Customs Rules Around Australia

Eggs and egg products are just one of the many prohibited items by customs regulators in Australia.

The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) is primarily concerned with ensuring that dangerous or illegal goods don't enter Australia. While dangerous goods include items such as weapons and explosives, "dangerous" can also mean food, plant material and animal products that can harm the environment or agriculture in Australia. It is important to know the customs regulations prior to importing anything into Australia as AQIS officers screen all flights, passengers, baggage, mail and cargo before materials are allowed into the country.

Items You Must Declare When Importing or Traveling or Shipping to Australia

According to AQIS, you must declare the following items as they may be prohibited in Australia: dried fruit and vegetables, instant noodles and rice, packaged meals, herbs and spices, herbal and traditional medicines, remedies, tonics and herbal teas, snack foods, biscuits, cakes and confectionery, black tea, coffee and other beverages, infant formula (must be accompanying a child), airline food/snacks, dairy products (fresh and powdered) including milk, cheese and "non--dairy" creamers, cheese, airline food containing dairy, including milk, yogurt and sandwiches containing cheese, all whole, dried and powdered eggs, egg products that contain more than 10 per cent egg as an ingredient, homemade egg products including noodles and pasta that are not commercially manufactured, all uncanned meat from all animal species, sausages, salami, sliced meats, airline food, pet food, rawhide articles and handicrafts including drums, cereal grains, popping corn, raw nuts, pine cones, birdseed, unidentified seeds, some commercially packaged seeds, ornaments including seeds, all fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables, mammals, birds, birds eggs and nests, fish, reptiles, amphibians and insects, feathers, bones, horns, tusks, wool, animal hair, skins, hides and furs, stuffed animals and birds, shells and coral (including jewelry and souvenirs), bee products including honey, beeswax and honeycomb, used animal equipment including cages, biological specimens, craft and hobby lines made from animal or plant material, used sporting and camping equipment, used freshwater watercraft or fishing equipment, potted/bare rooted plants, cuttings, roots, bulbs, corms, stems and other viable plant material, banana products, souvenirs made with or filled with straw, wooden articles and carvings including painted or lacquered items, items that include bark, artifacts, handicrafts and souvenirs made from plant material, palm fronds or leaves, straw products, bamboo, cane or rattan basket ware and furnishings, potpourri, coconut shells, Christmas decorations, wreaths and ornaments, dried flowers and arrangements and fresh flowers and leis.

Travel considerations

You will receive an Incoming Passenger Card on arrival in Australia and you must declare all food, plant material and animal products on this legal document. If you don't want to declare your items, you can place them in quarantine bins as you exit the plane. Some products may require fumigation or gamma irradiation to make them safe and you will have to pay for this. Quarantine will seize and destroy prohibited items that can't be treated. There are penalties including fines for failing to declare quarantine items. You should ask an AQIS officer if you are unsure if an item is safe.

International mail

Quarantine officers use X-ray machines and detector dogs to screen incoming mail to Australia. Be sure to fill out the declaration label correctly and do not include or use as packing material any prohibited items or boxes that have been used to hold fruit, vegetables, meat, straw or dried plant material. Clean all footwear, sporting, fishing and camping equipment thoroughly so that there is no trace of soil, seeds or plant material. You cannot send meat, meat products, dairy, eggs, egg products, seeds, nuts, plant material, soil, animals, animal products, fruit, vegetables, plants or laboratory materials among other prohibited items.

Moving to Australia

You will need to take special care when packing your household goods and personal effects for importation into Australia. Your goods will be inspected upon arrival. Before packing, clean items that have been in contact with food, soil, plants, animals, or their products thoroughly. Check the surfaces of timber items for signs of insect infestation. This could include sawdust-like powder, fresh holes, chewed timber or tunnels. If you find any of these signs, have the item treated or don't send it. Don't pack open packages of dry foods, herbs and spices. Secure and carefully wrap breakable and dangerous items such as knives and label boxes containing potentially dangerous goods. Pack items that must be declared together, clearly label them and include a list of all the items in each box.

Interstate Customs

Quarantine rules and regulations are also in effect for interstate travel in Australia in order to prevent the spread of pests and diseases from one part of the country to another. When traveling from one state or territory to another, you will be asked to declare your plants, plant products, animals, animal products, soil, agricultural machinery and equipment as well as recreational equipment.

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Tuesday, May 28, 2013