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Tourists Entering Australia

GENERAL VISA REQUIREMENTS

Anyone wishing to travel to and enter Australia must have a valid passport and the appropriate Australian visa.

The type of visa required depends upon the purpose of the visit.

For people wishing to participate in or attend international events held in Australia, note that:

airlines may refuse to allow travellers to board their aircraft without valid visas/ETA's (estimated time of arrival) and passports;

it is recommended intending visitors obtain a visa/ETA before purchasing airline tickets or entering into any other financial commitments dependent upon entry to Australia;

visas/ETA's are issued subject to a range of conditions; and

tourists are not allowed to work during their visit to Australia. Penalties apply to tourists who breach the 'no work' condition.

Don't overstay your visa! If your visa is about to expire, you should leave Australia or seek advice from a Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs office.

Visa/immigration information is available from Australian embassies, high commissions and consulates and travel agents, or visit the website www.immi.gov.au. Phone 131 881 (inside Australia).

Visa/taxation information is available from the Australian Taxation Office. If you intend to seek employment or commerce business in Australia, you must register for taxation purposes.

Australian Tax Office Website: www.ato.gov.au
Phone: +61 2 6216 1111, or contact your local Australian embassy, high commission or consulate.

Arriving in Australia

Documents required for entry

The following documents are required for entry clearance:

passport and

completed Incoming Passenger Card (or Advance
   Passenger Clearance Card)

Yellow fever vaccination is the only health requirement for travellers entering Australia if you have visited Africa or South America during the previous six days.

On arrival, please present your passport and your completed Incoming Passenger Card to the Customs officer.

These documents will be returned to you after immigration processing. Customs officers no longer stamp Australian passports, but if you require evidence of travel you may ask the officer to do so.

Security measures are in place in Customs controlled areas at airports. You should be prepared to respond to requests by Customs officers in these areas, which are clearly identified by signs.

The Australian Customs service has a comprehensive and informative website for travellers www.customs.gov.au

QUARANTINE

Australia's heightened border protection policies mean tighter quarantine regulations, including tougher on-the-spot fines for deliberate concealment or non-declaration of items of quarantine concern.

Customs and Quarantine officers may question travellers at any time, selecting people and baggage for detailed examination for a number of reasons. Detector dogs might also be used to search for illegal drugs, prohibited exports and imports including food, plant or animal material.

People arriving by air will be screened and most baggage will be inspected or x-rayed by Quarantine officers.

Greater volumes of cargo and mail entering Australia will also be screened and, where necessary, inspected.

Declare all food, plant and animal items on your Incoming Passenger Card and you will be directed to the red channel processing outlets in the baggage halls.

A Quarantine officer will arrange to have your items inspected to ensure they will not harm Australia's environment or plant, animal or human health.

Goods may be returned to you (some items may need treatment before they are returned). However, some items identified as prohibited imports will be confiscated and either re-exported or destroyed.

Use quarantine bins in the airport arrivals area or on the way to baggage collection to dispose of items of quarantine risk.

Declare all food, animal and plant items (including wooden artefacts), camping and sporting equipment.

In instances where sporting equipment is contaminated, for example with soil or plant (grass) debris, quarantine officers will remove the offending item for cleaning.

To avoid unnecessary delays or the potential imposition of fines on your arrival, you should ensure that the item is free from all soil and plant material and thoroughly cleaned.

If you do not declare items of quarantine concern you risk an on-the-spot fine of $220. More serious cases can lead to more significant penalties or even imprisonment.

A current list of prohibited imports or goods that require some form of treatment (including application for the appropriate import permit) prior to entry into Australia is available from the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service.

For more information, contact the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service:

Phone: 1800 020 504 or + 61 2 9364 7222

Fax: +61 2 9364 7340

Website: www.aqis.gov.au

Quarantine information in languages other than English: Arabic - Chinese - Dutch - French - German - Greek - Hindi - Indonesian - Italian - Japanese - Korean - Malaysian - Portuguese - Spanish - Thai - Vietnamese

DUTY FREE CONCESSION

Duty-free concessions in Australia are different to those in other countries

Most personal items such as new clothing, footwear, and articles for personal hygiene and grooming (excluding fur and perfume concentrates) may be brought into Australia in your accompanied baggage, free from duty and tax. Personal goods are free from duty and tax if they are

owned and used by you overseas for 12 months or more

imported temporarily (a security may be required by Customs)

For other goods, limits apply. These include goods that are purchased overseas and goods that are purchased in Australia duty or tax free (that have been previously exported), or from an inwards duty free shop on arrival into Australia. Also included are goods for which a TRS claim has been made. Duty free concessions do not apply to commercial goods.

General goods If you are aged 18 years or over, you can bring up to A$900 worth of general goods into Australia duty-free. If you are under 18 years of age there is a A$450 limit. General goods include gifts, souvenirs, cameras, electronic equipment, leather goods, perfume concentrates, jewellery, watches and sporting equipment.

Alcohol If you are aged 18 years or over, you can bring 2.25 litres of alcohol duty-free into Australia with you. All alcohol in accompanied baggage is included in this category, regardless of where or how it was purchased.

Tobacco If you are aged 18 years or over, you can bring 250 cigarettes, or 250 grams of cigars or tobacco products duty-free into Australia with you. All tobacco products in accompanied baggage are included in this category, regardless of where or how they were purchased.

