NATURE MADE AUSTRALIA UNIQUE - QUARANTINE KEEPS IT THAT WAY
Australia's remoteness created an environment unlike any other on Earth. Quarantine helps protect it. Food, plant material and animal products from overseas - including many common souvenirs - could introduce some of the world's most serious pests and diseases into Australia, devastating our valuable agriculture and tourism industries and unique environment.
DECLARE OR BEWARE
You must declare for inspection all food, plant material and animal products on arrival in Australia to ensure they are free of pests and diseases.
Some products may require TREATMENT to make them safe.
Items PROHIBITED due to pest and disease risks will be seized and destroyed by AQIS. You can dispose of prohibited items in quarantine bins in the airport terminal.
If you're not sure, ask a quarantine officer.
These items must be declared and inspected for signs of insects or disease. Some items may require treatment
before being allowed in.
FOOD
ANIIMAL PRODUCTS
PLANT MATERIAL
OTHER GOODS
Cooked and raw food and ingredients
Dried fruit and vegetables
Noodles and rice
Packaged meals including airline food
Herbs and spices
Herbal and traditional medicines, remedies, tonics and herbal teas
Snack foods
Biscuits, cakes and confectionery
Tea, coffee and other milk-based beverages
Feathers, bones, horns and tusks (must be clean and free of any tissue)
Skins, hides, & furs (rawhide including drums, shields and dog chews are prohibited)
Wool and animal hair (includes fleece, yarn, and craft items)
Stuffed animals and birds (taxidermy certificate required. Some may be prohibited under endangered species laws)
Shells and coral (including jewellery, curios and souvenirs)
Bee products including pollen, beeswax and honeycomb
Used animal equipment including veterinary equipment and medicines, shearing or meat trade tools, saddlery and tack and animal or bird cages
Pet food if prohibited
Wooden articles and carvings including painted or lacquered items (bark is prohibited and will be removed or require treatment)
Artefacts, handicrafts and curios made from plant material
Mats, bags and other items made from plant material, palm fronds or leaves (goods made from banana plants are prohibited)
Straw products and packaging
Bamboo, cane or rattan basket ware and furnishings
Pot pourri and coconut shells
Goods containing cereal grain, corn husks or filled with seeds
Christmas decorations, wreaths and ornaments (pine cones are prohibited)
Dried flowers and arrangements
Fresh flowers and leis (flowers that can be grown from stems such as roses, carnations and chrysanthemums are prohibited)
Craft and hobby lines made from animal or plant material
Sporting and camping equipment including tents, footwear, hiking boots, gold equipment, bicycles and fishing equipment
Footwear, clothing and any items used in riral areas or carrying contamination from soil, faeces or plant material
These items are prohibited and will be seized and destroyed by AQIS. Or you can drop them
in the quarantine bins located at the airport.
EGGS & EGG PRODUCTS
DAIRY PRODUCTS
UNCANNED MEAT PRODUCTS
LIVE ANIMALS
LIVE PLANTS
SEEDS & NUTS
FRESH FRUIT or VEGETABLES
All whole, dried and powdered egg, and egg products that contain more than 10% egg as an ingredient, such as mayonnaise
All dairy products (unless from a country listed as foot and mouth free). Whole and dried products that contain more than 10% dairy product as an ingredient. Infant formula accompanying a child and New Zealand dairy products are allowed
All animal species - fresh, dried, frozen, cooked, smoked, salted or preserved meat, including salami and sausages
All mammals, birds, birds' eggs, and nests, fish, reptiles, amphibians and insects
All potted/bare rooted plants, cuttings, roots, bulbs, corms, rhizomes, stems and other viable plant material
Cereal grains, popping corn, raw nuts, chestnuts, pine cones, bird seed, unidentified seeds, and some commercially packaged seeds and seed ornaments
All fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables
TICK YES ON YOUR INCOMING PASSENGER CARD
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 or animal products. If you have items you don't wish to declare, you can dispose of them in quarantine bins around the airport terminal.
Every piece of luggage is now x-rayed or screened. If you fail to declare or dispose of any quarantine items, or make a false declaration:
you will get caught;
you could be fined over $200 on-the-spot; or
you could be prosecuted and fined up to $60,000 and risk 10 years imprisonment.
WHAT HAPPENS TO ITEMS I DECLARE?
Prohibited Items will be seized and destroyed by AQIS. In many cases the goods you declare will be returned to you after inspection. However, any item that presents a disease risk or is found to contain insects or larvae will be withheld. You will be given a range of options for the item depending on the quarantine risk:
treating the item to make it safe (for example fumigation, irradiation)*;
holding the item until an import permit is presented*;
storing the item at the airport for collection when you leave Australia*;
re-exporting the item*; and
destroying the item
AQIS makes every effort to minimise the risk of damage but does not accept liability for damage that may occur as a result of treatment.
*These treatments are subject to fees.
QUARANTINE DETECTOR DOGS
You may see quarantine detector dog at the baggage carousel. They're screening for food, plant material or animal products of quarantine concern. If you see a detector dog working close to you, please place your bags on the floor for inspection. Sometimes dogs will sit next to your bag if it sniffs a target odour. Sometimes dogs will detect odours left from food you 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.
MORE INFORMATION
