Shipping To Australia – IMPORT REGULATIONS

 Shipping Documents required

At the time of compiling this information sheet, the following documentation is required to import household goods and personal effects into Australia:

• B534 Customs form
• Inventory of goods
• Visa

NB:      The client may complete the B534 customs form here in the UK or it may be completed in Australia prior to the arrival of the shipment.  Forms can either be downloaded from the Australian customs website (address at bottom of sheet) or can be posted to the client by the destination agent in Australia

Diplomats' Removals  Documents:

• Customs form B615 completed by Embassy/Consulate in Australia
• Inventory of goods
• Duty free entry

Customs Regulations

Duty free entry is permitted provided the removal goods consist of household and personal effects that have been owned and used for 12 months or more preceding the owner's departure for Australia.

The owner's goods may be cleared through Customs in advance of the owner's arrival provided the client will arrive in the country within 6 months following arrival of goods, however all shipments received at Australian Ports must have a consignee contact address otherwise customs will not allow the movement of the container resulting in additional costs for the shipper.

Shipping Personal Effects                                                                                                           

Personal effects and household goods are usually admitted free into Australia provided they are for your own use. Australia has strict quarantine regulations and all shipments will be inspected for soil, plants and food, particularly on garden tools, shoes, sports goods and vacuum cleaners.

Please Note that AQIS will examine all consignments. Clients will be charged in accordance with the time taken to carry out this process. Where fumigation or cleaning is required there will be an additional cost for this. If any item or consignment has to be destroyed the client will also be charged by AQIS for the process to take place.

This is an indication of the Quarantine Charges to be paid
20 ft FCL                         Aud$400.00
40 ft FCL                         Aud$720.00
40 ft hi cube FCL             Aud$800.00
Motor vehicles                  Aud$280.00
Motor cycles                   Aud$200.00
Minimum                        Aud$150.00 or Aud$15.00 per Cbm

Groupage is approx Aud$15.00 per Cbm with a minimum of Aus$150.00

All plus GST at 10%

In some Australian states, the Customs Department requires a photocopy of the importer's passport including the photo page, all stamped pages and any blank pages.

Shipping Furniture and Household Goods - Documents

• Customs form B534
• Invoices
• Items are dutiable

NB:      Items should be declared if not owned and used for 12 months.

Shipping Antiques - documents

• Customs form B534
• Duty free entry provided antiques are forming a part of the Bona Fide household  

Removal and have been owned and used for 12 months prior to exportation

• A copy of purchase invoice and Antiquity certificate

NB:      Items are declared as being owned and used for 12 months or more. Antiques may have to be verified for authenticity of age on instructions from the Customs Department

Shipping Items containing CFC gases -

Importation prohibited  - Items such as refrigerators or air conditioning units will be destroyed. There will be a charge for this, which will be for your clients account. Some states in Australia are not being as strict as others but to be on the safe side it is best that you advise your customers are not to include any of the above items that may contain CFC gases.

NB:      A Fridge and Freezer form must be completed together with the Australian customs forms.

Certain feathers furs, skins, tusks, etc. of animals coming under ‘protected species’ regulations

Importation prohibited – please check with the shipping department if in doubt.

Shipping Inheritance, Deceased Estates - documents

• Statutory Declaration
• Statutory Declaration is obtained in Australia prior to Customs inspection
• Copy of will or copy of relevant part of will
• Copy of Death Certificate (optional)
• Duty free entry provided legatee is permanently domiciled in Australia and will not use

The goods for trade business purposes

Shipping Precious Metal Objects -documents

• Duty free entry as household and personal effects

Shipping Plants and Vegetable Products

• Importation prohibited  - Do not use fruit boxes for packing

Shipping Dogs and Cats - documents

• Quarantine permit
• Import license

NB:      You can bring dogs or cats to Australia from the UK and Ireland, New Zealand, Hawaii, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Norfolk Island under certain conditions. Dogs and cats must have been resident in any of the approved countries for at least 6 months (or from birth), and during that period of 6 months preceding export they must not have been in quarantine kennels in the country of export.

