198-2023: Change in permit validity periods and charging arrangements for laboratory goods

20 September 2023

Who does this notice affect?

Importers of laboratory goods and their brokers.

What has changed?

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (the department) recently completed a review of the biosecurity risks to Australia and the financial implications for industry, related to an increase in the permit validity period for select laboratory goods and changes to how assessment fees for these permits are charged.

Planned changes to permit validity periods:

From 20 September, the department will begin to grant non-standard import permits with a four-year validity period for most laboratory commodities. Non-standard permits for genetic material, culture media, foetal bovine serum and waste will retain a two-year permit validity period.

Please note that the department will not be varying active permits.

Fees and charges for import permit applications:

Importers may notice some changes to the way that fees are charged for non-standard permit applications. The department has worked to create many new standard import permits with 5 year validity for a range of commodities to provide importers with additional flexibility. The department also recently undertook a thorough review of the time taken to complete assessments of non-standard import permit applications. As a result, goods such as test kits that have previously been charged one assessment fee per five products, will now be charged one assessment fee per product, unless the importer can provide evidence of their similarity. This is consistent with the department’s Charging guideline.

For most importers, the cost of applying for a biosecurity import permit for laboratory goods will be lower following the changes. Instead of paying an application fee and an assessment fee once every two years, most importers will now only need to pay these fees once every four years.

Further information

Please review the fact sheet below for more information on these changes.

If you have further questions, you can contact the Animal and Biological Imports Branch on 1800 900 090 or email imports@aff.gov.a