Moving To Australia
Moving To Australia
Moving to Australia
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
-Completed Unaccompanied personal Effects Statement (Customs form #B534)
-Completed Authority to Act Form (Click Here)
-Copies of ID page of passport of importer
-Purchase receipts or proof of value for any items that have less than 12 months ownership and use by the importer.
-Descriptive inventory of goods in English.
CUSTOMS REGULATIONS
-Used personal and household effects allowed tax and duty free entry if owned and used overseas by the importer for 12 months or longer. All goods must be in quantities that reflect a normal household.
-N.B. motor vehicles and motor cycles are not considered household goods.
DUTIABLE AND RESTRICTED ITEMS
-Any items owned and used less than 12 months will attract Duty and Taxes.
-Tobacco an Liquor will attract high levels of Duty and Tax (No restrictions on imports).
-Firearms are severely restricted, Automatic weapons, hand guns, etc. require special permission to import.\
-Dangerous weapons including antique weapons and collectors items and all firearms are subject to restrictions of importation and will all be subject to safety checks upon their arrival. Firearms require authorization from the Police Authorities in the State in which the person intends to reside or visit. Certain firearms i.e. pump action shot guns, self loading rim rifles, and automatic firearms are prohibited and may only be imported with the PRIOR written approval of the Federal Attorney-General.
-Untreated or raw timber and timber products are subject to Quarantine control.
PROHIBITED ITEMS
-Drugs of dependence such as narcotics, hallucinogens, amphetamines, barbiturates, and tranquillizers, all of which must be declared on import. Certain drugs are allowed into Australia, but entry is subject to very strict Customs control.
-Goods manufactured from animal products derived from endangered species are prohibited.
-Certain types of weapons such as spring loaded knives, daggers, swordsticks, knuckle-dusters and unsafe firearms are prohibited.
-Live animals and many animal products such as fresh and tinned meat, salami, eggs and dairy products.
-Plants, soil, seeds and the like, timber with Bark still attached e.g. silk trees with real timber trunks, Pine cones and other plant products contained within festive decorations, dried floral arrangements and the like
MOTOR VEHICLES
The importation of motor vehicles into Australia is strictly controlled and there are no duty/GST free concessions available. This means that all motor vehicles, including motorcycles, will be subject to duty and/or GST which will be calculated on the value of the vehicle. In addition, high value vehicles will attract a Luxury Car Tax. There are also strict regulations for the registration of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, for road use in Australia
All vehicles must comply with Australian Design Regulations which, in almost every case, will require modification to be undertaken to the vehicle to bring it up to the required standard. It is possible that in some instances a vehicle may not be able to be modified, or alternatively may require extensive modification so as to allow registration.
All such modifications must be undertaken and certified by an accredited Australian automotive engineer and can be a very costly undertaking which often results in an uneconomical situation arising in preparing a vehicle for road use.
There is some relief given to these compliance regulations if a vehicle is imported as a personally imported vehicle. These concessions will, however, still require that that the imported vehicle attain a basic level of safety requirements relating principally to lighting, seat belts, child restraint anchorages and glazing. To be eligible for a personally imported vehicle, an importer must meet the following criteria:
-The vehicle has been owned and used by the applicant for a continuous period of at least 12 months.
-At the time the vehicle is imported, the applicant is:
◦An Australian Citizen or an Australian Permanent Resident.
◦A person who has applied to become an Australian Citizen or and Australian Permanent Resident.
◦The applicant is of an age that entitles him or her to hold a license or permit to drive a road vehicle of that type.
◦The applicant undertakes to comply with any requirements as to road safety that are imposed in respect of the vehicle by the Administrator of Vehicle Standards.
◦Have not imported a road vehicle owned by him or her within the year ending on the day on which the vehicle in respect of which the application is made is landed in Australia.
-All vehicles intended to be imported, including motor vehicles, motorcycles, caravans, trailers, etc. must have an individual "Vehicle Import Approval" prior to their arrival in Australia.
An Import Approval must be obtained for a vehicle to gain clearance at its point of entry to Australia. Vehicles that arrive in Australia without an approval will have to be re-exported or destroyed and the importer may face heavy penalties and fines. Import approvals cannot be issued for vehicles that have been imported.
Do not ship your vehicle to Australia until such time as you are issued an Import Approval. If you do ship your vehicle before receiving your approval and your vehicle arrives before the application is processed, an approval cannot be issued.
PETS
-Australia allows the importation of live pigeons from approved countries, and household pet birds from New Zealand. The importation of all other live birds into Australia is currently prohibited.
-Domestic dogs and cats can be imported from approved countries however these are subject, with the exception from New Zealand, to importation permits. They will also be subjected to a specified quarantine period upon arrival in Australia. Direct importation of domestic Dogs and Cats from some nominated countries is totally prohibited