Vessels entering Australian territory must comply with their requirements under biosecurity legislation.
Australian legislative requirements
The jurisdiction of Australia and external territories generally extends off the Australian coast to 12 Nautical Miles (NM).
All international vessels, including barges and dredges, that are sailed, motored or towed through the 12NM limit and enter Australian territory are subject to pre-arrival reporting, pratique, assessment and inspection at a first point of entry on arrival.
Australian territory
You will need to meet our biosecurity requirements (under the Biosecurity Act) if you visit:
- Australia
- Christmas Island
- the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
- any external territory such as Norfolk Island
- the airspace and the coastal sea of these areas which generally extends to 12 NM (approx 25kms).
Refer to Pre-arrival reporting requirements for certain Australian External Territories.
Australian external territories not considered Australian Territory
For the purposes of the Biosecurity Act 2015 (except for ballast water and sediment, Chapter 5) the Australian external Territories not considered Australian Territory are collectively referred to as Australian External Territories (AETNCAT ). These territories include:
- Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island
- Coral Sea Islands (Willis Island)
- Macdonald and Heard Island
- the Australian Antarctic territory.
All goods and conveyances from these AETNCAT Territories are subject to biosecurity control (STBC) under the Act unless specified elsewhere.
AETNCAT Locations
The following image indicates the locations of the AETNCAT relative to the Australian mainland.
Biosecurity and the movement of goods and conveyances
From AETNCAT territories to Australian Territory
The Act applies to people, goods and conveyances travelling from AETNCAT territories to Australian Territory in a similar manner to the way the Act applies to the arrival of international goods and conveyances into Australian Territory. Each part of regulated Australian Territory (for the purposes of the Act) have different import conditions for goods. Refer to BICON.
To AETNCAT territories
There are no regulations or restrictions under the Act relating to the movement of goods and conveyances or for the regulation of human health from Australian Territory or any other countries to AETNCAT territories.
| AETNCAT | Goods | Conveyances (vessels and aircraft) | Transiting vessels (cruise vessels) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Australian Antarctic Territory |
Refer to BICON for movements into Australia |
All international vessels must submit pre-arrival reporting using MARS. Australian Border Force (ABF) requires all cargo from the Australian Antarctic Territory to be reported via the Integrated Cargo System (ICS) Refer to BICON for movements into Australia |
|
|
Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands |
Refer to BICON for movements into Australia |
All international vessels must submit pre-arrival reporting using MARS. Australian Border Force (ABF) requires all cargo from the Australian Antarctic Territory to be reported via the Integrated Cargo System (ICS) Refer to BICON for movements into Australia |
|
|
Coral Sea Islands Territory (including Willis Island) |
Refer to BICON for movements into Australia Exclusions exist where the vessel returning from Ashmore Reef and Cartier islands is a Maritime Border Command (MBC) or ABF vessel |
All international vessels must submit pre-arrival reporting using MARS. ABF requires all cargo from Willis Island to be reported via the ICS |
Exempt |
|
Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island Territory |
Pre-arrival reporting is not required where the vessel returning from Ashmore Reef and Cartier islands is a Maritime Border Command (MBC) or ABF vessel |
Exempt |
Commonwealth Government legal provisions
The relevant provisions of an Act for government of these external territories as an Australian Territory are:
| Location | Provisions of an Act for government of a territory |
|---|---|
| Australian Antarctic Territory | s 8 of the Australian Antarctic Territory Act 1954 |
| Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands | s 7 of the Heard Island and McDonald Islands Act 1953 |
| Coral Sea Islands Territory (including Willis Island) | s 6(1) of the Coral Sea Islands Act 1969 |
| Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island Territory | s 8 of the Ashmore and Cartier Island Acceptance Act 1933 |
Check territory administrator requirements on the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications Australian territories webpage.