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Checklist 2:

Personal & household items

Personal-itemsAs a permanent resident, you are entitled to bring with you, free of import duty and taxes, any personal and household items that you have owned for 12 months before your arrival in Australia.  Before you pack an item, consider whether it is cheaper to ship or to buy new when you arrive. Allowable items include:

 

  • Furniture
  • Homewares/crockery
  • Silverware/cutlery
  • Linen/manchester
  • Books
  • Clothing, but not furs
  • Jewellery
  • Musical instruments
  • Antiques/family heirlooms
  • Stamp and coin collections
  • Paintings/sculptures
  • Power tools
  • Sporting equipment


Do not forget receipts! Wherever possible, you should retain the receipts for these goods to prove that they are your personal items, and for your personal use.


Exclusions

The following items are not defined as household items by the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and may be subject to import duty and Goods & Services Tax (GST):

  • motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts
  • caravans, boats and trailers
  • aircraft
  • machinery, plant and equipment
  • fur clothing


Furnishings and electronics

While furniture is a good choice to ship, electronics may not be worth the effort, as they may not work in Australia.

 

The electrical current used by small appliances like lamps, radios and televisions is 240 volts at 50 Hertz in Australia. If your appliances aren’t compatible with this voltage, leave them behind; converters burn out too quickly to use them for an extended period of time.

 

Your DVDs may not work in Australian players unless they are Region-4 or ‘region-free’ discs. Check their compatibility before packing them.


Televisions

Australia uses the PAL television system. If you bought your television in an NTSC region, it may encounter playback problems if you bring it with you. Check that it is PAL compatible or able to be converted before you leave your home country. That way you can sell it or give it away and won’t waste money sending it to Australia.


Bringing pets to Australia

Whether or not you can bring your dog or cat to Australia depends on your country of origin.


Only dogs and cats that have been in an AQIS (Australian Quarantine Inspection Service) approved country for the entire six-month period prior to arriving in Australia are allowed to enter. Check the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) website to see if your country is AQIS approved. Other conditions apply for disability assistance dogs.

Information on bringing other animals such as birds, horses and rabbits is also available on the DAFF website.