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Military Frequently Asked Questions
What if I am feeling sick or show signs of illness when I land?
Chewing tobacco and cigarettes?
Ration Packs/MRE’s?
Beef jerky/Biltong?
Canned/tinned food?
Chocolate/sweets/candy/confectionary?
Nuts/popcorn/trail mix/gorp and snacks?
Water and water bottles?
Cakes bread and biscuits?
Dairy products and cheese?
Can I bring food to Australia from my ship that is anchored offshore?
What if my clothing/boots/webbing/backpack is dirty?
Can I bring in prescription medicines/drugs?
Mailing items to Australia
What happens when I arrive in Australia?
On arrival in Australia you must present a Travellers Statement - the Customs, Quarantine and Wildlife Travellers Statement. In it you must declare all items of interest to Quarantine and Customs, such as food, items with seeds, medicines, and alcohol.
What if I am feeling sick or show signs of illness when I land?
Quarantine officers monitor reports about the health status of passengers arriving in Australia by aircraft and ship to ensure that they are not suffering from diseases such as yellow fever, Viral Haemorrhagic Fever, or cholera. Before you arrive in Australia you are given a Health Information Brochure which advises you on what to do if you become ill after arrival. You must inform AQIS if you are feeling ill upon arrival into Australia,
Items commonly brought to Australia:
Chewing tobacco and cigarettes
AQIS provides quarantine inspection services of international passengers, cargo, mail, animals and plants or their products into Australia, and inspection and certification for animal and plant products exported from Australia.
The Australian Customs Service regulates imports on items such as currency, alcohol, cigarettes, and medicines. Please consult the Australian Customs Service website for information about bringing tobacco products to Australia.
Ration packs/MREs
An Import Permit must be applied for prior to bringing ration packs/MREs to Australia. AQIS will assess the application and may decide to grant a permit subject to conditions necessary for safe importation, use, and disposal of the product. It should be noted that applying for a permit does not automatically result in a permit being issued. For further information about applying for an import permit for ration packs/MREs, please contact the AQIS Biologicals Program at Biologicals or +61 2 6272 4578.
Beef jerky/Biltong
Uncanned meats (includes vacuum sealed products) are not permitted entry into Australia, unless accompanied by an Import Permit. AQIS may grant an Import Permit subject to conditions necessary for safe importation, use, and disposal of the product. These requirements will be detailed on the Permit. Applying for a permit does not automatically result in a permit being issued.
Canned/tinned food
Commercially prepared and packaged canned fruits, vegetables and meats are permitted into Australia, provided they are shelf-stable without refrigeration and are for personal consumption. All consignments are subject to inspection on arrival to verify that the goods are in metal cans, retort pouches or equivalent receptacles and do not require refrigeration to maintain quality.
Chocolate/sweets/candy/confectionary
Chocolate, sweets and confectionary (excluding Indian sweets containing milk, crystallised and/or chocolate covered fruits, banana chips and trail mix) are permitted into Australia providing they are free of contaminants such as live insects. If they are contaminated, the article must be re-exported from Australia at the cost of the importer.
Nuts/popcorn/trail mix/gorp and snacks
Different requirements exist for bringing nuts, trail mix and gorp into Australia. Please consult the AQIS Import Conditions database (ICON) and type the species of nut (eg. cashew) and their country of origin into the search page of ICON which will show the requirements for bringing these items into Australia. Unpopped popcorn (eg. microwave popcorn) is not permitted entry into Australia and must be destroyed. Re-exportation is at the cost of the importer.
Water and water bottles
Commercially bottled water, mineral water, spring water, cordials, perfumed or scented waters (such as rose water or orange flower water) may be brought into Australia, provided the water is free from solid material or contaminants.
Cakes, bread and biscuits
Cooked cakes, including cakes containing custard or dairy-based fillings that have been cooked with the cake (excluding cheesecakes, mooncakes, dairy puddings or vanilla slices), bread, and shelf stable biscuits and are allowed into Australia providing they do not require refrigeration. If they are not shelf stable, they must be re-exported from Australia at the cost of the importer.
To find the requirements for bringing cheesecakes, dairy puddings or vanilla slices, search on ‘dairy’ and the country of origin in the AQIS ICON database.
Dairy products and cheese
Dairy products and cheeses are permitted entry to Australia, if they fit one of the descriptions below:
Non-commercial consignments brought to Australia from any country:
- Dairy products from New Zealand, provided that the milk is of New Zealand or Australian origin and is labelled as such
- Commercially prepared milk based infant foods (eg. infant formula, toddler formula or baby food), provided they are for the consumption of the accompanying child
Note: Bottles of pre-prepared infant formula accompanying an infant are also permitted. A single opened can/tin of milk-based foods for infants is also permitted when accompanying an infant, however all other cans/tins must be unopened. Products containing less than 10 per cent dairy ingredients in the total mass of each individually packaged product, other than added water, from any country of origin. (Calculation: Ignore the added water and consider the dairy ingredient as a percentage of the other ingredients) - Commercially prepared and packaged chocolate
- Lactose and its derivatives
- Commercially prepared and packaged clarified butter oil (ghee)
- Biscuits, bread and cooked cakes (excluding cheese cakes, and cakes containing dairy fillings or toppings that have not been cooked with the cake)
- Commercially prepared and packaged dairy products, provided they are manufactured in a country listed by the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) as free from foot and mouth disease (FMD), or Cheesecakes and cooked cakes containing dairy fillings or toppings, provided that they are manufactured in a country listed by the OIE as free from foot and mouth disease.
Note: Countries listed by the OIE with only specific zones that are free from foot and mouth disease are not approved for non-commercial consignments of dairy products without an Import Permit. The one exception is South Africa.
Where an Import Permit is required, AQIS will assess an application and may grant an Import Permit subject to conditions necessary for the safe importation, use, and disposal of those products. An application does not automatically result in a permit being issued.
Where items must be re-exported or destroyed, treatment or re-export is at the cost of the importer.
Can I bring food in from my ship anchored offshore?
When bringing items into Australia, whether from a ship offshore or an international aircraft, they must meet AQIS Import Conditions. Please consult the AQIS ICON database. In the ICON search page, type the item and the country of origin of the item (for example ‘cashews’ from ‘United States’), where the results will detail the requirements for bringing that item into Australia. Any items that do not meet the AQIS Import Conditions must be treated, re-exported, at the cost of the importer, or destroyed.
What if my clothing/boots/webbing/backpack is dirty?
All personal military equipment must be clean before departure for Australia. On arrival all personal military equipment will be inspected, including tents and sleeping bags. Depending on the amount of dirt/contamination, the passenger may be required to clean the items or they will be re-exported at the passenger’s expense.
Can I bring in Prescription medicines/drugs?
Most prescription medicines are not a quarantine risk if they are intended for human use. However they must be commercially prepared and packaged (eg. capsules, tablets, vials for injection, liquid, powder, ointment, etc.) with a letter from a doctor or prescription notice. Up to three months’ supply can be imported. For a more detailed explanation see our ICON database. Please consult the AQIS ICON database, type 'drugs' or ‘medicines’ into the 'Commodity name' field.
The Australian Customs Service also has requirements for bringing medicines to Australia. These requirements are available on the Australian Customs Service website.
Mailing items to Australia
All parcels sent to Australia are checked by a quarantine inspector at the international mail centres. The requirements for mailing items to Australia may be found in the ‘non commercial’ section of the AQIS Import Conditions database.
If in doubt about any item/product, declare it to the Quarantine Officer
For more information about bringing items to Australia, please contact Import Clearance.