Can you bring food into Australia?

Carry-on: Conditions Checked: Conditions Declare on arrival: Required Different on domestic flights

All food must be declared on your Incoming Passenger Card, cooked or raw, sealed or open, including snacks from the plane. Declaring costs nothing and a biosecurity officer decides; failing to declare risks a fine or prosecution.

Meat, dairy and fresh produce are the usual seizures. If you are unsure whether something counts, declare it - there is no penalty for declaring something that turns out to be fine.

Source: Dept of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Flying within Australia? A different rule applies.

Interstate is the domestic version of this. Western Australia, Tasmania, South Australia and the fruit fly exclusion zones all restrict fruit, vegetables, honey and plants arriving from other states.

What else changes on a domestic flight

This one is decided at the Australian border rather than at screening. Declaring a thing costs nothing and a biosecurity or Border Force officer decides - it is failing to declare that carries the fine. If you are not sure whether something counts, declare it.

Coming home to Australia

Wooden souvenirs and carvings Every wooden and bamboo article must be declared on arrival in Australia. Seeds, plants and flowers Most seeds, live plants, cuttings and fresh flowers are prohibited without an import permit, and all of them must be declared. Shells, coral and sand Shells and coral must be declared and need to be clean and free of any animal tissue or sand. Kava Travellers aged 18 and over may bring kava into Australia in accompanied baggage, up to 4kg per person, and it must be declared. Honey and bee products Honey and other bee products must be declared and most are restricted, because they can carry diseases that would devastate Australian hives. Cash over $10,000 There is no limit on how much cash you can carry, but AUD $10,000 or more - in any currency, or the foreign equivalent - must be declared to Border Force both leaving and entering Australia.

New destination guides and side-by-side comparisons for Australian travellers - which eSIM, which travel card, which insurance is worth paying for, and what to sort before you go. Prices in Australian dollars, a few emails a year.

Packing something else? The full A to Z of what you can take on a plane covers 61 items, the domestic flight rules set out what changes when you are not leaving the country, and the pre-departure checklist puts the rest of the trip in order.

Last reviewed 2 September 2026. Screening, dangerous-goods and biosecurity rules change, and airlines can be stricter than the government baseline. For anything unusual, the linked source and your airline's dangerous-goods page are the final word.

Coming home to Australia

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