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Notice to Industry 18: Quick guide to import fees for horses (PDF 223 KB)
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Introduction
This Notice to Industry is to clarify the fees that may be charged by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry for horse imports to Australia. The outline of fees includes examples of activities that apply for the fee types listed in the department’s charging guidelines. Booking assessment fees for consignments undergoing post arrival quarantine in Mickleham, implemented from 15 August 2022, are also described.
Import Permit fees
All horses intended for import to Australia must have a valid import permit from the department. Lodgement and assessment fees apply per consignment of horses.
| Service | AUD ($) |
|---|---|
| Online lodgement of import permit application | $120 |
| Assessment fee | $360 |
| Total | $480 |
| Additional charges – if required | AUD ($) |
| Variation - update personal information including name, address or phone number only | No fee |
| Variation assessment – applied for with initial application | $360* |
| Variation lodgement and assessment – change to permit after granting | $480* |
| Shuttle stallion EVA application levy - per permit | $120 |
| Shuttle stallion EVA assessment charge – for each stallion requiring a variation | $360* |
| Shuttle stallion EVA assessment charge – for each stallion not requiring a variation | $30* |
*Additional fees may apply if the assessment time exceeds 3 hours. Additional time is charged as an in-office fee of $30 per 15 minutes.
Fees for import permit applications are required at the time of lodgement. An import permit will not be granted until payment is cleared. Payments do not process on the day the application is submitted. The lodgement fee is non-refundable once the application has been submitted. Once an import permit application or variation application has been assessed, no matter the outcome, no refund can be issued. This is because the services provided by the department have been expended.
Booking assessment fees – Mickleham Post Entry Quarantine Facility (MQF)
As horse imports to Australia continue to grow, increased demand has been placed on bookings at MQF. Horse import agents were consulted about the likelihood of individual horse owners booking with multiple agents, which could result in multiple stalls being allocated to the same horse.
To reduce this risk and maximise the use of stalls, an in-office fee has been introduced for quarantine facility staff to assess horse names and microchip numbers (where implanted) prior to accepting bookings.
The fee is $30 per 15 minutes (or part thereof), in accordance with the departmental charging guidelines. Importers must provide horse names and microchip numbers (where implanted) more than one month prior to the expected date of export to Australia. Any name changes that occur after this must be provided as soon as practicable and additional in office fees will apply. It is preferred that importers express their interest for future bookings 6 – 12 months in advance, which will be confirmed 1-month from the consignments’ scheduled arrival date.
This fee applies to each importer for each horse consignment booking for MQF.
Bookings and fees for the privately operated Approved Arrangements (AAs) for horses are not determined by the department and must be discussed with the individual operator of the AA.
| Service | Notes | AUD ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Booking assessment fee (Listed as SPEQFFS15 ‘in-office assessment fee’ on the ELSA invoice) | Charged per consignment booking, multiple 15-minute fees may apply for large consignments | $30 |
| Change of horse name/s (Listed as SPEQFFS15 ‘in-office assessment fee’ on the ELSA invoice) | Charged per consignment booking, multiple 15-minute fees may apply for large consignments | $30 |
The booking assessment fee is non-refundable after the service has been provided by the department.
Clearance fees – in-office and airport
The clearance fees detailed in the table below include the time taken for departmental officers to assess documentation in-office as well as inspecting horses on arrival at the airport. The time taken to clear horse stalls and equipment are charged on a separate invoice. These invoices will be generated through the AIMS system.
| Service | Notes | AUD ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment of preparation schedule (Listed under ‘additional comments’ as ‘+ X (number) units assessment of preparation schedule’ and charged under ‘Inspection – Horse Inspect’ on invoice) | Service code SQIA7H, fee per 15 minutes, charged per consignment | $30 |
| Inspection of horses at airport* including collecting hard copies of documentation (Listed as ‘Inspection - Horse Inspect’ on invoice and may contain additional detail in the comments section) | Service codes will include: | |
| SQIS23H: FFS entry processing horse imports, fee per 15 minutes, charged per consignment | $30 | |
| Service codes may include out-of-office inspection and overtime fees: | ||
| SQIS25H: Out of office Fee For Service (FFS), fee per 15 minutes, charged per officer | $50 | |
| SQIOW2: Overtime – Mon-Fri, fee per first half hour (minimum), charged per officer in addition to SQIS25H when applicable | $30 | |
| SQIOW1: Overtime – Mon-Fri, fee per 15 minutes, charged per officer in addition to SQIS25H when applicable | $15 | |
| SQUIWS2: Overtime – Sat/Sun/Public Holiday – non-continuous, fee per first half hour (minimum), charged per officer in addition to SQIS25H when applicable | $40 | |
| SQIOWS1: Overtime – Sat/Sun/Public Holiday, fee per 15 minutes (after first half hour), charged per officer in addition to SQIS25H when applicable | $20 | |
| Inspection of documentation e.g. health certificates and associated documents (Listed in ‘additional comments’ as X (number of) units VO charges for HC & doc assessment, X units HTF in office on invoice) | Service code SQIA7H, fee per 15 minutes, charged per consignment | $30 |
*Where the inspection of horses at the airport is for a consignment with multiple importers, fees are split according to the ratio of horses per importer.
Mickleham Post Entry Quarantine Facility (MQF) fees
The department charges fees for the use of the Mickleham post entry quarantine (PEQ) facility in Victoria. These fees are calculated on a cost recovery basis and outlined in the table below.
Fees applicable to privately operated AAs are not determined by the department and must be discussed with the individual operator of the AA.
| Service | Notes | AUD ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Horse levy (Listed as ‘PEQ Importation Charge – horse’ on the ELSA invoice) | Service code SPEQLH15, fee per animal | $3000 |
| Quarantine accommodation (Listed as ‘PEQ daily husbandry fee – horse’ on the ELSA invoice) | Service code SPEQFHU15, fee charged at AUD $60 per animal per day. Minimum 14 day stay | $840* |
| Additional charges – if required | ||
| PEQ Vet extra charges (includes supervision of additional testing) | Service code SPEQFFS15, fee per 15 minutes | $30 |
| PEQ extra charges (includes Biosecurity officer time for out of hours supervision) | Service code SPEQFFS15, fee per 15 minutes | $30 |
| PEQ miscellaneous (lump sum for specific items, such as additional naso-pharyngeal swabs, additional eskies, cost of deep burial for a deceased horse) | Service code SQQM, fee charged according to cost to department | As required |
*Additional daily fees apply if horses are not released from biosecurity control after the minimum 14 day stay.
Fees are subject to change without notice. It is the importer’s responsibility to keep up to date with changes to fees, policies and procedures.
Full details of the fees and levies for quarantine services can be found in the department’s charging guidelines.
For queries about fees and payment, please email the MQF Booking and Invoicing team.