Are You Moving Aboard To Thailand?

Moving to Thailand from the UK

Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand, sits in South East Asia. The country covers around 198,115 square miles, roughly twice the size of the UK.

Thailand sits close to the Gulf of Thailand. Myanmar borders it to the north west, Laos to the north east, Cambodia to the south east, and Malaysia to the south.

Population and Provinces

Around 71 million people live in Thailand, a population similar in size to the UK’s. Bangkok is the capital, with a population of over 8 million. Thailand splits into 76 provinces (changwat), plus two special governed districts: the capital, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Bangkok), and Pattaya.

Thailand’s ten largest cities include Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pak Kret, and Hat Yai. Also on the list: Udon Thani, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Surat Thani, Khon Kaen, and Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Abels Moving Services has provided bespoke moving services internationally for over 50 years. As experts, we give you the right resources for moving abroad to Thailand.

Planning Your Move To Thailand

Talk to a specialist international removal company, not your local domestic mover. This helps you navigate any potential pitfalls of moving to Thailand.

To speak with an advisor, call or email us today. Our expert team will be in touch shortly to help.

When you contact our international team directly, we’ll give you the resources to make a formal enquiry. We’ll also give you a precise overview of the regulations involved, so your move to Thailand goes smoothly. This also covers the approach we take to a thorough, premium, end-to-end moving service.

When you enquire about moving from the UK to Thailand, please tell us your volume and access. Also include your packing requirements and shipping method. This helps us provide the most useful resources for your specific move.

Once you book with Abels, you’ll meet your Customer Liaison Move Coordinator. They manage the booking, organisation and day-to-day details of your move to Thailand.

Export Packing For Thailand

We recommend professional packing for all your items when moving to Thailand. We wrap and protect your furniture in woollen blankets before it travels with you to your new life in Thailand. At Abels, we provide expert packing services.

Export packing protects your items in transit. We use either a 6-ply paper blanket with a wax inner and water-resistant outer. Or a tough bubble blanket with a soft cloth inner and robust outer that keeps corners protected. Certain items need an extra layer of card, cartoning, or wrap for additional protection. This includes polished furniture, antiques, delicate legs, and mirrored or glass-fronted units.

A domestic move by road needs less protection. A journey of thousands of miles in a 20ft or 40ft container needs far more. Your items get handled multiple times on that journey. They’re wrapped, loaded, and driven to port. They’re then lifted on and off the stack, and loaded onto the vessel. The same happens again in reverse at the other end. Robust export packing matters throughout.

We use the highest quality packing materials throughout. If you’d like to pack some items yourself, our removal teams are happy to help arrange this. Our packing teams train specifically for this work, so your items arrive with you in Thailand in the best condition.

Fine Art & Specialist Packing Services

Fine art needs particular care. Shipments to Thailand involving valuable or delicate pieces call for enhanced export packing. This includes paintings, grandfather clocks, barometers, and chandeliers, all of which need careful handling and a specific packing approach. In many cases, we build bespoke cases specifically for the item to give the highest level of protection. Find out more about moving antiques, fine art, and valuables.

Our team trains specifically to handle specialist goods abroad, with the care and precision these items need. Explore our moving advice for further reassurance ahead of your move.

Airfreight For Thailand

Thailand has seven international airports: Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK), Don Mueang International Airport (DMK), Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX), Mae Fah Luang-Chiang Rai International Airport (CEI), Hat Yai International Airport (HDY), Phuket International Airport (HKT), U-Tapao International Airport (UTP), and Udon Thani International Airport (UTH).

Suvarnabhumi in Bangkok is by far the busiest, handling around 58 to 65 million passengers a year.

Sea transit typically takes 7 to 9 weeks door to door, so consider airfreight for anything you need sooner. Security restrictions mean airfreighted goods need professional packing rather than owner-packed cartons. We load them into heat-treated modules of various sizes, with waterproof covering for extra protection. Allow around 2 weeks door to door for airfreight. This accounts for UK and Thai security and customs checks before delivery.

See more on airfreight shipments.

Customs Information

Import and export rules govern personal items and household goods entering Thailand. Your Abels Move Manager will give you tailored guidance through this part of the process.

You’ll need specific documentation for customs clearance. The exact requirements depend on your personal circumstances, and our team will talk you through these ahead of your move. Explore the FIDI Customs Guide for Thailand for further background before your move consultation with the Abels team.

Shipping Services For Thailand

We ship larger volumes and full house moves in a 20ft or 40ft container. Where access allows, we load the container outside your residence, so you can see our team’s care and skill first-hand. We seal the container with our uniquely numbered bolt seals. Where access doesn’t suit a container of this size, we load goods at our warehouse instead (you’re welcome to attend). Or we use a shuttle truck between your home and the container.

Some shipping lines offer low-cost freight at the expense of container quality and transit time. Abels sources containers through an organisation that secures A1-class containers on our behalf. These arrive without fractures, dry, clean, odour-free, and with a reliably consistent transit time. An odour in the container will transfer to your goods, and any fractures risk water damage.

Smaller volumes travel as LCL (less than container load). We take these to our warehouse and load them into heat-treated wooden crates for shipping.

Transit port to port typically takes 28 to 46 days by sea. Vessels depart the UK weekly to ports including Bangkok, Bangkok Lat Krabang, Laem Chabang, and Songkhla. Door to door, allow around 7 to 9 weeks, depending on weather, strikes, re-routing, vessel availability and customs inspections.

Read more about shipping options when moving abroad.

Destination Services For Thailand

We choose our destination partners for their accreditations. Most hold the FIDI-FAIM quality award. That means the standard you experience with Abels continues right through customs clearance and delivery in Thailand.

We notify our destination partner as soon as your container departs the UK. They’ll contact you as delivery approaches and manage customs clearance on your behalf. Once cleared, they’ll arrange your delivery date. This normally includes delivery, unpacking, and set-up of standard furniture (excluding flat-pack items unless agreed). It also covers removal of packaging waste and return of the container to the wharf. Talk to your Abels Customer Service Manager or Customer Liaison if you’d like additional services. This includes a put-away service, cleaning, or settling-in support.

Our destination agents bring local knowledge of import documents, customs clearance and delivery. This keeps your arrival in Thailand as smooth as possible.

Wherever your move takes you, we’d like to be the removal company you think of. That means this move, and the next one. If you’re moving to Thailand, or anywhere else in the world, get in touch for a removal quotation.