In all cases, a permit must be obtained before a dog or cat will be permitted to enter Australia. Enquiries concerning the importation of dogs and cats from United Kingdom and Ireland should be directed to the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Canberra House, Maltravers Street, Strand, London WC2B 4LA.

Permits to import from other approved countries other than from New Zealand, must be obtained from the Chief Quarantine Officer (animals). In the case of dogs and cats from New Zealand, any enquiries should be made to the Animal Health Division, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in the nearest New Zealand city.

Birds are prohibited animals and will be destroyed on arrival.

Shipping Motor Cars For First Time Migrants - documents

All motor vehicles are subject to customs duty and sales tax, subject to alteration without notice by Australia Customs. Custom’sassessed value of vehicle is based on depreciation at 5% of value for first month owned and used, then at 1% for every monththereafter, with a maximum depreciation of 28%.

Shipper must be in Australia and able to be contacted by us prior to arrival of shipping container as certain customs formalities must be completed prior to permission being granted by the Customs Department for the shipping container to be moved from the wharf. 

• Form B357     
• Passport
• Registration documents
• Service and log book
• Police report
• Sales invoice
• Paid receipt
• Car condition report

NB:      If shipper is not in Australia or is not contactable, the shipping container may be bonded at the wharf and the shipper would then incur demurrage and storage costs.  It is also the shipper's responsibility to apply in writing and obtain "Vehicle import approval” prior to shipping a vehicle.

Apply to:  

The Administrator - Motor Vehicles Standards

Federal Office of Road Safety

GP0 Box 1553

Canberra

ACT 2601.

Tel: 062747506 or 062747483

(24 hr service) Australia

Fax: 062746013 or 062572505

Shipping Motor Bikes - documents

• Customs form B534
• Subject to sales tax

Shipping Caravans and Trailers -documents

• Registration documents
• Purchase receipts

You may obtain free admission of a non-motorised caravan and a non-motorised box, boat or other similar trailer on the basis of one article per family per 3 years only, if you are able to satisfy the Collector of Customs at the port of entry that:

• You have come to Australia with the intention of forthwith taking up permanent residence
• The goods have been for the whole of the period of 12 months immediately preceding your departure for Australia, personally owned and used overseas.

N.B:    People can only import caravans and trailers providing they have not imported one of same within the last 3 years.

Shipping Firearms

• Firearm license issued by the Australian Police Authorities controlling the area in which the client intends to reside

• Duty free entry provided the relative firearm license is issued and firearm passes ballistics inspection

NB:      Customs department forward firearms to the Commonwealth Police for ballistics inspection. As State regulations vary in Australia, it is strongly recommended that the client writes in advance for approval.

Shipping Sailing Boats and Motor Boats-documents

• Registration documents
• Purchase receipts

Sailing boats, or motor boats will be admitted without payment of customs duties and sales tax on the basis of one vessel per family per 3 years only if client is able to satisfy the Collector of Customs at the port of entry that:

• He comes to Australia with the intention of forthwith taking up permanent residence and he has personally owned and used the vessel overseas for the whole of the period of 12 months immediately preceding his departure for Australia

• Security is given to Customs that the vessel will not be sold or otherwise disposed of in Australia by or on behalf of himself within 2 years after the date of importation into Australia

• The vessel is of a kind designed principally for sporting purposes or recreational use in sheltered waters and the vessel conforms to one of the following specifications

• Boats of a kind propelled by manual or pedal power

• Sailing boats that in the sailing condition do not exceed 2.5 metres in width at any section, do not exceed 1000 kilograms unladen weight, do not incorporate any device for propelling the boat by power such as an auxiliary motor

Shipping Narcotics and Drugs

• Importation prohibited

Shipping Wedding Trousseaux - documents

• Customs form B534
• Statutory Declaration
• Copy of Marriage Certificate (optional)

NB:      Items may be dutiable as not being owned for 12 months.

International shipping Australia

Shipping to Australia

Shipping To Australia