Import request

An import request is a proposal made to bring goods into Australia where import conditions for the goods have not yet been established. Import requests are also referred to as ‘import proposals’ or ‘market access requests’.

Australia receives a significant number of import requests for a variety of different commodities each year. We prioritise import requests based on information received from requesting countries, Australia’s national interests, and available technical capacity to conduct risk analyses.

All import requests are added to our Import Market Access Request Register, and those not currently being reviewed by the department will remain on our register until they progress to the risk analysis stage.

Who can provide an import request?

Import requests may be initiated by the government authority of another country or by stakeholders in Australia, as detailed below.

Other countries

Import requests from other countries must be submitted to us by the relevant government authority of the country.

Exporters wishing to submit an import request should contact their respective government authority, which will manage the request on their behalf.

Australian stakeholders

Import requests may also be initiated by stakeholders in Australia, including:

people or organisations that want to import goods (plants, animals and other goods)
Australian industries wanting access to new imported genetic materials or wanting to establish new protocols for products imported for processing.

Requirements for import requests

There is no standard form for an import request. However, the request must:

be in writing
include relevant scientific and other information to the extent that it is available
include the following information about the proposed import:
- scientific name (including order, suborder, genus, species, subspecies and variety, where applicable)
- common name(s), where applicable
- country(ies), zone(s), state(s), region(s), province(s), district(s) of origin, where applicable.

In some cases, applicants may be required to supply additional information about the product to be imported. We will not consider an import request until we have received all relevant information.

Plants or plant products

Requests to import plants or plant products into Australia require more specific information, including:

1. Description of proposed import	Scientific name, common name, variety/ies or cultivar/s Genetic modification (if relevant) Plant part/s to be imported Proposed end use (e.g. consumption, processing etc.) Proposed import volume
2. Production and cultivation	Biology/phenology of plant Propagation, cultivation and harvesting methods Production and harvesting processes Production area (including map/s showing detail of production areas) and volumes Climatic conditions in production areas (e.g. temperatures and rainfall)
3. Pest management	Pest monitoring and surveillance programs (e.g. frequency) Plant susceptibility or resistance to pests
4. Pest free areas	Map/s showing pest free location/s Legislation or regulations supporting pest freedom Surveillance or testing details (e.g. trapping frequency and density, pest identification)
5. Post-harvest management	Packing house processes (e.g. washing, disinfestation/disinfection treatments, grading etc.) Quality assessment (e.g. by person or machine) Packaging Storage conditions Security
6. Phytosanitary inspection and certification	Inspection procedure and requirements Inspector training and accreditation Phytosanitary certification process
7. Existing export information for the country of origin	Export season Export production areas Export destinations and volumes Existing protocols or conditions of export, including phytosanitary measures (e.g. treatments) and any supporting scientific data and/or publications Type/s of conveyance
8. List of pests and diseases	Scientific names, classification (such as order and family), authors and commonly used synonyms Hosts (including variety if relevant) Plant parts attacked Damaging life stage/s Symptoms/damage and economic impact Prevalence and distribution (within country) Management practices
9. References	List of relevant references.

If the required information is not available, we may require the exporting country to conduct special surveys and monitoring. We will not conduct an import risk analysis without all relevant information.

Animal health status

We also receive requests from our trading partners to recognise their animal health status in support of their export objectives.

Read more about how Australia evaluates the animal health status of countries, zones and compartments.

Download

Evaluation of animal health status of countries, zones and compartments for imports of animals and products of animal origin (PDF 177 KB)
Evaluation of animal health status of countries, zones and compartments for imports of animals and products of animal origin (DOCX 232 KB)

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