Moving to Australia

• Scanned copy of passport with clear photo
• Air waybill (AWB) (Nowship provides this document for clearance)
• Completed Australian Customs form B534 (Download Australian Customs Form B534 here)
• Copy of visa or e-visa approval (non-citizens)
• Detailed inventory / packing list (in English)
• Alcohol inventory, if applicable

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Specific Information

• The AWB must be received 48 hours prior to arrival at first entry airport into Australia. Nowship provides this through the carrier.
• An inventory of alcohol is required for Australian Customs to assess the duty and taxes payable, which are generally 50% of the alcohol's purchase value for wine and 150% for spirits.
• The signature on the Australian Customs form B534 must match the passport page.

Restricted and or Dutiable Items when moving to Australia

• Alcohol:
  • Customs duties plus goods and services tax (GST) will apply to alcohol imported into Australia.
  • Duty is calculated on the type of alcohol, the volume contained per bottle, the alcohol % per bottle and the value per bottle.
  • Ten percent (10%) GST is then added to the duty calculated.
• Anabolic and androgenic substances (those that enhance muscle and bone growth and may include health supplements)
• Antibiotics
• ANZAC and any related advertising material
• Items bearing an image of the Australian national flag and coat of arms
• Items bearing an image of the Australian state or territory flags and coat of arms
• Asbestos
• Cat and dog fur products
• Glazed ceramic ware (specific to lead content)
• Cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises)
• Chemical weapons
• Chewing tobacco and snuff in quantities greater than 1.5 kg
• Cigarette lighters (up to five lighters acceptable if over 18 years or older on a ship or aircraft)
• Cosmetics and toxic materials (cannot contain more than 250 mg/kg of lead but may contain more than 250 mg/kg of lead acetate designed for use in hair products)
• Counterfeit credit cards
• Crowd control equipment (antipersonnel sprays, body armor, extendable batons, electric shock devices, etc.)
• Cultural heritage goods from Papua New Guinea (permission from the Trustees of the Papua New Guinea Public Museum and Art Gallery is required)
• Diamonds (only rough diamonds in tamper proof container from a country participating in the Kimberley Process may be imported and require a Kimberley Process Certificate)
• Dog collars designed to puncture or bruise an animal’s skin
• Passengers arriving on board a ship or aircraft do not need a permit for the import of drugs and narcotics required for personal use if: 
  • The drugs and narcotics are prescribed by a medical practitioner or veterinarian, and quantity does not exceed a 3 month’s supply at the maximum prescribed dosage,
  • The drugs / narcotics are carried as accompanied baggage;
  • Prescription must be in English or translated to English.
• Kava may be imported in root or dried form in amounts not to exceed 2 kg and is carried as accompanied baggage by a passenger 18 years or older.
• Firearms and accessories, parts, magazine, ammunition, components of ammunition, and replica
• The following items are embargoed goods and are restricted and require permission to import.  Contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for additional information:
  • Eritrea – weapons, ammunition, military vehicles and equipment and spare parts
  • Iran – weapons, ammunition, military vehicle and equipment and spare parts
  • North Korea – weapons ammunition, military vehicles and equipment and spare parts
  • Libya – weapons, ammunition, military vehicles and equipment and spare parts
• Endangered animal and plant listed in the appendices to the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
  • A search tool for CITES endangered species is available at https://checklist.cites.org/#/en
• Novelty erasers (resembling food in scent or appearance)
• Plastic explosives formulated as a mixture, malleable or flexible at room temperature or with:
  • One or more high explosives which in pure form have a vapor pressure less than 10.4 PA at a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius
  • A binder material
  • Fish and tooth fish
  • Electronic flyswatters and mosquito bats
  • Growth hormones and substances of human or animal origin
  • Hazardous wastes (explosive flammable, poisonous, toxic, exotoxic or infectious, clinical wastes, waste oils, waste residue from manufacture or household waste as defined by the Basel Convention)
  • Hydrofluorocarbons
  • Incandescent lamps
  • Knives and daggers
  • Laser pointers
  • Novelty money boxes coated with material containing more than 90 mg/kg of lead
  • Ozone depleting substances and synthetic greenhouse gases
  • Pencils and paintbrushes with a coating that contains excess amounts of toxic compounds such as lead, arsenic and barium
  • Pesticides and other hazardous chemicals
  • Polychlorinated Biphenyls, Terphenyls and Polyphenols
  • Pornography and other objectionable materials
  • Radioactive substances
  • Therapeutic drugs and substances (abortifacients, aphrodisiacs, etc.)
  • Unmanufactured tobacco (not stemmed or stripped or in whole form)
  • Toys containing excess amounts of toxic compounds such as lead, arsenic and barium
  • Woolpacks
  • Weapons (military goods and other weapons including blow pipes, crossbows, martial arts equipment, knuckle dusters, slingshots, maces and flails)
  • Trade Practices Act goods

Prohibited Items You Cannot Include in Your Move to Australia

• Rough diamonds
• Embryo clones and viable materials, and any related advertising matter advertising these items
• Suicide devices

Cultural and Other Information

Wikipedia Entry for Australia