The department has rigorous and highly effective import declaration, inspection and import treatment requirements in place to reduce the risk of harmful pests and diseases getting into and establishing in Australia.

Despite this, a small percentage of imported items may still contain a hitchhiking pest or disease of biosecurity concern after being imported.

Ballast water is water taken on board by vessels to maintain stability and trim. Ballast water can contain thousands of aquatic microbes, plants and animals, which can be spread across the globe as the vessel releases ballast water. Unmanaged ballast water released in foreign ports could potentially introduce a range of invasive marine species. Invasions have already taken place around the world, in some instances with significant consequences for the local ecosystem.

African swine fever (ASF) is a contagious viral disease of domestic and wild pigs. Since 2007, the disease has spread throughout the world. Affected countries in our region include Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea. There is no registered vaccine for ASF and the disease kills about 80% of the pigs it infects.

ASF is an Emergency Animal Disease (EAD).

This fact sheet outlines:

• goods you must declare on arrival in Australia
• legal implications if you do not complete your declaration correctly.

Find out what you can bring or mail to Australia. Check our passenger and mail enquiry.

Travel professionals can order printed English brochures by emailing the department.

To approve requests for permit (RFPs) under the Export Control Act and associated Rules, you must be registered as an automated export permit issuer (AEPI) with the department.

This applies to exporters of fish and fish products.

When approved, an AEPI is provided with an automated export permit issuer number (AQA), which is used as an individual identifier when authorising an export permit.

Export permits are:

Approved arrangements, previously Quarantine Approved Premises and Compliance Agreements, are voluntary arrangements entered into with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

These arrangements allow operators to manage biosecurity risks and/or perform the documentary assessment of goods in accordance with departmental requirements, using their own sites, facilities, equipment and people, and without constant supervision by the department and with occasional compliance monitoring or auditing.

​Under the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) Agreement, World Trade Organization (WTO) members are entitled to maintain a level of protection they consider appropriate to protect life or health within their territory.

We refer to this as the Appropriate Level of Protection (ALOP).

We apply Australia’s ALOP in the import risk analyses we conduct.