Australia inspects arriving household goods more thoroughly than almost anywhere on earth, and the concern is not smuggling. It is soil, seeds, insects and timber pests. Get that wrong and your container is treated at your cost or destroyed.
One vetted mover from our network handles it, and international movers who ship Australia routinely know the cleaning standard expected. It is higher than people assume and it is the single thing that decides how this move goes.
Everything is inspected. Not selected for inspection, inspected. Assume every carton will be opened, and let that shape the packing plan for the whole relocation. Movers who ship here often will say the same.
Soil, first and last. Anything that has touched the ground gets attention. Garden tools, spades, forks, mowers, bicycles, walking boots, tent pegs, football boots, golf clubs, camping equipment. Clean means no visible soil anywhere, including in treads, joints and hollow tubes. Wash, brush and dry, then check again.
Plant material. Seeds, bulbs, dried flowers, potpourri, wreaths, straw, wicker, bamboo, rattan and cane furniture. Wicker baskets are a classic problem because people forget they are plant material at all.
Wooden items. Untreated timber can carry borers. Carved wooden souvenirs, garden furniture, untreated crates and anything with bark on it are all candidates for treatment.
Food. Almost everything is a problem. Dried goods, spices, tea, honey, seeds, meat and dairy products. Declare anything at all and expect most of it to be removed.
Animal products. Feathers, skins, bone, shell, coral, wool items with residue.
Used outdoor equipment generally. Barbecues, garden hoses, plant pots, wheelbarrows.
The declaration. You complete a detailed statement about the contents of your shipment. Honesty is the entire strategy here. A declared item that needs treatment costs a treatment fee. An undeclared one found on inspection costs considerably more and colours how the rest is handled.
What happens if something fails. Treatment, fumigation, cleaning or destruction, at your cost, plus the storage while it happens. None of it is catastrophic. All of it is avoidable.
Freight from China to Australia is shorter and often cheaper than to Europe. The variable that catches people is inspection and treatment at the far end, which is not usually in the original quote.
£300 to £1,100
Personal effects only, plus inspection charges.
£1,200 to £3,800
The common shipment on this route.
£3,200 to £8,500
Family households. Inspection applies regardless.
Tell us your Chinese city and Australian destination. The cleaning conversation is worth having before the survey, not after.
We match you with your vetted mover, which means one team handles the whole relocation. It is free, with no obligation. Get a quote today and hold your dates.
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Leaving China. Standard export clearance, plus a cultural relics certificate for anything made before 1949. That applies whatever the destination, so antiques bought in China need the same appraisal whether they are heading for London or Sydney.
Arriving in Australia. You complete an unaccompanied personal effects declaration covering the contents. It asks specific questions about the categories above and it is the document your inspection is run against.
Ownership and use. Concessions on used household goods generally depend on you having owned and used the items, and on your entry status. Rules differ between visa categories and they change, so confirm your position rather than assuming.
Alcohol and tobacco sit outside personal effects concessions and are dutiable. A wine collection is a customs question rather than a packing one.
Prohibited items. Weapons and replicas, certain knives, some laser pointers, and material subject to endangered species controls. If you bought ivory, exotic hardwood or shell in China, it is a problem at this end as well as the Chinese one.
Timber packaging. Wooden crates used in the shipment need the correct treatment marking. A crate without it can be refused, which means your crated artwork gets unpacked on a quayside.
New Zealand applies a similar and arguably stricter regime, so the two pages are worth reading together.
A move usually means moving money too, whether that is a deposit on a Chinese flat or funds coming back the other way. We have helped customers with currency exchange in any currency through trusted partners for many years, and our partners can help with the money side of your move. Mention it on the form and it gets included.
Experts in currency exchange
No hidden fees
5 star consumer ratings
Competitive exchange rate
Assume yes. Australian biosecurity examines arriving household goods as standard rather than occasionally. The concern is soil, seeds, insects and timber pests rather than smuggling, and it is thorough. Pack on the basis that every carton will be opened.
Soil. Anything that has touched the ground gets attention: garden tools, bicycles, walking boots, camping equipment, sports shoes. Clean means no visible soil anywhere including treads, joints and hollow tubes, which is a higher standard than most people apply.
Often, but it is plant material and frequently needs treatment. People forget wicker counts at all. Declare it, expect it to be examined and be prepared for a treatment charge, or leave it behind if it is not valuable.
Treatment, fumigation, cleaning or destruction, at your cost, plus storage while it happens. It is rarely catastrophic and it is almost always avoidable. Declared items cost a treatment fee. Undeclared items found on inspection cost considerably more.
Around five to eight weeks door to door by sea from a coastal Chinese city, which is shorter than the Europe routes. An inland origin adds the domestic leg to the coast before the sailing begins.
Almost nothing. Dried goods, spices, tea, honey, seeds, meat and dairy are all problems. Declare anything you do bring and expect most of it to be removed. It is simpler to leave food behind entirely.
Yes. Anything made before 1949 needs a cultural relics certificate regardless of destination. Antiques bought in China need the same appraisal whether they are heading for Sydney or London, so allow six weeks for it.
Outside personal effects concessions and dutiable. A wine collection is a customs question rather than a packing one, and given temperature swings over several weeks at sea it is rarely worth shipping in any case.
Only if untreated. Timber packaging used in international shipments needs the correct treatment marking. A crate without it can be refused, which means a crated painting gets unpacked on a quayside by someone who is not an art handler.
Send your collection address, your Chinese destination, a rough idea of the volume and your date. A vetted mover from our network checks the route, the paperwork and the access, then comes back to you with the price.
Send your move detailsWe match international moving enquiries with vetted moving companies in the AGM Group network, each holding FIDI FAIM certification and BAR Overseas membership.
We are not a removal firm ourselves. We find you the one that suits your route, and you deal with them directly from there.