Everyone who has been to Thailand has wondered how to take home a couple of pieces (or maybe kilograms) of sweet tropical fruits. Let's talk!

Transporting fruit by plane

If you fly on a charter, there are always two options: check the fruit in your luggage or take it with you into the cabin as hand luggage. Special fruit baskets are popular in Phuket: plastic boxes with handles and perforations of different capacities - they breathe well and protect fruit from damage.

However, when checking such a fruit basket as your luggage, be prepared to see it empty on the conveyor belt at the receiving airport. Unfortunately, such cases are not uncommon.

If you are flying on a regular flight, check the size of baggage and hand luggage included in the ticket. Be especially careful with low-cost airlines: their requirements are the most categorical. And look at the airline's rules in case of restrictions on the carriage of fruit by a particular carrier.

Packing fruits in a suitcase is more reliable. Prepare before departure, take with you a minimum of things and a suitcase of the maximum size. Particularly thoughtful travelers fly to Thailand, packing each other's suitcases: a smaller one in a larger one, and bringing back two suitcases filled with fruit.

What fruits to bring from Thailand

A win-win option is to stock up on yellow Thai mangoes. This sweet, aromatic fruit is truly the hallmark of the kingdom. These are not brought into our stores, so an excellent hotel experience is guaranteed. At room temperature, the mango will last 3-4 days, then it will begin to turn black. Put it in the refrigerator - then the shelf life will increase to a month. Turn fruits that have not survived the journey well into fruit puree; in this form it can be stored for up to 6 months in the freezer.

Thai pineapples will withstand the road perfectly. Take them slightly unripe, they are great on the windowsill. You can eat pineapple either way, but they are especially tasty in dishes: rice with dried fruits and desserts.

But bananas, although a tasty treat, will begin to turn black at the slightest jam - they are unlikely to be transported completely intact. If you decide to take it, cover it well with soft things, or better yet, take it with you in your hand luggage.

If you want to tickle your nerves and impress your friends, try smuggling durean.
The main condition is to pack it so that it is not seen or smelled. Airtight and multi-layer plastic packaging will help you, and carefully cover the king of fruits with things on top. Be sure to pack your suitcase in film.

Why tickle your nerves - it is strictly prohibited to carry durean on an airplane.

What fruits cannot be exported from Thailand

Everything is quite simple. It is prohibited to carry on the plane:

• Durean - due to its fetid and persistent odor.
• Watermelon (whole) due to the risk of bursting due to pressure changes during flight.
• Coconut - its hard shell does not allow the contents of the fruit to be illuminated.

Bring other fruits without restrictions. Or is it still not?

How much fruit can you carry?

You can take out as much from a tropical country as your airline’s baggage and hand luggage allowances allow. But with import into the territory of the Russian Federation, everything is more complicated. The volume of fruit imported for personal use is limited by law. And this norm is only 5 kg per passenger. True, most often customs officers do not touch thrifty tourists from hot countries upon arrival.

But still, you shouldn’t tempt fate and drag numerous baskets into your hand luggage. Carefully pack your fruit supplies into your suitcase and check them in as luggage.

Fruits from Thailand in hand luggage

So, we sorted out the suitcases. But I really want to take another basket to the salon. And here things get more complicated.

In other companies, if there is a large number or size of baskets, they will force you to weigh all your hand luggage and pay extra for the excess. True, most passengers in such a situation prefer to simply leave the basket at the check-in counter - it is much cheaper.

But fruits packed in hand luggage and hidden in the depths of a beach bag are not visible and will not attract unnecessary attention.

So, the rules for transporting fruit from Thailand on an airplane:

1. take yellow mangoes - this is the smartest choice,
2. pack the fruit in a large suitcase with hard sides,
3. take no more than 5 kg of fruit per person in your hand luggage,
4. Please keep in mind that AZUR AIR prohibits taking baskets into the cabin,
5. Coconut, watermelon and durean are prohibited for transportation.

And remember, no matter how many Thai fruits you bring, there will still not be enough of them!

Ripe mango, sweet and sour papaya, exotic dragonfruit and unusual passion fruit - did you also want to take a piece of summer with you? Is it possible - how to transport Thai fruits? What species are prohibited for export? How much fruit can you take with you from Thailand and what packaging should you come up with so that everything arrives safe and sound?