Families travelling together can pool their duty-free concessions. Contact Customs for the definition of family.

Be aware that if you exceed Australia's duty-free concession limits you will be charged duty and tax on all items of that type (general goods, alcohol or tobacco), not just the items which exceed the limits.

If you have anything in excess of your duty free concession, declare the goods and provide proof of purchase to Customs for calculation of any duty and tax to be paid.

Failure to declare goods in excess of your concession could result in the application of penalties. If in doubt, contact a Customs officer or call 1300 363 263 (Australia only) for information. If overseas, call +61 2 6275 6666 or email information@customs.gov.au

Payment of customs duty/taxes Payment of Customs duty and/or other taxes may be made in cash or by travellers cheque in Australian dollars or by personal cheque drawn on an Australian Bank or by Credit card (American Express, Mastercard or Visa) - only available at international airports or by electronic funds transfer (EFTPOS) from an Australian bank account only available at international airports.

 This information is intended as a guide only and is current at March, 2010.

We recommend confirming relevant details directly with Customs at the time you travel.

For more information, contact Customs: Phone: 1300 363 263 (inside Australia) or + 61 2 6275 6666 (outside Australia)

Website: www.customs.gov.au

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OTHER ITEMS YOU MUST DECLARE ON ARRIVAL

Medicinal products

Therapeutic Goods Administration
Phone: 1800 020 653 (inside Australia) or + 61 2 6232 8610 (outside Australia)
Fax: + 61 2 6232 8605
Website: www.health.gov.au/tga

Quarantine (Biologicals Unit)

Phone: + 61 2 6272 4578
Website: www.aqis.gov.au
Other languages: www.affa.gov.au/content/languages.cfm

Australian Sports Drug Agency

Phone: 1800 020 506
Website: www.asda.org.au

Veterinary products

National Registration Authority
Phone: + 61 2 6272 5158:
Fax: + 61 2 6272 4753:
Website: www.nra.gov.au

Currency

You must declare amounts of A$10 000 in foreign or Australian currency that you bring into or take out of Australia.

Contact: AUSTRAC
Phone: 1800 021 037 (inside Australia) or + 61 2 9950 0827 (outside Australia)
Fax: + 61 2 9950 0071
Website: www.austrac.gov.au

Firearms, weapons and ammunition

Contact: Customs Australia
Phone: 1300 363 263 (inside Australia) or + 61 2 6275 6666 (outside Australia)
Fax: + 61 2 9213 4043
Website: www.customs.gov.au

Protected wildlife

Australia has strict laws controlling the import and export of protected wildlife and products made from protected wildlife (including some medicinal products).
Contact: Environment Australia
Phone: + 61 2 6274 1900
Fax: + 61 2 6274 1921
Website: www.ea.gov.au

Heritage items

It is illegal to take or send out of Australia without a permit items identified as important to Australia's cultural heritage. These include works of art, stamps, coins, archaeological objects, minerals and specimens etc.
Contact: Environment Australia
(Movable Cultural Heritage Unit)
+ 61 2 6274 1810 (ph)
+ 61 2 6274 2731 (fax)
Website: www.ea.gov.au/heritage/awh/movable/index.html

COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT

Before you arrive in Australia, you are advised to check if your communications equipment (eg mobile and cordless phones, fax machine, wireless microphone, laptop computer) is safe to operate in Australia. Australia operates on 240V and this may not be compatible with international appliances, you should check with the manufacturer.
For more information, contact the Australian Communications Authority
Website: www.aca.gov.au

FIREARMS (INCLUDING SOFT AIR PISTOLS) WEAPONS AND AMMUNITION:

Imports of firearms into Australia are prohibited unless appropriate permission to import them has been obtained.

Written confirmation from the State Police stating that the competitor is licensed or authorised to possess firearms for competition purposes is required for some firearms.

Other firearms, including some pump action and semi-automatic firearms will require Attorney Generals permission.

You should contact Customs prior to your travel to ensure that an appropriate permission for the type of firearm being brought to Australia is obtained.

Controls on weapons are also administered in each State of Australia .The Minister will not consider any application lodged until the competitor has additionally obtained the written confirmation from the State police stating that the competitor is licensed or authorised to possess such items in that State.

For more information, contact the Australian Customs Service.
Website: www.customs.gov.au

WEATHER AND CLIMATE OF AUSTRALIA

For information on weather and climate go to the Bureau of Meteorology website. This site contains an extensive range of information including current weather and warnings and average and extreme climate conditions across Australia.

Bureau of Meteorology
Website: www.bom.gov.au

Tourists Departing Australia

GENERAL VISA REQUIREMENTS

On departure, you will need to present your passport, your completed Outgoing Passenger Card and your boarding pass to the Customs officer.

Fireworks, flammable liquids, corrosives and/or gas cylinders are not permitted on aircraft or in your baggage.

Knives, sharp objects, cutting implements, knitting needles and sporting goods may be carried in hold baggage but are not permitted in your carry-on baggage.

Tourist Refund Scheme

Under the Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS), you may be entitled to a refund of the goods and services tax (GST) on purchases made from Australian retailers within 30 days of departure.

For conditions applying to the refund, see the TRS brochure available from Customs or visit www.customs.gov.au . If you do claim a refund on departure, you must declare the goods on re-entry to Australia if the value of the goods exceeds the duty free allowance.

 
 

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