Things You’re Not Allowed To Bring Into Australia Effective 17 Apr 2019

It might just be the first quarter of the year but I’ll bet most, if not all of you reading this article, have already made plans to travel overseas.

And that’s good because the earlier you book your flight tickets, the cheaper they’ll be.

Now, if you’re planning to travel to the land of down under, Australia, you’re going to have to know about this.

Australia’s New Rules For Prohibited Items

Effective 17 April 2019, airport authorities can shorten or cancel your visitor visas if you fail to declare prohibited items when you enter the country.

And that’s not the worse.

Depending on how rude you were to the Australian Border Force (ABF), you could just be banned from travelling to Australia for the next three years.

Here are a few common items you might want to take note of:

If you were to check the ABF website, they have three categories: allowed, not allowed and unsure.

As long as it’s not allowed or unsure, you’re required to declare it at the customs.

Food

According to the authorities, you can bring the following items into the country:

• Coffee
• Biscuits
• Bread
• Cake
• Chocolate
• Maple syrup
• Oil

However, the following items must be declared on your Incoming Passenger Card when you enter the country:

• Tea
• Spices
• Pickles
• Rice
• Nuts
• Dairy products (milk, cheese, etc.)
• Honey products
• Meat items

Medicine

Maybe you’re having the flu and you brought your antibiotics along with you on your trip. After all, you don’t want to feel like crap on your well-deserved holiday, right?

Just take note that if you were to bring the medicine, you’ll need to bring along the official prescription from the doctor.

Your medicine must be in its original packaging as well.

Medicine that needs to be declared includes:

• Hormones
• Kava (a medicinal plant)
• Medicine for personal use
• Sedatives

Medicine like steroids is not allowed into the country.

Festive Seasons

This is more for people who are studying or working in Australia, but hey, that’s always good to know.

After all, we might have relatives who migrated to the country, right?

If you’re travelling to Australia after festive seasons like Chinese New Year, Hari Raya or Deepavali, declare festive items that you are bringing back, whether it be food or traditional items.

Fresh and dried fruits, flowers and nuts are not allowed to be brought into Australia.

For our Indian brothers, sweets lie barfi, ras malai, rasgulla and pedas are not allowed as well.

So now that you know, make sure you check with the Australian Border Force (ABF) before making the flight over, or you might just find your trip cut short.