What Customs Clearance Services Do We Provide?

Personal effects clearances are a complex and very time-consuming process. As FedEx is an express carrier, they focus solely on commercial clearances that don’t require all the additional legislative compliances that personal effects consignments mandate.

You need to provide us two things:

Once we receive your online lodgement, we request the handover documents from FedEx, which are typically provided within a few hours, then we proceed as per below:

1) We complete your Customs and Quarantine Entry Lodgements - within 4hrs
2) Dept. of Agriculture (aka Quarantine) evaluate your documentation – usually < 24hrs – and issue either a release direction or an inspection direction.

- If Released: FedEx is notified to dispatch your consignment on their next delivery cycle – typically < 24hrs.

- If Inspection: FedEx is instructed to conduct the inspection, which typically occurs on the next business day, then dispatch for delivery.

In either instance we send you a notification email at this point with all relevant Customs/Quarantine documentation attached. You can then monitor the delivery of your consignment via FedEx tracking.

Sometimes. It usually depends on what goods your importing and how detailed your invoice is.

Your far more likely to avoid the delays associated with customs inspections if your invoice lists all the specific products in the consignment (e.g. 5 x men’s t-shirts, 1 x laptop, 8 x women’s pants etc.) as opposed to generic descriptions like “clothing” or “homewares” because it reduces the likelihood of a customs officer suspecting your consignment contains items that would warrant inspection, when it in fact doesn’t.

As a general rule of thumb, the more detail you include on your invoice the better. It will save you time and usually money too.

Sometimes. It usually depends on what goods your importing and how detailed your invoice is. You're far more likely to avoid the delays (and unnecessary additional costs) associated with quarantine inspections if your invoice lists all the specific products in the consignment.

For example, an invoice that lists 5 x men’s business shirts, 1 x hair dryer, 3 x men’s leather shoes etc. as opposed to generic descriptions like “clothing” or “homewares” significantly reduces the likelihood of a quarantine officer suspecting your consignment contains items that would warrant inspection when they assess your documentation, which is mandatory for every personal effects consignment.

As a general rule of thumb, the more detail on your invoice the better. It will speed up your clearance and usually save you money too.

In general, no. Duty and GST is only payable on items that are NOT owned and used overseers for a period of 12mth proceeding the owner’s arrival in Australia. However, there are several exceptions to duty/GST free entry of personal effects, the most common of which is alcohol or tobacco.

In the same manner as commercial goods as (per below). Some concessions may apply depending on the imported products and our brokers will assess this at the time of clearance to minimise any duty payable.

Generally speaking, Personal Effects are goods that have been personally owned and used overseas for a period of 12mths or more proceeding the owner’s arrival in Australia.

However, there are some exceptions, the most common of which is tobacco and alcohol which are duty/GST payable regardless of how long you’ve owned them overseas.

You can declare which goods (if any) are not owned and used overseas for more than 12mths on at section five on your B534 Customs Declaration.

All Personal Effects consignments arriving via FedEx require customs clearance for border security and quarantine assessment.

Any goods in your consignment that don’t meet the criteria of Personal Effects (refer above FAQ) will also be liable for payment of duty and/or GST as per below.

Yes. We can pre-clear your consignment as soon as it departs the origin.

We cannot however clear it prior to the date of flight departure from the origin as this is the valuation date of the consignment which determines customs exchange rates.

We accept Visa and Master Card, both of which attract a 1.5% processing surcharge. Unfortunately, these credit card processing fees are levied by the banks and due to our low professional fees, we are forced to pass them on.

For most clients this fee translates to around $5.00. For a full list of charges you can expect to pay please see the What It Costs section above.

Yes. Once your consignment has been released from both customs and quarantine, FedEx will deliver the goods to your door on their next delivery cycle, typically on the next day. Regional areas may have extended delivery time frames.

We notify FedEx as soon as your clearance is completed and they typically deliver on the next business day.

Longer delivery periods may result for regional locations or when delays are the result of quarantine/customs inspections as unfortunately neither us nor FedEx have any control over the expediency of these government departments.

