Attention
- All NEXDOC portal and NEXDOC third party software users, all EXDOC EDI users, and all exporters who obtain documentation through either EXDOC or NEXDOC.
- Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (the department) – all users of NEXDOC.
Purpose
This notice advises of IT systems and infrastructure maintenance this weekend and the impacts on Next Export Documentation System (NEXDOC) users Export Documentation System (EXDOC) users.
Key points
- The department is doing planned infrastructure maintenance on Saturday 29 March. This WILL NOT affect either EXDOC or NEXDOC users.
- There will be a NEXDOC outage between 21:00 and 23.59pm AEDT on Sunday 30 March 2025 while the department upgrades the system.
What you can do
If you require export documents from NEXDOC dated Sunday 30 March, please ensure you obtain them before 21:00 AEDT.
Further information
The department apologises for any inconvenience caused by the Sunday upgrade.
If you have any queries regarding urgent cargo, please call 02 6272 4800 and leave a call back number on the after-hours voicemail.
Attention
Exporters and freight forwarders with Request for Permit (RFP) certificates, Request for Export (REX) certificates, or manual certificates set to print in, obtain signature, or collect from the Brisbane office.
Purpose
This industry advice notice (IAN) is to advise exporters and freight forwarders that the Brisbane office will return to normal services from 9am AEST Tuesday 11 March 2025 and that certification services will resume printing and can be collected in the Brisbane office.
Key points
- From 9am AEST on Tuesday 11 March 2025, the Brisbane office will reopen for business as usual.
- EXDOC and NEXDOC certificates will resume printing in the Brisbane office as at 9am AEST Tuesday 11 March 2025.
- Certificate collection and manual certification arrangements will return to normal at this time.
What you should do
- If you had a EXDOC or NEXDOC certificate print from Thursday 6 March to 9am AEST Tuesday 11 March 2025 with Brisbane office as its print location, your certificate has printed at another office location.
Please refer to IAN-25-11 for details on where your certificate has printed and what to do to obtain your certificate if you have not done so already. - For all other certificates, please return to normal practice.
Further information
If you have any queries, please email the Export Systems Helpdesk at EXDOC.helpdesk@aff.gov.au or NEXDOC@aff.gov.au
Who does this notice affect?
Exporters who use the Export Documentation System (EXDOC) or the Next Export Documentation System (NEXDOC) to obtain export declarations (EDNs) from the Australian Border Force’s (ABF) Integrated Cargo System (ICS) are affected.
Outage details
The outage affecting the ICS from approximately 11.30 AEDT has resolved.
Residual impacts
- The ICS is working through a backlog of response messaging to EXDOC and NEXDOC.
- New messaging is being processed without delay.
What you should do
- After allowing some time for the backlog to process, please check that you have your EDN and that any amendments are confirmed. For example, if you have changed the date of departure, please check that you have received a successful ICS response in your messaging.
Further information
If you have not received your EDN or if your updates have not gone through, please contact the Export Systems Helpdesk on exdoc.helpdesk@aff.gov.au or nexdoc@aff.gov.au.
Who does this notice affect?
Exporters who use the Export Documentation System (EXDOC) or the Next Export Documentation System (NEXDOC) to obtain export declarations (EDNs) from the Australian Border Force’s (ABF) Integrated Cargo System (ICS) are affected.
Outage details
The ICS has been unavailable to external users since approximately 11.30 AEDT.
- The ICS is not receiving messaging from external clients, including from the department’s EXDOC and NEXDOC systems.
- External users cannot access the ICS user interface.
Impacts
- Exporters are unable to obtain or update EDNs in the ICS, whether direct or via EXDOC or NEXDOC.
- The Export Systems Helpdesk is unable to assist with EDNs while the outage is current.
What you can do
You can check for ICS updates on the ABF website: ICS Performance - ICS Notification Service (abf.gov.au).
Resolution and updates We will update when the outage resolves or if more information becomes available.
For advice regarding your RFP or REX, you can contact the Export Systems Helpdesk on exdoc.helpdesk@aff.gov.au or nexdoc@aff.gov.au.
