Travelling to Australia

Be prepared. Know what you have to do before you travel to Australia.

Check what goods you can bring into Australia. Import conditions can change, so check each time - even if you travel regularly.

Read our traveller advice and alerts. We publish:

• alerts on pest and disease risks
• advice on how to manage those risks.

We also have useful tips for:

• students travelling to Australia to study
• residents returning to Australia.

If you are bringing alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, electronic equipment and valuable items (including jewellery and currency), check with the Australian Department of Home Affairs.

Australia Travel Declaration pilot for flights from New Zealand

As part of the Trans-Tasman Seamless Travel Initiative, we’re working with the Australian Border Force and Qantas to pilot the Australia Travel Declaration (ATD) – a digital alternative to the Incoming Passenger Card (IPC) for travellers into Australia.

Eligible travellers on certain Qantas flights from New Zealand will be invited to complete the ATD through the Qantas mobile app, up to 72 hours before travelling, instead of completing a paper IPC. All other travellers will be required to complete the IPC as normal.

Learn more about the pilot.

Watch our videos to learn more about Australian biosecurity requirements

Your airline or cruise line will give you an Incoming Passenger Card before you arrive in Australia.

You must correctly fill out your Incoming Passenger Card and either:

• declare any risk goods including food, animal products and plant material (including wooden articles)
• dispose of any risk goods in the bins at the airport or cruise terminal.

Declared risk goods will be inspected by a biosecurity officer. They may direct the goods for treatment, export or destruction. Goods that do not pose a biosecurity risk will be returned to you.

If you provide false or misleading information to a biosecurity officer or on your Incoming Passenger Card, or if you fail to answer questions about the goods or comply with directions given by a biosecurity officer, you may be:

• given an infringement notice of up to $6,600
• subject to civil penalty proceedings, and/or
• prosecuted for a criminal offence.

Your visa may also be cancelled and, if so, you will be refused entry into Australia and you may not be able to return to Australia for up to three years.

For faster border clearance:

• do not carry any fresh fruit or vegetables, plants, seeds, meat and animal or wood products
• ensure that your footwear, sporting and recreational equipment is dry and clean (i.e. free from soil, seeds and grass) — including golf clubs, bikes and prams.

Passport scanning

Travellers are advised that biosecurity officers at all international airports and cruise terminals are using a smartphone app on a department issued mobile device to scan the passports of selected travellers passing through biosecurity intervention points. The app scans the machine-readable zone of the passport which contains the same information travellers are required to enter on their Incoming Passenger Card. Collecting this information digitally will allow the department to streamline the biosecurity clearance process in the future, and may have a minimal impact on travellers. Traveller processing through biosecurity channels at international airports and cruise terminals has not changed. To assist with efficient biosecurity clearance, all travellers arriving in Australia should have their passports ready for scanning upon request.

For information about passport scanning, please email the department.

Biosecurity computer systems

The department advises that it is upgrading its biosecurity computer system at all international airports and cruise terminals during 2024. During this time, biosecurity officers will be trained in the use of the new system and this may lead to a minimal impact on travellers.

Privacy notice

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry collects your personal information as required under the Biosecurity Act 2015 for the purpose of assessing, managing, and responding to biosecurity risk, including the future assessment or profiling of biosecurity risk.

What is personal information?

The Privacy Act 1988 defines personal information as information or an opinion about an individual who is reasonably identifiable (whether true or recorded in material form or not).

What is sensitive information?

Sensitive information is a subset of personal information and includes any information or opinion about an individual's racial or ethnic origin; political opinions; religious beliefs or affiliations; philosophical beliefs; sexual orientation or practices; membership of a political association, professional or trade association or union; or criminal record. It also includes health or genetic information about an individual and biometric information or templates.

Collection of personal information

Biosecurity officers working in international airports and cruise terminals collect personal information, including:

• on an Incoming Passenger Card (IPC) or Crew Declaration Form (CDF)

Travellers are required to provide information to a biosecurity officer on an IPC or CDF under s.196 of the Biosecurity Act 2015 for the purpose of assessing the level of biosecurity risk associated with travellers and goods arriving in Australian territory. Failure to provide this information to a biosecurity officer when required may result in a civil penalty under ss.196(4) of the Biosecurity Act 2015.

• on a passport or other travel documents

Biosecurity officers require travellers to provide their passport and other travel documents for scanning under s.196(3B) of the Biosecurity Act 2015. Information on these travel documents is used for the purpose of assessing the level of biosecurity risk associated with the traveller, and to profile or assess biosecurity risk in the future. Failure to provide this information to a biosecurity officer when required may result in a civil penalty under ss.196(5) of the Biosecurity Act 2015.

• in response to questions from a biosecurity officer

Biosecurity officers may require you to provide information about your goods under s.126 of the Biosecurity Act 2015 for the purpose of establishing the level of biosecurity risk associated with any goods subject to biosecurity control. This may include information about the goods themselves, travel you have undertaken or intend to undertake, or related information for the purpose of assessing and managing your biosecurity risk. Failure to provide this information to a biosecurity officer when required may result in a civil penalty under ss.126(2) of the Biosecurity Act 2015.

If a biosecurity officer has required risk management action on your goods under s.135 or s.138 of the Biosecurity Act 2015, you will be requested to provide information including a postal or email address and phone number where you can be contacted while you are in Australia. We use this information to communicate our requirements for managing the risk of your goods to an acceptable level. We disclose this information to service providers engaged to carry out risk management actions on your goods (including movement, treatments, and export). By providing this information to a biosecurity officer when requested, you consent to its use and disclosure for the stated purpose. If you do not consent to provide your contact information, a biosecurity officer will be unable to contact you about biosecurity actions required to manage the risk of your goods, and your goods may be forfeited to the Commonwealth under s.627 of the Biosecurity Act 2015.

Disclosure of your personal information

The department is authorised to disclose personal information under the Biosecurity Act 2015 and the Privacy Act 1988. The department discloses personal information to:

• other staff in the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Department of Home Affairs and Australian Border Force to assist them to perform functions or duties or exercise powers under the Biosecurity Act 2015 (as authorised under s.582 of the Biosecurity Act 2015).
• Australian Border Force to assist them with performing their legislative functions or exercising their powers under the Migration Act 1958 (as authorised under s.587 of the Biosecurity Act 2015).
• the Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis (CEBRA) for the purposes of data analysis, policy development and research to assist with the administration of the Biosecurity Act 2015 (as authorised under s.590 of the Biosecurity Act 2015).
• service providers operating under an approved arrangement under s.406 of the Biosecurity Act 2015 for the purpose of managing the biosecurity risk of goods using powers under the Biosecurity Act 2015 (as authorised under ss.582(2e) of the Biosecurity Act 2015).
• other Australian government agencies, persons or organisations provided the disclosure is authorised under the Biosecurity Act 2015 or another law of the Commonwealth; or a law of a State or Territory prescribed by regulations.

Your personal information will not usually be disclosed overseas. It will be handled in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles and the Biosecurity Act 2015.

By providing the requested information detailed above, you consent to the collection, use and disclosure of all of your personal information.

To learn more about accessing or correcting personal information or making a complaint, see the department's Privacy Policy. Alternatively, email the department at privacy@aff.gov.au.

Some states do not allow you to bring goods from other parts of Australia.

Check the requirements between states. Read travelling within Australia.

Each country sets their own requirements for goods you are allowed to bring.

We do not keep a record of other countries’ requirements.

Before you travel to another country from Australia, check what you can take. Contact the country’s consulate or embassy in your nearest capital city.