Yes, however you'll need to contact FedEx on 13 26 10 to arrange consignment collection from their bond.

Yes. However, as we don’t facilitate the local delivery of your goods, you will need to call FedEx on 13 26 10 and advise them of your new delivery address prior to customs release.

Once your consignment is cleared, they will deliver to your newly nominated address.

If you’re not home and your parcel requires a signature, then FedEx will leave a card in your letterbox and you will need to call the number on the card to arrange a suitable time for re-delivery.

Yes. Some FedEx origin offices request your Australian Customs Brokers details before they will ship your personal effects. If they request this information from you, then you can provide them with the below:

eCustoms Broker
Suite 2901, Chifley Tower
2 Chifley Square
Sydney NSW 2000

Ph: 1800 670 978
Email: documents@ecustomsbroker.com.au
Broker Contact: Greg Park

FedEx origin offices will often (but not always) ask for your Australian Customs Brokers details before they will agree to ship your personal effect to Australia.

This is because FedEx doesn't clear personal effects due to their complexity and they wish to make sure that you're aware that you will need an external customs broker to facilitate the clearance formalities once your goods arrive in Australia.

When you provide our details to the origin FedEx office, they should automatically send us your documentation upon your consignments arrival, but you're best not to rely on this internal FedEx process as it doesn't always occur.

All consignments arriving via direct airfreight require customs clearance for border security assessment and the collection of relevant duties/taxes.

If your goods are valued under AUD 1,000 please refer to the below FAQ regarding clearance requirements for these consignments.

Yes. Formal customs clearance is required but we apply legislation to exempt you from the Duty, GST and Gov. entry fee.

The only additional requirement with consignments under AUD $1,000 is the you will also need to provide Evidence of Money Price Paid (EMPP) to validate the value of your consignment.

EMPP is any document that verifies the transfer of funds from your bank account to the suppliers account for the invoice value. Typical examples are PayPal or T/T receipts and Bank/Credit Card statements.

Yes. We can pre-clear your consignment as soon as it departs the origin.

We cannot however clear it prior to the date of origin flight departure as this is the valuation date of the consignment which determines customs exchange rates.

That’s okay, just upload them all via the online form and our brokers will evaluate and notify you accordingly if required.

Yes, but Firearms and parts/accessories thereof require additional legislative processing which takes considerable time and therefore incurs an additional $50 processing surcharge.

Just ensure you upload your import permit (if applicable) with your documentation upon online lodgement.

The tariff classification is an 8-digit reference number and 2-digit statistical code, obtained from the Australian Customs Tariff that identifies the imported item and the rate of Customs duty that applies.

We accept Visa and Master Card, both of which attract a 1.5% processing surcharge. Unfortunately, these credit card processing fees are levied by the banks and due to our low professional fees, we are forced to pass them on.

For most clients this fee translates to around $5.00. For a full list of charges you can expect to pay please see the What It Costs section above.

Once we’ve completed your customs clearance, you’ll receive a release email which contains the airline bonds collection address and contact details. When you arrive, you should proceed to the reception office to pay your port charges and they will provide you with a collection docket.

You then take that docket to the pick-up dock and provide it to the forklift drivers and they’ll recover your consignment from the bond and load your collection vehicle.

Please note that if you’re bringing a car/van to collect your goods, the drivers will typically not hand load cargo for you, they will only fork it onto the ground beside your vehicle and you will need to break it down and load your vehicle.

Yes, they’ll usually start charging you storage 24hrs after midnight on the day of cargo check-in, which is usually completed within 6hrs of flight arrival. Storage rates differ slightly between the three different airline bonds, but as a guide Qantas charges $0.33/kg/day with a minimum of $48.40/day.

Typically, if your name is listed on the AWB, you’ll only need a copy of the Air Waybill and photo ID. You don’t need any customs documentation as the airlines utilise the same ICS (Custom’s Integrated Cargo System) as ourselves, hence they will already know that your AWB is customs cleared.

