Personal Effects

A Customs Broker in Australia is licensed by Customs and Quarantine to vet & obtain all required documents and to calculate and then pay the appropriate amount of tax that is required by the Australian Tax Office. Due to the varied nature of personal effects shipments we cannot provide an instruction list on what will be required on this page, but instead provide a general overview on what we consider to be important points in the shipping & freighting of your consignment to Australia and the requirements of customs Perth and Quarantine.
Border Force define ‘personal effects’ as goods you have ‘owned‘ and ‘used‘ overseas for a period of at least 12 months.

Shipping

If you are sending your cargo in a shared container you should ensure that your goods are properly packed to protect them from damage caused by other cargo in the container. For example it is not uncommon for items such as chemicals, steel pipes and other dangerous or heavy goods to be packed on top or around general cargo.
We also suggest that you are insured. If you require insurance we suggest phoning Paul Flannery at Central Insurance on 08 9368 1188 or emailing him at PaulF@centralins.com.au . Please note that an insurance policy must be taken out prior to shipping and cannot be taken out retrospectively.

Quarantine

All personal Effects coming into Australia are inspected by a Quarantine Officer upon arrival. Its a good idea to label all packing boxes 1,2,3, etc and make a detailed packing list of what is in each box. This allows Quarantine to assess your cargo quickly and more cost effectively.

Department of Environment

The Department of Environment requires importers of equipment with pre-charged gas to apply for a Pre-charged Equipment License. Appliances which normally operate using pre-charged gas are air conditioning appliances and refrigeration equipment . Click here for more information