To take a Buddha image out of Thailand legally you need an export licence from the Fine Arts Department, and that applies to new statues as well as antiques. You apply in person with the object itself, the department examines it, and the process takes about eight working days, so plan it at the start of your trip, not the day before you fly.
Thai Customs lists Buddha images, artifacts and antiques as restricted goods for both import and export, and expects a Fine Arts Department permit to be shown during customs formalities. Many travelers believe that a new souvenir Buddha from a market is exempt. The department's own fee table says otherwise: it charges licence fees for Buddha images made from 1947 to the present. This page explains the export side. What you may bring into Thailand duty-free, from cigarettes to cash, is listed on our customs allowances page.
Buddha image export licence (as of October 2026)
- Issued by
- Fine Arts Department (Office of National Museums), not the shop and not Customs
- Covers
- Buddha images of any age, antiques and objects of art
- Form
- Sor Kor 6, filed in person with the object
- Fee, modern images (1947 to today)
- 100 baht (under 50 cm), 200 baht (50–100 cm), 300 baht (over 100 cm), per piece
- Fee, old images
- Higher, up to 2,000 baht per piece for images dated to Ayutthaya or earlier
- Processing time
- About 8 working days, according to the department's manual
- Customs help line
- 1164 (Customs Care Center)
Why a new souvenir Buddha still needs a licence
The rule comes from the Act on Ancient Monuments, Antiques, Objects of Art and National Museums of 1961, which the Fine Arts Department administers. Its published fee schedule for export licences has a line for Buddha statues and religious icons of the "Ratanakosin Period between B.E. 2490 – present", that is from 1947 until today. If modern images were free to leave, there would be no fee for them.
The Customs Department's list of restricted goods says the same in a shorter way: "Buddha image" is restricted, with no age limit. So the useful question is not whether your statue is old enough to count. It is whether it shows the Buddha. If it does, plan for a licence.
The reason is respect as much as heritage protection. Thais treat every Buddha image as sacred, whatever it cost, which is also why our page on temple etiquette asks visitors not to pose with statues. Many Thais dislike seeing Buddha heads sold as home decoration, so think about where the piece will end up before you buy it.
What the department counts as an antique or object of art
The licence covers three overlapping groups: Buddha images of any period, antiques, and objects of art. The fee schedule prices older pieces by the period the department assigns to them, and the oldest Buddha images cost the most to license, up to 2,000 baht each. Fees are charged per item and paid at the final step, after the committee has examined the pieces.
Genuine antiquities are a different matter from souvenirs. The licence is issued only after a committee has examined the object and given its opinion, so a licence is not guaranteed, and an antique sold without a clear history should make you cautious. If a dealer offers an "ancient" Buddha head from Ayutthaya or Sukhothai, ask how it was obtained and whether the shop will go with you to the department. Our pages on Ayutthaya and Sukhothai explain why the ruins themselves are protected.
A shop receipt is not an export licence. Some sellers say they "handle the paperwork" or hand over a certificate of their own. Only the Fine Arts Department issues the licence, after it has seen the object. Ask to see the department's document, not the shop's.
How to apply, step by step
The Fine Arts Department's service manual (published in 2019) describes the process for service 15, "Application for license to export or take out of the Kingdom any antique or object of art":
- Prepare the documents. Form Sor Kor 6, a list of the objects, your passport (the manual is written for Thai ID cards), proof of ownership such as the shop receipt in two copies, and two color photos of each object measuring 9 × 12.5 cm. For identical pieces, one or two photos per group are enough, with the number of items written on them.
- Bring the object and apply in person. In Bangkok the office is the Office of National Museums, 81/1 Si Ayutthaya Road, Dusit. The central office also accepts applications through the department's National Single Window.
- Document check (1 day). Staff check the paperwork.
- Examination (5 days). A committee examines the objects, including whether they are authentic, before a licence is issued.
- Signing and payment (2 days). The licence is signed by the director of the Office of National Museums or by the provincial governor, you pay the per-item fee and your documents are returned.
The manual also lists a house registration document, which Thai applicants have and most foreigners do not. Whether the department still asks visitors for anything in its place is not stated, so ask when you apply.
Bangkok or a regional museum
Besides Bangkok, the manual names six regional offices at national museums. Chiang Mai keeps the same weekday hours as the capital; the other five open for this service on only three days a week:
| Office | Days | Hours (2019 manual) |
|---|---|---|
| Office of National Museums, Bangkok | Monday to Friday | 08:30–16:30, lunch 12:00–13:00 |
| Chiang Mai National Museum | Monday to Friday | 08:30–16:30, lunch 12:00–13:00 |
| Chiang Saen (Chiang Rai), Songkhla, Thalang (Phuket), Ubon Ratchathani, Ban Chiang (Udon Thani) national museums | Wednesday to Friday | 09:00–16:00, lunch 12:00–13:00 |
These hours date from 2019, so call the museum before you travel with a heavy statue. Outside Bangkok and Chiang Mai, a three-day week means a late start can push the whole process into the following week. Statues and carvings are on sale at places such as Chiang Mai's night markets and Sunday Walking Street and Bangkok's Chatuchak Weekend Market; if you buy there, keep the receipt, because it serves as your proof of ownership. Our Chiang Mai city guide and Phuket guide help if you are applying at a regional office.
At the airport, or sending it by post
Customs says the Fine Arts Department permit must be presented during customs formalities. Keep the licence with the object, and if you are also claiming a VAT refund, remember that the goods must be shown to Customs before check-in; the tax refund page describes that desk and the P.P.10 form. If you have questions on the day, the Customs Care Center answers on 1164.
Shipping does not avoid the rule, because the licence is for taking the object out of the kingdom by any route. Get the licence first, then send the piece; our article on sending parcels home from Thailand covers the postal side. Check your own country's import rules too, especially for wood, which some countries inspect.
Apply in the first week, collect in the second. With about eight working days of processing and a visit in person with the object, a licence fits a two-week trip only if you start early. A 30-day visa exemption gives you more room, but weekends and public holidays still count against you.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit for a small Buddha statue bought at a market?
According to the Fine Arts Department's fee schedule, yes. It charges 100 baht per piece for Buddha images under 50 cm made from 1947 to today. Customs lists Buddha images as restricted goods without an age limit, so size and price do not create an exemption.
What about Buddha amulets and pendants?
We found no official text that treats small amulets worn for worship differently. Thais wear them every day, but that does not make them exempt for export. Ask the Fine Arts Department before you buy several, especially old ones sold as collectibles.
Can the shop get the export licence for me?
The shop can help you prepare, but only the Fine Arts Department issues the licence, after it has examined the object. A certificate printed by the seller is not the same document and will not satisfy Customs.
How long does the Buddha export permit take?
The department's manual gives about eight working days: one day to check documents, five days for the committee's examination and two days for signing. Allow extra time around weekends and public holidays.
Sources
- Thai Customs Department – Prohibited and restricted goods (checked October 2026)
- Fine Arts Department – People's manual: licence to export antiques or objects of art (PDF, English) (checked October 2026)
- Fine Arts Department – National Single Window (checked October 2026)