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100% piece-level examination of all export air cargo

On 8 May 2018, the Australian Government announced a range of measures to further strengthen Australia's domestic and international aviation security.

The current rules requiring piece level examination of all air cargo bound for or transiting through the United States will be extended to all international destinations from 1 March 2019. These rules have implications for the maximum package sizes permissable and places a restriction on the transport of electronic items within personal effects air consignments.

The requirement for each individual box, carton or other item in a shipment to be examined by an x-ray machine or metal detector by Regulated Air Cargo Agents working within the Air Cargo Examination program will increase the cost and processing time at airports for all personal effects shipments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are all personal effects shipments into Australia subject to mandatory quarantine inspection?

Yes – Australia is in the fortunate situation of being one of the few countries relatively free of common pests and diseases found in other countries. For this reason, the Australian Government has mandated that all unaccompanied shipments of used personal effects, motor vehicles and vessels be screened and physically inspected at approved and licenced unpacking depots by Department of Agriculture and Water Resources inspection officers.

Why is there a fee for the mandatory quarantine inspection?

The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources will only permit the unpacking of imported personal effects to occur within the confines of specially licenced and approved warehouses with adequate contamination containment measures, trained and accredited warehouse staff and the required electronic interface reporting systems. The fees for quarantine inspection, clearance and attendance charged by AIMA members cover the cost of annual depot licencing, use of bonded warehouse space, attendance and inspection fees for DAWR inspection officers and required interface software licencing.

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