Sending 'Khat' to Australia
The importation of khat is controlled under the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations. To import khat you must be in possession of both a licence to import and a permit to import issued by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (www.tga.gov.au).
You should be aware that there are also restrictions placed on the importation of khat by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS). There are several steps you need to take to ensure that you have followed the correct procedures for importing this product into Australia.
AQIS pre-inspection importer requirements:
- You need to obtain an AQIS import permit and lodge a quarantine entry for each consignment.
- Consignee and sender addresses on the consignment must match the addresses on your AQIS import permit.
- Only khat leaf tips are permitted for import.
- Consignments of khat should be free of contamination or insect infestation.
All consignments are subject to clearance by AQIS and will be inspected. If contaminated your consignment of khat will need to be treated by AQIS before you can collect it.
AQIS inspection process
A. What happens if your consignment is inspected by AQIS and found to be free of contamination or infestation?
- Your consignment will be inspected by Customs.
- You will receive relevant AQIS and Customs documentation by mail, including a quarantine entry and information leaflet.
- You must provide AQIS with a valid import permit and a copy of the quarantine entry.
- Once all import permit conditions have been met, the consignment will be cleared by AQIS and the quarantine entry is finalised.
- Your consignment will then be cleared by Customs and provided it meets Customs import requirements the khat will be released to you.
B. What happens if your consignment is inspected by AQIS and found to be contaminated or infested?
- If insect infestation or contamination is found in your consignment, you will receive a letter of notice of intention to seize goods that will provide the options for treatment.
You need to be aware that treatment of khat may damage the goods.
- If you wish to proceed with the treatment you must complete the payment form and send it with the relevant payment fee to AQIS. The goods will be sent for treatment only after payment has been received.
- The treatment process may take up to 4 weeks for completion.
- The khat will be returned to the mail centre after treatment.
- At this point, you need to follow the same procedures as detailed in part A (above) of the AQIS inspection process.
Benefits of importing clean consignments of khat
There are several benefits to ensuring that you are importing clean consignments of khat into Australia including:
- You will not need to pay additional fees for treatment of the khat consignment.
- The clearance time will be much shorter and you will receive your goods sooner.
- There is no risk of your goods being damaged due to a required treatment.
AQIS contact details
If you have any additional queries or require further information on any of these matters you can contact:
Melbourne Airmail Transit Centre
2-6 Sperry Drive
Tullamarine VIC 3043
Ph: +61 3 9310 3155
AQIS regional office
Corner Grants and Centre Roads
Tullamarine VIC 3043
Ph: +61 3 8318 6700
E-mail: International Mail
AQIS Import Conditions Database:www.aqis.gov.au/icon
Treatment payments
Collector of Public Monies
Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service
Locked Bag 34
KINGSTON ACT 2604