Australian customs
are some of the
strictest in the world.
The country has avoided some serious pests and diseases that are found
in the rest of the world, by being strict with letting in things that
can spread them.
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There are four groups of
things that
you have restrictions with: food, animal products, plant material, and
outdoors equipment.
ALL need to be declared
or you
can risk big fines or even jail.
Before your plane lands in Australia, you will be given an "Incoming
Passenger Card" that you will have to fill.
On that card you will have to declare any food, plant material, animal
products and outdoors equipment that you want to take into Australia.
Food
includes anything one can
eat, including snack foods, packaged meals, herbs and spices, coffee
and tea, cereal, nuts and seeds, fruit and vegies, meat, dairy products
including cheese, eggs and mayonnaise, and any airline foods that you
may have not eaten up and thought you will eat later.
Plant material
includes plants
or any plant parts - fresh or dried, wood, bark, bamboo, straw, cane,
etc... even if these are parts of ornaments, decorations or souvenirs.
Animal products
include animals
- stuffed or alive, as well as skin, fur, hair, wool and feathers, bird
nests, used animal equipment, as well as corals and shells, even if
they are part of jewellery or souvenirs.
Outdoors equipment
includes (i)
used freshwater watercraft and fishing equipment such as life jackets,
paddles, fishing nets and rods; and (ii) things that can carry in soil,
such as used hiking boots, tents and other camping equipment, bicycles,
golf equipment.
Before you enter Australian customs, you
have the chance to throw any of these things into bins provided.
But if you don't, and choose to bring them into the country, you have to declare them.
If you declare them, they will be checked, and either accepted to the
country or taken away, but you will not be punished.
If you don't declare them
you risk
heavy fines or even prison and a criminal record.
Note:
This site uses
British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will
find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all
correct in the language used in Australia.
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that all the information on this site is correct,
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