Review of documentary requirements
The department utilises policies to aid the consistent assessment of biosecurity and imported food risks. These policies include the Minimum documentary and import declaration requirements and the Non-commodity information requirements policies. The department conducts scheduled reviews of our documentary policies.
The department may update the Non-commodity information requirements policy to incorporate urgent seasonal pest measures, such as rural delivery post codes. For further information clients should refer to the Non-commodity information requirements webpage.
Please note: Where our policies refer to Australian Quarantine & Inspection Service (AQIS) or Department of Agriculture, Water & the Environment (DAWE), these titles can be taken as synonyms for the current department title.
Minimum documentary and import declaration requirements policy
Our Minimum documentary and import declaration requirements policy defines the minimum requirements for documentation presented to the department to support the risk assessment of imported goods and non-commodity concerns, whether for biosecurity or imported foods purposes.
Non-commodity information requirements policy
Our Non-commodity information requirements policy defines the information requirements that must be met to support the assessment of non–commodity concerns associated with imported goods. It covers the type of consignment, the types of packaging materials used in the consignment, and the container cleanliness statement.
Delivery postcodes
We use delivery postcodes to determine the suitability of a location for goods to be unpacked.
If a consignment is being delivered to a rural destination it will be directed for a rural tailgate inspection, which allows us to conduct a risk assessment on the consignment prior to it leaving a metropolitan area.
See Postcode delivery classifications for details on delivery postcodes and a postcode search tool.
Examples of acceptable documents
To assist clients in meeting the requirements outlined in the minimum documentary and import declaration requirements policy and the non-commodity information requirements policy, we have created several templates that can be downloaded and adapted to meet individual company/consignment requirements.
See Acceptable documentation templates.
Your feedback on our policies
We welcome ongoing feedback about these polices. To provide feedback please contact entrymanagement@aff.gov.au