Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to search

Help for those affected by flood

Visit nema.gov.au.

Close
Home

Top navigation main

  • News & media
  • Jobs
  • Minister
  • Contact us
Main menu

AWE Main

  • Agriculture and land
    Agriculture and land Building stronger and more sustainable agriculture, fisheries, forestry and land care.
    • Animal health
    • Climate change and agriculture
    • Farming, food and drought
    • Fisheries
    • Forestry
    • Plant health
    • Drought and rural support
    • Mouse infestation advice
    Xylella

    Protect against unwanted plant pests

    Our biosecurity system helps protects us. Everyone has a role in supporting our biosecurity system.

    Find out more

  • Biosecurity and trade
    Biosecurity and trade Lowering biosecurity risks to Australia, and assisting industry to accelerate growth towards a $100 billion agricultural sector by 2030.
    • Aircraft, vessels and military
    • Biosecurity policy
    • Cats and dogs
    • Exporting
    • Importing
    • Pests, diseases and weeds
    • Public awareness and education
    • Trade and market access
    • Travelling or sending goods to Australia
    Brown marmorated stink bug

    BMSB Seasonal Measures

    Australia has strengthened seasonal measures to manage the risk of BMSB.

    View our seasonal measures

  • Science and research
    Science and research Undertaking research and collecting data to support informed decisions and policies.
    • Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES)
    • Office of the Science Convenor
    • Plant Innovation Centre
    Abares

    ABARES Insights

    Get 'snapshots’ of agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries, or analysis of key issues.

    Find out more

  • About us
    About us We enhance our agricultural industries and trade, and manage the threat of biosecurity risks to Australia.
    • Accountability and reporting
    • Assistance, grants and tenders
    • Contact us
    • Fees and charges
    • News and media
    • Our commitment to you
    • Payments
    • People and jobs
    • Publications
    • What we do
    • Who we are
    Read more about our Budget

    Budget October 2022-23

    The 2022–23 October Portfolio Budget Statements were released on 25 October 2022.

    Find out more

  • Online services
    Online services We do business with you using online platforms. This makes it easier for you to meet your legal requirements.
Department of Agriculture

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Biosecurity and trade
  3. Import
  4. Online services and systems
  5. Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON)

Sidebar first - Import

  • Online services and systems
    • Biosecurity Portal
      • Set up secure access to the Portal
      • Guides
      • New release information
    • Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON)
      • BICON import permits
        • Importing COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits
        • Fit and proper test for import permit applicants
        • Standard permits for biological products
        • Importing test kits for foot and mouth disease or other notifiable animal diseases
        • Importing nucleic acid (genetic material), including synthetic nucleic acid
      • BICON software developers guide
      • Charges for import permits
      • Support using BICON
      • Register an account in BICON
      • Review of plant, animal and biological import conditions
    • Broker reports
    • Cargo Online Lodgement System (COLS)
      • COLS support
      • Lodging import documents
      • COLS minimum system operating requirements
      • COLS software developers guide
      • COLS registration information
    • Contingency arrangements for system outages
    • Postcode delivery classifications
    • Electronic Certification (eCert) for imports

Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON)

BICON is being upgraded!

BICON is being upgraded with a new look and feel to improve user experience. BICON will have greater accessibility for vision impaired users and will also be scalable on mobile devices.

BICON website upgrade – Preview (PDF 4.69 MB)

BICON website - Factsheet (PDF 285 KB)
BICON website - Factsheet (DOCX 221 KB)

If you have trouble accessing these files, please contact us.

​​​​Importing into Australia

To help protect Australia’s unique environment from unwanted pests and diseases, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry regulates products imported into Australia. The importation of some products is, by law, subject to certain biosecurity import conditions. Some products are not permitted entry while other products are only allowed into Australia subject to meeting import conditions that mitigate the biosecurity risk. This may include a requirement for an import permit.

You can use the Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON) to determine whether a commodity intended for import into Australia:

  • is permitted
  • is subject to import conditions
  • requires supporting documentation
  • ​requires treatment
  • needs an import permit.

It is your responsibility to comply with the department’s import conditions when importing into Australia.

Import permits

BICON will identify whether your goods require an import permit. You can apply, track and manage your BICON import permits online using your BICON registered user account.

Most import permits will be issued within 20 working days of completed applications being received and paid for in full.  Applications may take longer if:

  • they require technical assessment
  • incomplete or incorrect information is provided by the applicant
  • additional information is required to continue the assessment (applicants will be notified of this by the assessing officers)
  • it is a novel product or has been prepared in a novel manner.

As of  9 April 2018, the department will no longer facilitate the clearance of conditionally non-prohibited goods that arrive without the required import permit. Therefore goods that require a permit, but arrive without one, including where an application is currently under consideration, will be directed for export from Australian territory or required to be destroyed in an approved manner.

Access BICON

Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON)

Importing into Australian External Territories

Conditions for imports into the Australian external territories of Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands are not contained in BICON. For information about all imports into these Australian external Territories, please visit the External Territories webpage.

Contact us

To help you comply with your biosecurity obligations, the department has established a team to answer your questions about import conditions and permits. You can contact the team by:

  • Phone: 1800 900 090 or + 61 3 8318 6700 (from outside Australia)
  • Email: Imports
  • the 'Contact Us' function within BICON​.​

General enquiries

Call 1800 900 090

Contact us online

Report a biosecurity concern

BICON Message board

  • Service Disruption: Sunday 26 March 2023 - BICON
Thanks for your feedback.
Thanks! Your feedback has been submitted.

We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions.
To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Please verify that you are not a robot.

Skip

Footer

  • Contact us
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • FOI
Last updated: 22 March 2023

© Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.