smartraveller.gov.au - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
It's a must see destination.
It's a must see destination.
Be careful when you’re returning to Australia that you don’t bring in pests and diseases.
Some items you might bring back from overseas can carry pests and diseases that Australia doesn’t have. When you return, declare ALL food, meat, fruit, plants, seeds, wooden souvenirs, animal or plant materials or their derivatives.
Australia has strict quarantine laws and tough on-the-spot fines. Every piece of luggage is now screened or x-rayed by quarantine officers, detector dog teams and x-ray machines. If you fail to declare or dispose of any quarantine items, or make a false declaration, you will get caught. In addition to on-the-spot fines, you could be prosecuted and fined more than A$60,000 and risk 10 years in prison. All international mail is also screened.
Some products may require treatment to make them safe. Items that are restricted because of the risk of pests and disease will be seized and destroyed by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS).
Before landing in Australia passengers are given an Incoming Passenger Card to fill in. This is a legal document. You must tick Yes to declare if you are carrying any food, plant material including wooden souvenirs, or animal products. If you have items you don’t wish to declare, you can dispose of them in quarantine bins in the airport terminal.
Restricted items will be seized and may be destroyed by AQIS. In many cases the goods you declare will be returned to you after inspection. However, any item that presents a quarantine risk will be withheld. You will be given a range of options for each item depending on the quarantine risk:
*These treatments are subject to fees.
You may see a quarantine detector dog at the baggage carousel, screening luggage for food, plant material or animal products. If you see a detector dog working close to you, please place your bags on the floor for inspection. Sometimes a dog will sit next to your bag if it sniffs a target odour. Sometimes dogs will detect odours left from food you have had in the bag previously. A quarantine officer may ask about the contents of your bag and check you are not carrying items that present a quarantine risk to Australia.
For more detailed information about bringing in food, animals, plants, animal or plant materials or their derivatives, ring the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) on 1800 020 504.
In addition to approval from the Australian Customs Serviceand the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, many wildlife products require permits from the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage.
If you buy wildlife products while overseas, contact DEH before you return to find out if you need a permit. Without the correct permit, your product will be seized by Customs and stiff penalties could apply.
For further details on the import and export of wildlife products, contact the Department of the Environment and Heritage, on 02 6274 1900 or email: wildlifetrade@deh.gov.au