What you can take on a plane from Thailand: power banks, fruit, souvenirs

What you can carry on a flight out of Thailand is set by several bodies: the aviation regulator CAAT (batteries and dangerous goods), Airports of Thailand (liquids), customs and the Fine Arts Department (souvenirs and antiques), the Bank of Thailand (cash) and the biosecurity rules of the country you fly to. Here are their rules as of 17 October 2026. Free baggage weight depends on your fare, so check your ticket.

Power banks: CAAT rules since 3 June 2026

CAAT Requirement No. 122 was published in the Royal Gazette on 2 June 2026 and applies from the next day on all flights departing Thailand, domestic and international.

Capacity in Wh = mAh × V / 1000; a 20,000 mAh bank at 3.7 V is 74 Wh. Tell the airline in advance about batteries of 100-160 Wh. Airlines can be stricter: Thai AirAsia X bans using power banks on board all its flights. Smart luggage with a built-in battery over 2.7 Wh can be checked in only with the battery removed and carried in the cabin.

Liquids in cabin baggage

Suvarnabhumi Airport rules: liquids, gels and aerosols in containers of up to 100 ml, no more than 1 litre per passenger, in one clear 20x20 cm bag. Duty-free purchases must stay in a sealed STEB bag. Thai sauces, soups and curries over 100 ml go in checked baggage.

Fruit and durian

With fruit the questions are whether your airline accepts it and whether your destination lets it in. We found no current durian ban in the airline rules we could open; AirAsia X’s 2018 conditions banned durian, jackfruit and other pungent fruit in cabin and hold, and the Thai Airways and Bangkok Airways sites did not load for us. Ask your airline, and check your destination’s biosecurity rules before packing fruit.

Buddha images, antiques and art

Thai customs lists Buddha images, art objects and antiques as restricted goods: you need an export permit from the Fine Arts Department and must show it at customs. The steps, in order:

1. Fill in form Sor Kor 6 and write a letter to the Director-General explaining why and where the item is going
2. Attach a passport copy if you carry it yourself, plus a supporting letter from a temple abbot or a civil servant
3. Take 2 colour photos, 3x5 inches, of each item, front view, unwrapped
4. Bring all items for inspection to the Office of National Museums, 81/1 Si Ayutthaya Road, Bangkok; inspections at 10:00 and 14:00
5. Collect the permit 1-2 working days later and pay the fee; each item gets a lead seal and a pink card

Fees for Rattanakosin-period Buddha images from 1947 to today: THB 100 up to 50 cm, THB 200 for 50-100 cm, THB 300 over 100 cm, per piece. We found no separate rule for small souvenir figurines on the department’s site, so ask the shop whether it arranges the permit.

Shells, coral and wildlife

Coral, giant clams, sea fans and sea anemones are protected under Thailand’s wildlife law, and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) says the ban on buying, selling and possessing them covers dead specimens too. The 2019 Act raised penalties for hunting, trading and possessing protected species. Customs lists protected and CITES species as prohibited. We found no official ban on ordinary shells, but do not collect them in national parks or buy them without a receipt and clear origin.

Taking cash out

Under Bank of Thailand rules you can take out up to THB 50,000, or up to THB 2 million to neighbouring countries, Vietnam and Yunnan in China. Foreign currency can leave up to the amount bought from banks and changers. More than USD 15,000 in banknotes (or equivalent) or more than THB 450,000 must be declared to customs. See what currency to bring to Thailand.

Also useful

Allowances for bringing goods into Thailand are in Thai customs rules, vapes are covered in can you bring a vape to Thailand, and departure procedures in our Phuket airport guide.

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