In this article we will talk in detail about all the subtleties and nuances associated with this topic. Also, we will dispel some myths and stories that people like to scare tourists with.

Is it possible to export fruits from Thailand?

Yes, any exotic delicacies are allowed for export. Of course, we are talking about batches for personal consumption.

Transportation can be carried out in any way - both in checked luggage and in hand luggage. Any personal export must not contradict the customs regulations of the country of export and the country of import. In addition, it is necessary to comply with the agreements prescribed by the carrier company.

How many kilograms of fruit can you take out of Thailand?

Thai customs limits exports to 20 kg. Exceeding this figure indicates that the batch is of a commercial nature. This means that it must be processed and paid according to the full letter of the law.

Another thing is the Russian side. Rosselkhoznadzor has set requirements for the import of products of plant and animal origin. Thus, it is possible to carry only up to 5 kg of food per person.

Again, tourists often claim that carrying more than 5 kg is possible - no one pays attention. Indeed, most airports treat “Thai fruit imports” with loyalty. So to speak, they turn a blind eye to excesses. However, how do you know that you won’t become the “exemplary option” for paying the fine and problems with customs?

What fruits are prohibited from being exported from Thailand?

In addition to the popular “smelly and mighty” durian, whole coconuts and watermelons are prohibited for export. Their peel does not allow to “enlighten” the insides of the product. By the way, transportation in a “broken” state is possible.

As for durian, the ban is due to its specific smell. By the way, its transportation is prohibited not only on airplanes, but also on public transport in Thailand. Also, I bring fruit into hotel complexes, shopping centers, and souvenir shops.

Is the weight of fruits taken into account in checked baggage and hand luggage or is it counted separately

The weight of fruit is included in the total weight of luggage and is not calculated in any other way. This rule also applies to hand luggage.

As a rule, carriers limit 23 kg in the luggage compartment and 10 kg in hand luggage. Whether your things or fruits will lie there is up to you to decide. Another thing is customs. After all, do you remember about the batch limit of 20 kg intended for personal consumption?

Handbags, laptops and cameras are not considered carry-on luggage. Some airlines may change their rules.

Is it necessary to buy a special basket for fruits to take them out of Thailand?

No, it's not necessary, but it's quite convenient. Plastic containers will preserve the shell of the fruit and protect them from damage. This is especially true for flights with transfers.

When purchasing a basket, consider the dimensions. It is important that the container fits into the luggage rack above the seats. Otherwise, you will have to hold it in your arms or under your feet. The height of the shelf, depending on the aircraft model, ranges from 35-40 cm.

Fruit baskets can be found in markets, less often in chain supermarkets like BigSea and Tesco.

Some tourists use cardboard boxes. But, for full transportation, it must be wrapped with tape. The slightest leak of fruit is a chance for the entire cardboard to soften.

How to pack fruit so that it doesn't get wrinkled

Depending on the type of fruit, they are packed in newspaper sheets or covered with parchment paper. Also, an alternative is possible in the form of ordinary towels. However, the weight of the Thai fruit box will increase significantly.

Some stores offer to buy (less often they give out for free) special foam nets. Most often, they are put on mango, passion fruit and papaya. Ask the seller about this accessory if the purchase is not made in a chain supermarket.

What fruits to buy to transport them - green and unripe

A common mistake made by tourists is to choose frankly green fruits in the hope that they will ripen during the flight and while at home. Indeed, experienced travelers recommend taking not the most ripe fruits, but it is better to leave the clearly “green” option on the counter.

The thing is that exotic fruits gain sweetness and taste in the sun. Combined with the tropical, humid climate, the product turns out juicy and tasty.

Unripe fruits in our climate will become softer, but their “green” taste will not disappear.

How to buy Thai fruits for export, small life hacks and some tips

• Do not tell the seller that you plan to make a purchase for transportation to Russia. Although not often, it does happen that sellers deliberately sell bad goods. You won't come back to make claims.

Say that you need a large batch of fruit for a party that will take place in a couple of days. That is, emphasize that a slightly unripe fruit is needed. In addition, bulk purchases should be a reason for an additional discount. Don't be afraid to bargain!

