Customs clearance & brokerage

Customs Clearance Australia — Import Declarations, Duty, GST & Biosecurity

Getting cargo to Australia is the easy part. Getting it released, correctly classified and legally compliant is where importers lose money. We manage customs clearance and biosecurity end to end, working with licensed customs brokers so you deal with one company.

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In short

Customs clearance coordination covers tariff classification, customs valuation, duty and GST, free trade agreement origin claims, biosecurity requirements and lodgement of the import declaration with the Australian Border Force. We manage it inside the same team that moves your freight, as part of end-to-end international logistics management, so nothing is lost in a handover between forwarder and broker.

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What clearance actually involves

What happens between arrival and release

Every commercial consignment entering Australia has to be declared to the Australian Border Force, assessed for duty and GST, and screened for biosecurity risk by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Clearance is not a rubber stamp — it is a series of decisions about what your goods are, where they are from, what they are worth and what risk they carry.

Those decisions have real consequences. The tariff classification you use determines the duty rate. The declared customs value determines the duty and GST base. The country of origin determines whether a free trade agreement concession applies. Get them wrong in your favour and you may face a demand for underpaid duty plus penalties; get them wrong against yourself and you simply overpay, often for years without noticing.

Our customs and compliance services

Import declarations (N10) prepared and lodged with the Australian Border Force, including full import declarations and self-assessed clearance declarations for low-value consignments.
Tariff classification against the Australian Harmonized Tariff, with written reasoning you can keep on file for audit purposes.
Customs valuation — determining the correct customs value including or excluding freight, insurance, royalties, assists and price-related costs.
Free trade agreement concessions under agreements including ChAFTA, AANZFTA, AUSFTA, JAEPA, KAFTA, ANZCERTA, AI-ECTA and CPTPP, with origin documentation reviewed before lodgement.
Tariff concession orders and by-laws checked where a duty-free concession may be available.
Biosecurity management — commodity and packaging risk assessment, inspection bookings, fumigation, heat treatment and cleaning where directed.
Permits and other agency requirements identified early, including goods regulated by other Commonwealth agencies.
Export declarations for Australian exporters, plus certificates of origin — see exporting from Australia.
Duty refunds and drawback reviewed where duty has been overpaid or goods are re-exported.

Duty, GST and landed cost

How import duty and GST are calculated

The mechanics are straightforward once you see them laid out. Duty is calculated on the customs value of the goods. GST is calculated on a broader base that includes duty, international transport and insurance.

Step	What it means	Typical position
1. Customs value	Usually the price paid for the goods, converted at the applicable exchange rate.	The FOB value on your commercial invoice, in most cases.
2. Tariff classification	The HS code that describes the goods in the Australian Harmonized Tariff.	Determines the duty rate that applies.
3. Duty	Customs value × duty rate.	Commonly 0% or 5%, though some goods attract higher rates.
4. FTA concession	If origin criteria and documentation are satisfied, the preferential rate applies.	Frequently reduces duty to 0%.
5. Value of the taxable importation	Customs value + duty + international transport + insurance.	The base for GST.
6. GST	10% of the value of the taxable importation.	Generally claimable in your BAS if you are GST registered.
7. Fees	Import declaration processing charge and biosecurity fees.	Small but not zero; always itemised in our quotes.

General guidance only — this is not customs or tax advice. Rates, concessions and requirements change; we confirm the current position for your specific goods.

Worked examples are in our guide to import duty and GST. If you are GST registered and importing regularly, ask us about the Deferred GST scheme, which can move import GST from a cash payment at the border to your monthly BAS and materially improve working capital.

Biosecurity

Australian biosecurity: the risk importers underestimate most

Australia has one of the strictest biosecurity regimes in the world, and it applies to far more than food and plants. The packaging around your goods is assessed as carefully as the goods themselves.

Trigger	Common examples	What to expect
Timber packaging	Pallets, crates, dunnage, bracing	Must meet treatment requirements. Untreated timber can mean fumigation, re-packing or export.
Plant and animal material	Straw, bamboo, seeds, wool, hides, feathers	Permits, treatment and inspection are common.
Soil and organic contamination	Used machinery, vehicles, tyres, second-hand goods	Cleaning to a very high standard is required; failing an inspection means paying for a wash and re-inspection.
Food, beverages and food contact	Packaged food, supplements, utensils, containers	Additional compliance including imported food inspection requirements.
Cosmetics and therapeutic goods	Skincare, supplements, medical devices	May engage other regulators in addition to biosecurity.
High-risk origins	Seasonal pest risk such as brown marmorated stink bug	Mandatory offshore treatment for certain goods and periods.

The pattern is consistent: handled before shipment, biosecurity is a routine cost. Discovered on arrival, it becomes a delay, a treatment bill and often demurrage on top. We ask the questions early precisely to avoid that.

Working with us

How we run a clearance

Pre-shipment review

We look at the goods, the supplier documents and the packaging before the cargo moves, and flag classification, permit or biosecurity issues while they are still cheap to fix.

Classification and valuation

Goods are classified against the tariff and the customs value is determined, with any FTA claim assessed and origin documents checked.

Pre-arrival lodgement

The declaration is prepared ahead of arrival so release is not waiting on paperwork once the vessel berths or the aircraft lands.

Assessment and any intervention

If an examination, treatment or further information is directed, we manage it and keep you updated on cost and timing.

Release and delivery

Once released we coordinate collection and delivery straight away, protecting your free storage days.

Records and review

You receive the entry documentation for your records, and we review whether a concession, refund or classification ruling would help on future shipments.

FAQ

Customs clearance questions

Do I need a customs broker to import into Australia?

Legally you can lodge your own declaration, but in practice very few importers do. Classification, valuation and biosecurity rules are detailed, and errors are the importer’s liability rather than the broker’s. For anything commercial, using a broker is both cheaper and safer than learning on your own shipments.

How long does customs clearance take in Australia?

When the entry is lodged before arrival and the documentation is clean, release is often the same day the cargo becomes available. Where an examination, treatment or a request for further information is directed, add anywhere from one day to two weeks depending on what is required and how busy the facilities are.

How much duty will I pay on my imports?

It depends entirely on the tariff classification and country of origin. Many goods attract 0% or 5%, and a valid free trade agreement claim often reduces that to zero. We classify your goods and confirm the rate before you commit to a purchase order, which is the point at which the information is most useful.

Can I claim back the GST I pay on imports?

If you are registered for GST and the goods are for your business, import GST is generally creditable in your next BAS. Regular importers should also look at the Deferred GST scheme. Speak to your accountant about your specific position.

What is a tariff concession order?

A tariff concession order allows duty-free entry of goods where no substitutable goods are produced in Australia. Checking whether an existing concession covers your goods is a routine part of our classification work, and it can remove five per cent duty entirely.

My goods were held. What now?

Cargo is usually held for a documentation query, a biosecurity direction or an examination. We identify which, deal with the relevant agency, arrange any required treatment or inspection, and tell you the cost and revised timeline in plain language.

Do you clear cargo you did not ship?

Yes. If your supplier controls the freight on CIF or CFR terms, we can act as your Australian agent for clearance and delivery. We will also review the destination charges being passed to you, which is often where CIF shipments become expensive.

Can you help if I think I have been overpaying duty?

Yes. If goods have been misclassified or an available concession was missed, a refund may be possible within the statutory time limits. Send us your past entries and we will review them.

Talk to us before you place the order

A ten minute classification conversation before you commit is worth more than a month of untangling a held container. Ask us what your goods will actually cost to land.