Australian biosecurity: what to declare, and why a visa can be cancelled

Australia is an island with agriculture it wants to protect, so its biosecurity rules are strict and they are enforced at the airport, not in an office afterwards. Travellers who treat the declaration as a formality are the ones who get caught.

The penalty

An infringement notice for undeclared goods can be up to 12 penalty units. ⚠️ The dollar value of a penalty unit is set in law and is periodically increased: the department's page states A$2,664 for 12 units, while the ministerial announcement of the 2023 indexation put the same 12 units at A$3,300. Check the current figure on the official page before relying on it.

For visa holders, the fine is not the worst part

Travellers issued an infringement notice may be referred for visa cancellation. A cancelled visa means removal from Australia on the earliest available flight, and an exclusion period of 3 years before you can apply again.

What is actually caught

• Food of any kind — including snacks handed out on the plane
• Meat, dairy, eggs, honey and anything containing them
• Fresh fruit and vegetables, seeds, nuts
• Plant material — wooden items, woven goods, flowers
• Hiking boots, tents and sports gear with soil or plant matter on them
• Anything used around animals or in fresh water

Before you pack

• Clean soil off boots and equipment at home, not in the queue
• Eat or bin food before you land
• Declare wooden and woven souvenirs — they are risk goods, not curios

Source: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry — Infringement notices at the airport