• Do not buy goodies on the central, tourist streets. Prices there are obviously more expensive.
• It is not recommended to purchase peeled, cut fruits. Their shelf life varies within a few hours.
• Green mango (fruit variety) is transported much better than its yellow counterpart.
• Before flying, read the airline's rules. Some companies have introduced complete restrictions on the transport of fruit from Thailand in hand luggage. As a rule, this applies to charter flights and small carriers.

Returning from vacation, I really want to please my loved ones with sweets and gifts. As a rule, fruits and grapes are brought from resorts on the Crimean peninsula. If you're flying home on a plane, be sure to check the food regulations and whether you can take fruit in your carry-on baggage on the plane. Such knowledge will help you avoid unpleasant moments at Simferopol airport during check-in.

Domestic flights

The basic rules for transporting fruits across Russia are as follows:

• If you are checking in food as luggage, the first thing each carrier requires is that the weight standards not be exceeded;
• An important point when flying is packing fruit. For example, you can check in a well-packed box of apples or pears, but not grapes, which will simply turn into mush. The airline is not responsible for this;
• To transport fruits in hand luggage on an airplane, they must be packaged in a food-grade plastic container. It is not recommended to transport food in plastic bags.

In addition to the rules put forward by the carrier, there are moral and ethical standards. For example, it is not recommended to take into the aircraft cabin citrus fruits and fruits that have specific odors or overripe peaches and cherries, the juice of which can stain the seats and neighboring passengers.

Please note that each airline has its own restrictions on bringing food on board. In order to study them, you need to refer to the information posted on the company's website.

International flights

Carrying fruits in hand luggage when crossing the state border will be somewhat more difficult. In addition to the airline's rules for transporting food products, the customs rules of the country where you arrived also come into force.

For example:

• In the European Union countries, they are especially wary of exotic fruits imported from tropical countries. This is reasoned by the fact that even if these products are purchased, you cannot know under what conditions the fruit was grown and how it was stored;
• In America, no types of fruits are allowed to be imported without sanitary control. This quarantine safety measure is in effect in almost all US countries;
• You can bring no more than 5 kg of various vegetables and fruits into Russia, be sure to check them in as hand luggage. According to current customs legislation, products from the countries of Australia, Moldova, Georgia, the EU, the USA and Norway are prohibited.

In cases of smuggling fruit into Russia from countries prohibited by customs legislation, penalties may be imposed on the passenger, and the products themselves are subject to confiscation.

Carrying fruit as hand luggage

If you really decide to bring fruits to your loved ones from vacation, take the opportunity to carry them into the cabin as hand luggage. According to the criteria of almost all carriers, such products are rated as food. That is why, try to prove to customs services when registering that this is the amount of fruit that you or your companions can consume during the flight.

Fruits may be taken away from you when boarding a plane in the following cases:

• The weight of hand luggage exceeds the company's permissible standards;
• The sanitary standards of the airline and the state allow you to take exactly these varieties on board;
• If soft fruits are not packaged properly (not in plastic containers or lacking packaging nets).

Please remember that any product you transport by air may be prohibited, both for export and import. Be interested in the customs rules not only of the state from which you are flying. As a rule, customs services are more strict when it comes to transporting food products.

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When getting ready to go home from vacation in a hot country, tourists often decide to pamper their family and friends with local exotics. Fruits warmed by the sun of Thailand or Vietnam, for example, are a very popular souvenir. Often, problems begin already before departure: airport staff suddenly announce that you will fly home alone, and the fruit basket will remain in the security check area.

How to avoid problems and deliver a fruit souvenir to the recipient? Let's look at the rules for transporting fruits and consider all the nuances.

How to transport fruit on domestic flights in Russia

Is it possible to bring grandma’s apples home from the Krasnodar region, for example? Can. There is no official ban on transporting fruit within the country, so each airline sets its own regulations for this procedure.

Watch the weight of your luggage. You can pack a suitcase full of gifts, but they will not be weighed separately. Fruits are considered part of your luggage, so there won't be much room left for your belongings.

Pears or apples are one thing, and berries and soft fruits are another. They wrinkle easily and stain your bag with juice; they require special containers.

How to carry fruit on international flights

Due to the fact that sanitary services do not know in what conditions your foreign souvenirs were grown, in addition to the rules of air carriers, customs legislation also applies.

