Moving to Australia

What can I take with me?

You can import any personal effects or household goods you have owned and used for 12 months or more before your departure duty-free. All such items may be subject to a physical examination by the Australian Quarantine Inspection Services (AQIS), which is carried out in AQIS-approved premises and may take up to 14 working days to complete after the consignment has arrived.

The need to undergo this inspection means that full container cannot be delivered directly to your new residence. The volume of the consignment determines the standard charges for AQIS inspections and your removals company should quote separately for this prior to shipment.

The items likely to attract the interest of AQIS are any that may have come into contact with the soil or vegetation. This includes items such as bicycles, golf clubs, garden tools, gardent furniture, camping equipment, cricket bats, boots, shoes, as well as outdoor sportswear, vacuum cleaners, and anything likely to contain dried vegetable matter, such as wreaths and pine cones as part of Christmas decorations.

You should clean such items thoroughly before you depart. It might be worth considering treatments such as fumigation and steam cleaning - your removals company will be able to give you advice about this. AQIS may at their discretion, require further cleaning or treatment, which will incur additional costs.

AQIS: http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis
AQIS: Moving/Emigrating to Australia

All information on this website is given for guidance only, and although we believe it to be correct at the time of writing, we do not accept any liability for errors, omissions, inaccuracies or misinterpretation. All charges, regulations and procedures are liable to change without notice.

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