Attention
- Exporters and freight forwarders with Requests for Permit (RFP), Request for Export (REX) certificates or manual certificates set to print in, obtain signature, or collect from the Brisbane regional office on Thursday 6, Friday 7, and Monday 10 March 2025.
Purpose
This industry advice notice (IAN) is to advise exporters and freight forwarders of contingency arrangements for certification services usually provided by the Brisbane office on Thursday 6, Friday 7, and Monday 10 March 2025.
Summary
Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to cross the coast early Saturday morning, with landfall between Noosa and Coolangatta.
At this stage, the Brisbane office is closed. The department is redirecting all EXDOC and NEXDOC certificates with a Brisbane office print location to other offices. Manual certificates will also print in another regional office.
Key points
- Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to cross the coast early Saturday morning, between Noosa and Coolangatta.
- The Brisbane office is currently closed until further notice.
- Please defer certificate printing for the Brisbane office that is not time critical.
- All EXDOC and NEXDOC certificates that have the Brisbane office as the print location have been directed to print in other offices until further notice.
- EXDOC horticulture and grain certificates are printing in the Perth office.
- All other EXDOC certificates and all NEXDOC certificates are printing in the Sydney office.
- The Melbourne office is managing all requests for manual certificates that would otherwise be collected from the Brisbane office. Please note that Monday 10 March is a public holiday in Melbourne so if you require urgent manual certification for Monday 10 March, please contact foodexports@aff.gov.au to discuss your individual requirements.
- While these temporary measures are in place, to receive export documents please follow the below processes when your requests have been authorised –
- To collect documents from the relevant regional office, please email foodexports@aff.gov.au with subject title ‘Collection, Location of regional office, Date of Departure, RFP/Manual certificate type, Commodity, Destination country, Exporter’ as the subject of the email. A collection list must be attached.
- Alternatively, call 1800 090 900 for further options.
- These arrangements will be in place until at least close of business Monday 10 March 2025 and until further notice.
Further information
The department will publish updates on contingency arrangements as information becomes available.
If you have any queries, please email the Export Systems Helpdesk at EXDOC.helpdesk@aff.gov.au or NEXDOC@aff.gov.au
Attention
- Exporters and freight forwarders with Requests for Permit (RFP), Request for Export (REX) certificates or manual certificates set to print in, obtain signature, or collect from the Brisbane regional office on Thursday 6 and Friday 7 March 2025
Purpose
This industry advice notice (IAN) advises exporters and freight forwarders that due Tropical Cyclone Alfred, the Brisbane office will be impacted on Thursday 6 and Friday 7 March. This affects printing, signing, and collection of certificates.
Summary
Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to cross the coast early Friday morning, with landfall between Maroochydore and Coolangatta.
EXDOC and NEXDOC certificates will not print in the Brisbane office on either Thursday 6 or Friday 7 March. Any certificates that have the Brisbane office as the print location will be redirected to print in another office.
For urgent certificate collections from Brisbane office on Thursday 6 March, please call 1800 900 090 as soon as possible.
Key points
- Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to cross the coast early Friday morning, most likely between Maroochydore and Coolangatta.
- The Brisbane office will have limited operations on Thursday 6 March and be closed on Friday 7 March.
- If you urgently require a NEXDOC or EXDOC certificate from the Brisbane office this week, please print by close of business today, Wednesday 5 March. For urgent Thursday 6 March collections please call 1800 900 090 as soon as possible to discuss options.
- Any EXDOC or NEXDOC certificate sent to print on Thursday 6 or Friday 7 March with Brisbane office as the print location will be directed to print in another regional office.
Further information
The department will publish updates on certification contingency arrangements as information becomes available.
If you have any queries, please email the Export Systems Helpdesk at EXDOC.helpdesk@aff.gov.au or NEXDOC@aff.gov.au
Attention
- All exporters, EXDOC EDI users, NEXDOC portal and NEXDOC third party software users
- Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (the department) – all users of EXDOC or NEXDOC
Purpose
This notice advises Export Documentation System (EXDOC) and Next Export Documentation (NEXDOC) users of a planned system outage on Sunday 16 February 12am-5am AEDT.
Summary
There will be an EXDOC and NEXDOC outage on Sunday 16 February 12am-5am (AEDT).
