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What do you declare when entering Australia?

You declare all food, plants and animal products, some medicines, A$10,000 or more in cash and purchases over A$900. With sources and what is missing.

Reviewed on 5 Nov 2026 · 6 min read

When you enter Australia, you declare all food, plants and animal products, some medicines, A$10,000 or more in cash and purchases over A$900. Tourism Australia says that if you declare everything, there is no penalty, even if something is not allowed.

We could not check the direct sources. We could not check the Australian Border Force (ABF) website, and the websites of the Department of Agriculture (DAFF) and the medicines authority (TGA) did not respond. What follows comes from other public pages of the Government and the airports, and each fact says where it comes from. The direct links are below.

This is general information. It does not say whether anything in your luggage can enter or not. Study Australia, the Government's website for students, says that if in doubt, you should declare it or ask a border officer.

Where do you declare?

You declare on the passenger card (Incoming Passenger Card), which the crew hand out before landing, according to Tourism Australia. It is a legal document, the Australian Embassy in China reminds travellers.

On arrival, Brisbane Airport describes this order:

  1. Passport control: with SmartGate, if you have an e-passport, are over 7 years old and are taller than 1.1 m. If not, with an officer.
  2. Ticket: when you leave that control, you are given a ticket, which you show to the biosecurity and customs officers before you leave.
  3. Inspection: ABF and Agriculture officers check all international passengers, with X-rays, dogs or by opening luggage.

What about the digital version? One is in progress, but we do not know for which flights. Sydney Airport reported a trial with the Qantas app from 6 August 2025, on flights QF144 and QF122. On 13 July 2026 it said the Government will introduce a digital card, without giving a date.

What do you have to declare?

This is Tourism Australia's list:

  • Prohibited or restricted goods: medicines, steroids, weapons, illegal drugs and illegal pornography.
  • Purchases: goods bought abroad, or duty free in Australia, that add up to more than A$900 per adult. Gifts count.
  • Alcohol: more than 2.25 litres per adult.
  • Tobacco: more than 25 cigarettes or 25 grams of smokeless tobacco per adult.
  • Samples or goods for commercial use.
  • Cash: A$10,000 or more, or the equivalent in another currency.
  • Food: meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, dairy, fruit and vegetables.
  • Plants: seeds, nuts, bulbs, straw, wood and traditional herbs or medicines.
  • Animals and their products: pet food, shells and bee products, among others.
  • Soil and equipment: items with soil on them, and footwear or sports equipment used in fresh water.

What food do you declare?

All food is declared, according to Study Australia and the Australian High Commission in New Zealand. Declaring does not mean it will be taken from you.

  • What cannot come in, according to Study Australia: fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, poultry, pork, eggs, dairy, live plants and seeds.
  • What is inspected: the High Commission lists cakes, honey and seafood among the foods subject to inspection. It also says that some can only enter with an import permit.
  • After you declare: an officer assesses the risk. Tourism Australia says most goods are low risk and are returned after inspection. If there is a risk, you can pay for treatment, pay to have them sent out of the country or leave them there.

What medicines do you declare?

Open sources agree that some medicines are declared, but they do not say the same about which ones:

  • Tourism Australia: lists medicines among prohibited or restricted goods.
  • Study Australia: says "some medicines", without detail.
  • High Commission in New Zealand: lists them among the goods you declare in case they have restrictions. It mentions carrying a letter or prescription from your doctor, and says that some may need a permit. It refers readers to the TGA.
  • Embassy in Argentina: in a guide more than ten years old, it says you declare those that can cause dependence or be misused, such as steroids, opioids, cannabis or narcotics. It says you did not need to declare aspirin, paracetamol or prescription medicines for up to three months of treatment, and suggests a letter from your doctor in English.

That guide is old and may no longer apply. The authority is the TGA, and we have not been able to confirm either the three-month limit or the current list with it.

What happens if you do not declare?

There can be a fine, and also consequences for your visa. This is what the sources say:

  • Study Australia: a fine of up to A$6,600, visa cancellation or refusal of entry, immigration detention and up to three years without being able to return.
  • Tourism Australia: seizure of the goods, fines and, for criminal offences, prison.
  • High Commission in India: giving false information, including on the card, can cancel a visitor visa and lead to three years without returning.

Even if you declare nothing, your luggage can be checked, according to Tourism Australia. If you are worried about how this affects your visa, the conditions are in how the visa works, and this website does not assess individual cases.

What have we not been able to confirm?

The three main sources are missing. You can check them directly:

So the following remain unconfirmed:

  • The current fine. The A$6,600 figure is from Study Australia, undated, and may have changed.
  • The current rules on medicines, including the three-month limit.
  • Which flights already have a digital card.
  • The current alcohol and tobacco limits. They come from a Tourism Australia page modified in 2023.

What comes after the checks?

Leaving the airport. The first week links to the guide for each city and to the other tasks.

Sources

All opened on 5 November 2026.

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This is general information. Always check the official source.

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