If your collecting the cargo on behalf of another entity (company or individual) then you’ll also need a letter of authority from that entity for you to collect the goods on their behalf.

The airline bonds differ in their requirements for 3rd party collections (e.g. some will accept a business card to link you to a company listed on the AWB, others will not), hence we always recommend you call the bond (whose contact details are provided to you in our release emails) prior to arrival to ensure your documentation meets their requirements for 3rd party release.

You pay the port charges direct to the airline bond at the time of collection. If you’re arranging a courier, then you’ll need to either have the courier pay the charges on your behalf upon collection or call the bond to arrange pre-payment prior to sending your courier in.

Each bond has their own payment processes, but all will accept credit cards. The bonds contact details are provided to you in our release email upon completion of your customs clearance.

The airline bonds don’t have collection time slots like the wharf, it’s just first in first served. So the least busy time is between 4-5pm, as most of the freight forwarders have two runs per day, one early morning and one a lunch time, hence most of their trucks will have already left by 4pm and you should just walk in and out.

While we pre-clear most consignments before they arrive, you won’t be able to collect the goods until the airline bond checks your cargo into their warehouse, which they usually have completed within 6hrs after flight arrival.

For Airline AWB’s, two of the three possible airline bonds offer online cargo status information, Qantas and Menzies Aviation, where you can key in your AWB number to see if your goods have been checked in. If you don’t see your AWB listed on either of these sites, then either it hasn’t arrived or it may be at the third bond – Dnata, in which case you’ll need to call them on the phone number listed in our release emails to obtain this information.

They’re all open 7 days a week typically from 5am to 8pm Mon-Fri and 6am to 3pm weekends and public holidays. However, each bond has their own specific hours of operation which may vary to the above and are subject to change.

Our release emails contain the collection airline bonds contact phone number so you can always give them a call to obtain their current opening hours before you arrange the collection of your goods if it’s outside of normal business hours.

That’s okay, just upload them all via the online form.

Depending on the circumstances, customs legislation may require a separate entry lodged for each supplier/consignee combination inter alia. Our brokers will evaluate your specific import circumstances and process your consignment in the most cost-effective manner that’s in accordance with legislative requirements.

No. Due to insurance liabilities we don’t provide local delivery of consignments, however you can arrange a courier to collect them on your behalf if you wish. Full collection instructions are provided to you in the release email we send to you upon completion of your customs clearance. If you’re using a courier, please also refer FAQ: How do I pay the airline port charges.

Customs Duty  is calculated as a percentage of the Customs Value (CV) of the imported goods. Depending on the product, the applicable duty rate can be anywhere from 0% to 10%, however the majority of goods attract a 5% duty rate.
Customs GST  is calculated at 10% of the Value of the Taxable Import (VoTI). The VoTI is calculated by the addition of the Customs Value (CV) PLUS the Duty PLUS the value of the International Transport and Insurance (T&I).

Gift are treated no differently to commercial consignments, the law requires that all goods, even gifts, over the value of AUD$1000 are subject to the assessment of customs duty and GST and checked for community protection risks. The value of a gift is assessed as the usual value that you would buy that item for in the country of origin.

Once we finalise your clearance, all Customs/Government charges are automatically billed to the same credit card you used online to submit your clearance request.

Yes. The law requires that all goods – whether second hand or new, commercial or private – be subject to the assessment of customs duty and GST and checked for community protection risks.

Yes. The law requires that all goods – whether second hand or new, commercial or private – be subject to the assessment of customs duty and GST and checked for community protection risks.

Duty and/or GST is only collected on imported goods where the value of the goods is above A$1000, OR where the goods include alcohol, tobacco or are prohibited/restricted products. Goods valued above A$1000 must be cleared through Customs by completion of a formal Customs Entry.

If you have received a Customs Notice then the shipper has already advised customs that your goods meet these criteria.

We apply one of two possible exchange rates depending on whether the goods have already been paid for or not.

