne s'agit pas d'une déclaration en douane et cela ne remplace pas le Canal Rouge.
Les infractions et les enjeux
Under the Customs Act B.E. 2560, smuggling (Section 242) and dealing in or possessing smuggled goods (Section 246) carry imprisonment of up to 10 and 5 years respectively, fines calculated as a multiple of the duty-inclusive value of the goods, and, critically, la confiscation des marchandises elles-mêmes. Les véhicules et conteneurs utilisés peuvent également être confisqués.
Règlement : la sortie habituelle
Most airport and small commercial cases never reach court. The Customs Act allows case settlement: the owner pays a negotiated fine (and duty), and the criminal case ends. Settlement is fast, but it is a choice with consequences: paying may be treated as admitting the offence, and the goods are often still forfeited depending on the terms. Never sign a settlement you do not understand; have it reviewed first, the same way you would treat any charge sheet in a Affaire criminelle thaïlandaise.
Vos options après une crise d'épilepsie
| Scénario | Itinéraire principal | Limite de temps clé |
|---|---|---|
| Marchandises saisies, affaire pénale en cours | Défendre l'affaire pénale ; contester la confiscation dans cette affaire | Suit le calendrier de la procédure pénale |
| Proposition d'un arrangement à l'amiable par la douane | Négocier ; payer l'amende/le droit de douane ; confirmer par écrit ce qui advient des marchandises | Avant qu'une poursuite ne soit engagée |
| Poursuites abandonnées ou prescrites, biens non restitués | Exiger le retour ; contester le refus devant les tribunaux administratifs (Dika 208/2569) | Généralement 90 jours à compter du refus pour les demandes de type annulation |
| Propriétaire tiers (vos biens, l'infraction de quelqu'un d'autre) | Requête en restitution en qualité de propriétaire de bonne foi dans la procédure de confiscation | Strict: act as soon as you learn of the seizure |
Practical Advice for Expats and Businesses
Declare when in doubt: duty at the Red Channel is almost always cheaper than a seizure file. Carry evidence for valuables you bring temporarily (receipts, photos, and where relevant an export declaration from your home country) so you can show the gold necklace entered Thailand lawfully or was owned before travel. For businesses, keep import entries and duty receipts matched to inventory; in a Section 246 case, the burden of explaining smuggled stock quickly lands on the possessor. And if officers seize goods, get a seizure receipt listing every item, sign nothing that admits an offence without advice, and diarise the deadlines immediately, because as Dika 208/2569 shows the procedural clock, not the merits, often decides who keeps the gold. If you are planning a move with household effects and valuables, our complete legal guide to moving to Thailand covers the import rules that apply to newcomers.
Foire aux questions
Puis-je récupérer des biens saisis si je ne suis jamais poursuivi ?
Sometimes, but not automatically. Dika 208/2569 shows that even where prosecution became time-barred, the owner spent years litigating in the wrong forum. The claim for return must be made promptly, against the right agency, in the right court system.
Quelle juridiction connaît d'une action contre la douane thaïlandaise ?
Challenges to seizures and refusals to return goods are generally administrative disputes for the Administrative Court. Forfeiture ordered within a criminal case is contested in the criminal courts. A pure ownership fight between private parties goes to the civil courts. Choosing wrongly can be fatal to the claim.
Quelle quantité d'or puis-je apporter en Thaïlande ?
Personal jewellery in reasonable quantities for personal use is not dutiable, but gold in commercial quantities, gold bars and bullion must be declared. There is no fixed gram allowance in the law: quantity, packaging and circumstances decide, and officers have wide discretion at the border. Declare at the Red Channel when in doubt.
Est-ce que payer un arrangement douanier constitue une reconnaissance de culpabilité ?
Settlement ends the criminal case, and paying is generally treated as accepting the charge for that purpose. Whether the goods are returned or forfeited depends on the settlement terms, so read them before paying, not after.
Quel délai s'applique pour intenter une action en justice concernant une saisie ?
For administrative challenges to an official act or refusal, the general rule is 90 days from the date you knew or should have known of it. Civil property claims have longer prescription periods, but as Dika 208/2569 shows, you may not be allowed to use the civil track at all. Take advice immediately after any seizure.
This article was written and reviewed by Sebastien H. Brousseau, LL.B., B.Sc., practicing law in Thailand since 2004. If Customs has seized your goods, offered you a settlement, or you face a smuggling allegation, Contactez ThaiLawOnline. Early advice protects both the goods and you.
Disclaimer: this article is general legal information based on published court decisions, not legal advice for your specific situation.
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