Importing Machinery into Australia

Australia has in place very strict quarantine measures concerning the importation of machinery with particular regard to used machinery.

A permit may be required to import used machinery and an inspection for quarantine risk material by an AQIS officer prior to release is mandatory.

It is a condition of import that the used machinery arrives in a clean state. If the machinery has not been cleaned to the required standards AQIS have the power to order additional cleaning at an approved premises or if the machinery arrives in a highly contaminated state (large amounts of soil and organic matter detected on the machinery), to order the re-export from Australia of the contaminated machinery. Both are done at the expense of the importer.

The final decision on acceptable cleanliness of the machinery is at the discretion of the inspecting AQIS officer and they will give the direction for release from quarantine, order additional cleaning or refuse entry and order re-exportation.

AQIS defines ‘clean’ as free of quarantine risk material and has a zero tolerance policy for any contamination from soil or plant material. It is the importer's responsibility to ensure the machinery arrives in a clean condition and the requirements of any applicable import permit are strictly adhered to.

Exact information to assist in the importation of machinery into Australia is available on the AQIS web site
http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/import/vehicles-machinery/regulations