13th January 2023
Who does this notice affect?
Approved Arrangements, Custom Brokers, Manned depots, Freight Forwarders, and clients with low volumes of import inspection requests can booking and manage their inspection request bookings using the Biosecurity Portal. For these clients, from Wednesday 1 February 2023, the current email channel will no longer be an option to request an inspection booking or make changes to bookings. It is critical that you have transitioned to using the Portal for all bookings before 1 February 2023.
What has changed?
From 1 February 2023 the Biosecurity Portal will be the only way for most clients to book cargo import inspections with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (the department). The portal is a streamlined process for booking import inspections that gives clients full control of requests including changes and cancelations. This will result in the current email booking method no longer being supported from midnight on Tuesday, 31 January 2023 for most request for inspection bookings.
Who will not be impacted
If you are a client who currently utilises the Biosecurity Portal to solely lodge and manage requests for import inspections, there is no change.
Clients where inspections are supported through bulk bookings such as high-volume specialist operators (HSVO) and specific inspections including virtual visual label inspections, plant export inspections and requests submitted with an airway bill are not impacted. For clients requesting these types of inspection bookings the current email request process will continue until the portal can support.
To sign up and access the Biosecurity Portal please visit Set up your access to the Biosecurity Portal.
Support to make the move to the Biosecurity Portal can be found on the departments website or by contacting the department at:
Call 1800 900 090 (9am - 5pm AEDT Monday to Friday)
Email biosecurityportal@aff.gov.au
What is the Biosecurity Portal?
The department has developed the Biosecurity Portal to be an easy online method for booking and managing import inspections. This new service model was co-designed with industry to provide an easy online method for booking and managing import inspections.
The Biosecurity Portal allows clients to lodge and manage requests for an import inspection at any time via a web browser. The Portal enables easy management of inspections with the capability to make changes and see updates instantly. Through the Portal, clients have access to Agriculture Import Management System (AIMS) directions information and inspection bookings. More information can be found at Biosecurity Portal.
How do you sign up to use the Portal?
Clients can sign up for the portal using an email address and password or their myGovID. MyGovID is different to the personal myGov account. Using a myGovID will allow clients to use the entire functionality of the portal. All users of the Portal will have access to the following functions:
- Booking inspections
- View / manage inspection requests that I have lodged
- View / manage my upcoming inspection bookings (cancel only for email/password registered users)
- View my historical inspection bookings made via the Portal
- Receive automatic email notifications. e.g. confirmation of inspection request and confirmed inspection booking details
- Manage individual profile
For more information on how to sign up with either access method please visit Set up secure access to the Biosecurity Portal.
Further information
Where to get support
The department has published several guides to support clients which can be found at How use the Biosecurity Portal. For more information about this change and additional support in moving to the Portal please contact the department at:
Phone 1800 900 090 (9am - 5pm AEDT Monday to Friday)
Email biosecurityportal@aff.gov.au
If you have a question about an existing booking or booking requests, please continue to direct your enquiries to the department’s Client Contact Group on 1800 900 090.