The outage is due to a major upgrade to part of the department’s infrastructure. Due to the scale of the work, there may be residual impacts which the department will work through as a matter of priority on the day.
We recommend exporters have their export documentation complete by Saturday 15 February 2025.
Key points
- EXDOC and NEXDOC will be unavailable Sunday 16 February 12am-5am AEDT.
- There may be residual impacts to be resolved through the day.
- If you require export documents for 16 February 2025, please obtain them in advance.
Further information
The department apologises for any inconvenience caused by this upgrade.
If you have any queries, please email the export systems help desk at EXDOC.helpdesk@aff.gov.au or NEXDOC@aff.gov.au
Date of issue: 6 February 2025
Attention
- Exporters and freight forwarders with Requests for Permit (RFP), Request for Export (REX) certificates or manual certificates set to print in the Brisbane regional office
- Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (the department) - Central and Regional offices
Purpose
This industry advice notice (IAN) advises exporters and freight forwarders of a network outage affecting the Brisbane regional office, affecting email, phones, and printing of certificates.
Key points
- The Brisbane regional office has limited services due to a network outage affecting phones, emails, and printing of certificates.
- Certificates have not printed since approximately 8.50 AEST.
- Emailed collection requests are being received, but slowly.
What you can do
- If you have sent a certificate to print at the Brisbane office before 8.50 AEST, you can submit collection requests using the normal method. Please note, however, that emails are running slowly.
- If you have sent a certificate to print after 8.50 AEST and require it today, the department is working through alternative options and will provide further advice shortly.
- If you do not require a certificate from the Brisbane office today, please do not send your certificate to print. That is, do not COMP your RFP or REX.
- You may also consider sending your RFP or REX to print at a different regional office and arranging collection from there.
The process for collection of certificates can be found under Receive export documents section at Request export documents.
Further information
The department apologises for any inconvenience caused by this outage. This issue is being addressed as a critical priority.
We will issue a further notice when we have an update on the outage or alternative arrangements.
If you have any queries, please email EXDOC.helpesk@aff.gov.au.
Date of issue: 3 February 2025
Attention
- Exporters and freight forwarders with Request for Permit (RFP) certificates, Request for Export (REX) certificates, or manual certificates set to print in the Adelaide regional office
- Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (the department) - Central and Regional office
Purpose
This industry advice notice (IAN) advises exporters and freight forwarders that infrastructure issues at the Adelaide regional office have resolved, and the office will reopen on Tuesday 4 February 2025. Printing and collection of certificates will resume when the office reopens.
Key points
- As advised in IAN 2025-6, the Adelaide office has had limited services on Monday 3 February 2025 due to challenges with infrastructure.
- The infrastructure issues have been resolved and the Adelaide office will return to business-as-usual on Tuesday 4 February.
- From Tuesday 4 February, exporters and freight forwarders can resume sending certificates to print at the Adelaide office and arranging for collection as per usual practice.
Further information
The department apologises again for any inconvenience caused by this closure.
If you have any queries, please email EXDOC.helpesk@aff.gov.au.
Date of issue: 3 February 2025
Attention
- Exporters and freight forwarders with Requests for Permit (RFP), Request for Export (REX) certificates or manual certificates set to print in the Adelaide regional office
- Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (the department) - Central and Regional office Purpose
This industry advice notice (IAN) advises exporters and freight forwarders of challenges with infrastructure in the Adelaide regional office which has led to limited services. This affects printing and collection of certificates.
Key points
- The Adelaide regional office has limited services due to challenges with infrastructure.
- There will be limited capacity from 3pm ACDT today, 3 February 2025, for collection of certificates from the Adelaide regional office. Please ensure you provide collection lists in sufficient time to allow certificates to be processed.
- The department will enact alternative arrangements should the situation continue beyond today.
What you can do
- If you require a certificate today from the Adelaide office, please submit collection requests using the normal method for urgent or time sensitive export certificates.
- If you do not require a certificate today, please do not authorise your RFP/REX or send through a manual certificate for printing at the Adelaide office until further notice.
- Alternatively, you can direct your certificates to print at another regional office and arrange collection from there.
The process for collection of certificates can be found under Receive export documents section at Request export documents.
Further information
The department apologises for any inconvenience caused by this closure.