At the time of importation, if the importer has not already transferred payment to the overseas supplier for the goods then we use the customs exchange rate, which is the average of the four major banks at the date of valuation (usually exportation date) of the goods from the origin.

If the goods have already been paid for and you provide the payment remittance (e.g. T/T, Paypal Receipt, Credit Card Statement etc.) then we use the exchange rate that you paid for the goods on hence the Duty/GST is calculated based on the actual AUD amount you paid.

The duty rates for alcohol varies depending on its exact specifications, however to give you a general idea most beers made from malt attract a duty rate of $49.90* per litre or alcohol content by which it exceeds 1.15%.

The duty rates for alcohol varies depending on its exact specifications, however to give you a general idea most Wines are 5% duty, however in addition to duty and GST, most wines also attract Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) which is calculated at 29% of [the customs value (CV) PLUS the duty PLUS the Transport and Insurance (T&I)].

Wine Calculation Example:

The Duty, WET and GST payable on a 700ml bottle of Wine valued at $100 with an alcohol content of 13.5% would be calculated as follows:

If the Customs value (CV) of the Wine = $100.00
Then the Customs duty @ 5% of the $100 (CV) = $5.00 (Payable)
International transport and insurance or postage (T&I) = $50.00
Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) @ 29% of (CV + Duty + T&I) = $44.95 (Payable)
Value of the Taxable Importation (VoTI) = (CV + Duty + T&I + WET) = $199.95
Goods and Services Tax (GST) @ 10% of the VoTI = $19.99 (Payable)
Total Payable (Duty + WET + GST) = $69.94

*Quoted rates are indicative and subject to change

The duty rates for spirit alcohols vary depending on its exact specifications, however to give you a general idea spirits commonly attract the 5% duty PLUS $84.51* per litre of alcohol content.

Whiskey Calculation Example: The Duty and GST payable on a 700ml bottle of Whiskey valued at $100 with an alcohol content of 37.0% would be calculated as follows:

If the Customs value (CV) of the Whiskey = $100.00

Tobacco duty rates vary, but the most common rate is $1,076.35*/kg of tobacco content. Molasses Tobacco is deemed to be 100% tobacco by weight, hence if you have 1kg of molasses tobacco that contains only 20% actual tobacco, you will pay $1,076.35 in duty based on a 1kg calculation of tobacco content.

*Quoted rates are indicative and subject to change.

Tobacco duty rates also vary but again to give you an idea, the most common rate is $1,076.35*/kg of tobacco content. If your importing cigarettes not exceeding in weight 0.8 grams per stick of tobacco content, the duty rate is $0.80726*/stick.

*Quoted rates are indicative and subject to change.

When you import goods into Australia valued over AUD $1,000 you’re required to lodge a formal import declaration. Customs brokers electronically lodge these declarations for you to ensure your compliance with the relevant import legislation applicable to your imported goods.

This covers all government legislation relating to the Department of Border Protection (DIBP – AKA Customs), the ATO, Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR – AKA Quarantine), CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), The department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities and any other relevant legislation that may be applicable to your particular imported goods.

In relation to goods imported via international post, no. You can DIY by submitting a manual B374 - Import Declaration (N10) – Post, however there are some risks. Under S.243T of the Customs Act, if you submit an erroneous declaration you can be liable for a $12,000 fine, but it gets worse… because the legislation is strict liability which means that if there’s an error, you’re liable, regardless of your intent or even knowledge of the error.

Using a customs broker not only protects you from this liability risk, but in most cases, it will also save you time and money, typically more than you pay them. The bottom line is that if you’re not 100% confident that you understand the legislation and know exactly what your lodging in your declaration, use a customs broker.

If your importing good via international post, then a good customs broker will save you time and money, typically more than you pay them. For example, over 83% of our clients pay less to use us than DIY lodgement of a B374 - Import Declaration (N10) – Post, and they get to snooze while it all happens.

So, while it’s not mandatory to use a customs broker to clear your imported goods, in the majority of cases it’s certainly beneficial.