A process for the preparation of 2-chloro-5-chloromethyl-1,3-thiazole, in which allyl isothiocyanate of formula CH2═CH—CH2—NCS is reacted at from −40° C. to +30° C., in a solvent that is inert under the reaction conditions, with from 1 to 2 mol of a chlorinating agent per mol of allyl isothiocyanate; to the reaction mixture so obtained there is added, at a reaction temperature of from 0° C. to the boiling temperature of the solvent used, from 1 to 5 mol of oxidising agent per mol of allyl isothiocyanate, and then 2-chloro-5-chloromethyl-1,3-thiazole is isolated from the reaction mixture and is optionally converted by crystallisation into high-purity 2-chloro-5-chloromethyl-1,3-thiazole.