We will issue a further notice when we have an alternative arrangement for in-Adelaide certificate collection, or the Adelaide office reopens.
If you have any queries, please email EXDOC.helpesk@aff.gov.au.
Date of issue: 24 January 2025
Dates of effect: 10 February 2025
Attention
- Registered exporters, manufacturers, agents, freight forwarders
- Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (the department) - Central and Regional offices.
Purpose
This industry advice notice (IAN) provides an update to IAN 2025-03 regarding the transition of Other Goods to NEXDOC.
Key points
- The department previously issued industry advice notice 2025-03 which advised that Other Goods certificates for the Republic of Korea (South Korea) would move to the Next Export Documentation System (NEXDOC) on 10 February 2025.
- This IAN advises that Other Goods to South Korea will not transition to NEXDOC on 10 February 2025. The transition has been moved to a later release date. Please
continue with your manual export application process until further notice.
Summary of changes
As per previous advice, if you are an exporter of Other Goods to the Cambodia, Canada, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, United States of America and Vietnam, please be advised that products requiring NX188B, NX188M, and NX418 (previously EX188B, EX188M, and M418) certificates for these markets will transition to the NEXDOC System on Monday 10 February 2025. These products include the following non-prescribed goods:
- Processed foods, ingredients, and beverages
- Edible vitamins and supplements
- Animal feed and feed additives (non-meat derived)
- Fertilisers
- Shells.
To prepare for the transition to the NEXDOC System, registration is now open to exporters.
Please note that external software providers are not building capability to support the certification of Other Goods at this stage. All certification for these commodities will need to be lodged via the NEXDOC portal.
We will be implementing the Other Goods transition to NEXDOC in phases, with more countries to follow.
If you export other goods to countries other than the ones listed below, you will need to continue your current manual process until the importing country is transitioned to NEXDOC.
- Cambodia
- Canada
- Philippines
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- United States of America
- Vietnam.
The first market included NX188B and NX188M (formerly EX188B and EX188M) to Singapore.
Register on NEXDOC
If you are an Other Goods exporter, you will need to register via the department’s online service portal. If you are already a registered NEXDOC user, you will need to add the Other Goods commodity to your existing account.
Access the online service portal and register.
NEXDOC Virtual drop-in sessions
Online information sessions are available weekly. These sessions will demonstrate how to register as a NEXDOC user and lodge a request for export, as well as providing the opportunity to ask questions about the NEXDOC System.
More information about the NEXDOC System and the online sessions, can be found on the NEXDOC Transition webpage.
Background
The Australian Government is focused on growing Australian agriculture by reforming its export functions. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is moving products categorised as ‘Other goods’ products to the NEXDOC System, the Government’s web-based export management system.
NEXDOC includes a range of new and enhanced features which provides Australia’s export industry with a modern, technical platform capable of integrating with other support systems and new technologies. The system provides Australian exporters with improved product traceability, automates many processes that are currently manual, enables better self-service.
Caroline Martin
Assistant Secretary
Digital Export Program Branch
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Date of issue: 28 January 2025
Attention
All EXDOC and NEXDOC users who have sent or intend to send a certificate to print in a departmental office today.
Purpose
This notice is to advise all EXDOC and NEXDOC users that there are certificate delays with in-office certificate printing.
Key points
- There is an outage with in-office printing impacting EXDOC and NEXDOC certificate printing.
- Certificates that have been sent to DAFF offices for printing may not be printed in sufficient time for signing and stamping to be collected today.
What should I do?
We request that you do not complete any RFPs or REXs for in-office printing until 9am AEDT tomorrow, Wednesday 29 January 2025.
Updates and contact information
The department is working on this issue as a matter of urgency and will keep you updated.
If your require further information, please email NEXDOC@aff.gov.au or exdoc.helpdesk@aff.gov.au or call 02 6272 4700.
Date of issue: 14 January 2025
Dates of effect: 10 February 2025
Attention
Other Goods exporters, manufacturers, agents, freight forwarders
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (the department) - Central and Regional offices.
Purpose
This Industry Advice Notice (IAN) is to advise industry that export certification to Cambodia, Canada, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, United States of America, and Vietnam for Other Goods will transition to the Next Export Documentation (NEXDOC) System on Monday 10 February 2025.
