How to Relocate Your Household & Pets to Australia

Jump right in:

• Moving & shipping household goods
• Prohibited & restricted items
• How to ship household items & belongings
• Storage options in Australia
• Vaccinations for Australia
• Health requirements to enter the country
• Moving to Australia with pets: The basics
• How to relocate pets to Australia

Moving & shipping household goods

Before packing, you’ll need to understand Australia’s customs regulations.

Custom regulations for Australia

Items that are traveling with you can be brought in duty-free with restrictions and limitations, of course.

• Duty-free personal items (e.g., clothes, books, sporting gear) must have been used for over 12 months or be imported temporarily.
• Value limits for other goods: Adults (18+): 900 AUD (~630 USD) Under 18: 450 AUD (~315 USD)
• Cash limit: You can bring up to 10,000 AUD (~7,000 USD) without declaring it.
• Alcohol: Max 2.25 liters per adult.
• Tobacco: Max 25 cigarettes or 25g per adult.

What to declare (or avoid bringing):

To help ease your journey when entering Australia, we are providing a list of top items that are usually brought over by expats — and what you should do in each case for each item: bring, do not bring, or declare.

For more details, refer to the Australian Border Force’s website.

Prohibited & restricted items

Some banned items require a permit or permission to enter Australia. Others are prohibited under all circumstances. These items include things like:

• drugs and unapproved medicines
• certain seeds, fruit, vegetables, and spices
• firearms and weapons
• counterfeit items
• laser pointers, lighters
• tobacco over the legal limit

Since July 2019, tobacco products over the limit are treated as prohibited imports. You’ll need to declare and pay duty on all tobacco products you bring.

More info: Australian Border Force

How to ship household items & belongings

You can ship belongings via sea freight, air cargo, or international mail. If your goods don’t travel with you, they’re considered Unaccompanied Personal Effects (UPEs).

UPEs typically include:

• clothing
• books
• personal hygiene and grooming products
• furniture, kitchenware, appliances
• sporting equipment

For these sort of items to clear customs, you’ll need to fill out a UPE Statement (B534 Form) in English (the form is available in other languages for reference but must be submitted in English).

Other items that are not considered UPEs and require import declaration (B650 Form) include:

• Cars, car parts
• Yachts, aircraft
• Inherited goods
• Commercial or internet purchases
• Human remains

For detailed instructions and other requirements on how to import goods, visit the Australian Border Force website. Here, you can also find and download any application forms you may need.

Storage options in Australia

If you need storage when moving to Australia — short- or long-term — you’ll find plenty of options. The self-storage industry here is well established, with thousands of facilities across the country.

On average, people spend around 250 AUD (~170 USD) a month, but prices vary depending on the city, unit size, and how long you’re renting. In places like Sydney or Melbourne, a medium-size unit (around 3×3 m) can cost 180–350 AUD a month.

It helps to first figure out how much space you actually need. Count your boxes, measure bulky items, and get a rough idea of the volume. Storage can range from small lockers to mini-warehouses.

Before choosing a company, shop around. Prices and features vary, and long-term rentals might come with better deals. Also, visit a few places in person if you can. Look for solid security — things like cameras, on-site staff, and locked gates. You’ll want peace of mind knowing your stuff is safe.

Vaccinations for Australia

Required vaccination: Yellow fever (if arriving from a risk country)

Recommended vaccinations: Measles, polio, flu, diphtheria, hepatitis A/B, and others depending on your travel history and activities

Health requirements to enter the country

Requirements depend on your visa type, length of stay, and your country’s TB risk. Here’s a general breakdown:

For permanent/provisional visa:

For temporary visa

Examinations will depend on:

• the exact type of visa you’re applying for;
• length of time you plan to stay in Australia;
• level of tuberculosis risk your country poses;
• any other special circumstances.

Usually, though, low-risk temporary visa applicants will not require any health examinations unless special significance applies. High-risk applicants will be subject to a medical examination and chest x-ray (if 11 years or older) if staying for six months or more.

Additional health tests

Additional tests may be required if you’re pregnant and plan to give birth in Australia, will be working in healthcare or childcare, or are over 75 years old and applying for a visitor visa.

Moving to Australia with pets: The basics

Moving to Australia with pets calls for a bit of preparation and planning. Find out which pets you can bring into the country, which animals are banned, and what the different requirements are for your animal.

Can you bring pets into Australia?

This depends on the country your animal is coming from, and even the type of breed as not all animals are allowed in Australia.

Allowed animals:

• Birds: selected species from New Zealand only
• Dogs: only from approved countries
• Cats: only from approved countries
• Horses: only from approved countries
• Rabbits: only from New Zealand

Banned dog breeds:

• Dogo Argentino
• Fila Brasileiro
• Japanese Tosa
• American pit bull terrier or pit bull terrier
• Perro de Presa Canario or Presa Canario

Wolf-dog hybrids are also prohibited, including (but not limited to):

• Czechoslovakian wolfdog or Czechoslovakian Vlcak
• Saarloos wolfdog or Saarloos wolfhound
• Lupo Italiano or Italian wolfdog
• Kunming wolfdog or Kunming dog

Banned cat hybrids:

• Savannah cat, domestic cat (Felis catus) crossed with serval cat (Felis serval)
• Safari cat, domestic cat crossed with Geoffroy cat (Oncifelis geoffroyi)
• Chausie, domestic cat crossed with Jungle cat (Felis chaus)
• Bengal cat, domestic cat crossed with Asian leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)

How to relocate pets to Australia

Rules and requirements for taking your dog or cat to Australia depend on which category your pet falls under. You can use the Global Pet Relocation Calculator to determine your animal’s group.

• Group 1 (e.g., New Zealand, Cocos Islands, Norfolk Island): No import permit needed, but conditions still apply.
• Group 2 (approved rabies-free countries): Import permit required.
• Group 3 (approved countries where rabies is absent or well-controlled): Import permit required.

If your pet is from a non-approved country, you cannot directly bring it to Australia.

The Australian government has provided step-by-step guides to help you understand what’s needed to import your animal into Australia.

Import permit fees

Costs involved if your pet requires an import permit:

• First animal: 589 AUD (approx. 410 USD)
• Each additional animal: 281 AUD (approx. 200 USD)