To avoid trouble, read the rules for importing and exporting fruit directly by calling the customs service hotline and on the airline’s website.

Which countries are you not allowed to bring fruit from?

The import of fruits from the EU countries, Canada, Norway, USA, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine is completely prohibited. Turkey recently joined this ranks.

How many kg of fruits can be imported into Russia?

Different countries have their own views on how many kilograms of fruit you can export, but the import rules for residents of Russia are as follows: one person can import no more than 5 kilograms of agricultural products into the territory of the Russian Federation. This means fruits, vegetables and nuts.

The greater weight of such baggage will be regarded as products intended for commercial activities. The “smuggler” faces a fine of 500 rubles (information as of May 31, 2019), and absolutely all transported fruit will be confiscated, not just the surplus. If export rules are violated again, the fine will be 1,000 rubles.

How to carry fruit on a plane

Rules for the safe transportation of fruit on board an aircraft:

• Purchase a plastic basket from your local market or store. This option is much safer than a cardboard box wrapped with tape. Fruit is a very delicate cargo and its juice can seep through the cardboard and stain nearby luggage.
• The plastic basket can be used as carry-on luggage. On average, depending on the aircraft model, the top shelf for hand luggage is 35-40 cm in height, take this into account when choosing a basket.
• Check with the air carrier for the maximum possible weight of luggage; on average it is 10 kg.
• Wrap each fruit in newspaper or wrapping paper. Just remember that this will add weight to your cargo.

Advice. FIt is prohibited to transport rukta if a quarantine has been declared in the country or an outbreak of epidemic has been recorded in the area.And also keep the receipt from the purchase of fruit in case airport employees have questions.

Where to carry fruit: in hand luggage or checked luggage

Can I take fruit with me in my hand luggage? Rather yes than no. But there is always a “but”. Don't forget that:

• Fruits that emit a strong odor, such as Thai durian, are prohibited from being carried among passengers.
• You can take as much fruit in your hand luggage as you theoretically need during the flight. This means that a huge checkered bag of mangoes will be taken away from you, but a small bag of up to 1-2 kilograms will most likely be allowed to be carried. Calculate the weight of your hand luggage so that the fruit fits within the given limit.

You can carry fruit in your luggage. If you decide to carry fruits in your luggage, pay attention to the food allowances of your air carrier.
And even if the fruit travels in a separate suitcase, its weight must fit within the established limit - the established norm. On average, it is about 20 kg. Be prepared to pay the excess in case of miscalculation.

How to bring fruit from Thailand

We conducted a survey that showed that the most popular souvenir that tourists bring home from Thailand is local fruits. This is a great option for a gift, as well as an opportunity to take a piece of Thai summer with you.

Thai customs legislation provides for the export of 20 kg of fruit. However, for Russians there is a restriction on importing up to 5 kg, remember this.

It is prohibited to carry on the plane:

• Durian is a fruit that has an extremely specific smell, which can make you feel dizzy and possibly cause nausea.
• Coconut and watermelon - due to their thick peel/shell, they cannot be scanned by a scanner at customs. They are allowed to be transported in cut form, but then their shelf life is a matter of hours.

What fruits should I bring from Thailand?

Local exotics for you: mangosteen, dragon fruit, rambutan. Don't forget to try papaya, lychee and longan. If you want to pamper yourself at the resort, take the ripest. If you are already packing your bags, take slightly unripe fruits.

How to bring fruit from Vietnam

You can export 7 kilograms of fruit from the country. But the imported kilograms remain unchanged - for Russian citizens, the same 5 kg are allowed to be transported to their homeland.

Durian is banned here too. Local flavor is good, but it is better to choose another souvenir. In addition to durian, watermelon and coconuts, jackfruit is prohibited. The latter is banned due to its external resemblance to durian.

What fruits should I bring from Vietnam?

Rambutan or "hairy fruit", cantaloupe or orange melon. Lychees and pomelo can also be found in local markets or shops. Some tourists buy completely green fruits in the hope that they will ripen during the flight. This is a mistake, the fruits will ripen under the warm sun, if you choose too unripe fruits, they will not be filled with juice in your home. Take fruits that are about to turn red.

Bringing ripe fruit from a vacation in a hot country is a great way to extend your vacation.