From this date, manual certificate applications (EX188B, EX188M and M418) for Other Goods will no longer be available for products exported to the countries listed above as well as Singapore, which transitioned on Monday 2 September 2024.
Summary of changes and key points
If you are an exporter of Other Goods to the listed countries, please be advised that products requiring NX188B, NX188M, and NX418 (previously EX188B, EX188M, and M418) certificates for these markets will transition to the NEXDOC System on Monday 10 February 2025. These products include the following non-prescribed goods:
- Processed foods, ingredients, and beverages
- Edible vitamins and supplements
- Animal feed and feed additives (non-meat derived)
- Fertilisers
- Shells.
To prepare for the transition to the NEXDOC System, registration is now open to exporters.
Please note that external software providers are not building capability to support the certification of Other Goods at this stage. All Other Goods certificate requests will need to be lodged via the NEXDOC portal.
We will be implementing the Other Goods transition to NEXDOC in phases, with more countries to follow.
If you export Other Goods to a country other than those listed below, you will need to continue your current manual process until that importing country transitions to NEXDOC:
- Cambodia
- Canada
- Philippines
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- United States of America
- Vietnam.
The first market included NX188B and NX188M (formerly EX188B and EX188M) to Singapore.
Register on NEXDOC
If you are an Other Goods exporter, you will need to register via the department’s online service portal. If you are already a registered NEXDOC user, you will need to add the Other Goods commodity to your existing account.
Access the online service portal and register.
NEXDOC Virtual drop-in sessions
Online information sessions are available weekly. These sessions will demonstrate how to register as a NEXDOC user and lodge a request for export, as well as providing the opportunity to ask questions about the NEXDOC System.
More information about the NEXDOC System and the online sessions, can be found on the NEXDOC Transition webpage.
Background
The Australian Government is focused on growing Australian agriculture by reforming its export functions. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is moving products categorised as ‘Other goods’ products to the NEXDOC System, the Government’s web-based export management system.
NEXDOC includes a range of new and enhanced features which provides Australia’s export industry with a modern, technical platform capable of integrating with other support systems and new technologies. The system provides Australian exporters with improved product traceability, automates many processes that are currently manual, enables better self-service.
Ingrid Massa-Ward
a/g Assistant Secretary
Digital Export Program Branch
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Date of issue: 23 December 2024
Date of effect: 23 December 2024
Attention:
Registered NEXDOC exporters, manufacturers, agents, freight forwarders and approved export permit issuers.
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (the department) - Central and Regional offices.
Purpose
This Industry Advice Notice is to advise users of the Next Export Documentation (NEXDOC) system that an issue has been identified when using the copy feature on Request for Export (REX) to the European Union (EU).
Summary of changes and key points:
An issue has been identified when exporters copy a REX previously sent to the EU and change the Place of Destination.
The department is working to apply a fix and asks that until notified, exporters do not copy REX to the EU and change Place of Destination.
Exporters can copy a REX at COMP to the EU if they do not change the Place of Destination.
If you have any questions regarding this IAN, please email the NEXDOC Helpdesk at NEXDOC@aff.gov.au
21 November 2024
Attention
All EXDOC registered exporters and EDI users.
Purpose
This notice is to advise all EXDOC users of message delays on Sunday 24 November 2024 expected to be of about 30 minutes duration between 2pm to 4pm (AEDT).
Key points
- EXDOC is undergoing maintenance on Sunday 24 November 2024 between 2pm to 4pm (AEDT).
- The department will block inbound messaging from reaching EXDOC during maintenance. We expect this to last for about 30 minutes but may extend for the full two hours.
- EXDOC will process queued messaging when the block is lifted.
Impacts to industry
There will be delays to the following:
- Submission, lodgment or amendment of Requests for Permit (RFPs)
- Authorisation of RFPs by AQA users
- Generation or clearance of export declarations (EDNs) via Single Electronic Window (SEW)
- Certificate generation
What should I do?
- For urgent consignments, please finalise your documentation prior to 2pm AEDT on Sunday 24 November 2024.
- For non-urgent consignments, continue business as usual but expect some delays.