Ship boxes from United States to Australia
1 to 10 boxes, collected from your door in United States and delivered to the door in Australia. Price up front, customs paperwork prepared for you.
- Typical transit
- 4–7 business days
- Duty-free up to
- AUD 1,000 (about $710) for most goods
United States → Australia
Enter a weight to see your price.
Who ships on this route
- Expats and people relocating for work
- Households moving a few boxes, not a whole home
Affluent customers and long distance.
Leaving United States
Sending boxes out of United States
Most personal boxes leave the US with just a commercial invoice. You or an authorized agent, such as the courier, must file Electronic Export Information (EEI) in the Automated Export System when any one Schedule B number is worth more than $2,500, or when an export license is needed, whatever the value. The export rules' exemption for personal effects covers only baggage not shipped under an air waybill, so courier boxes follow the normal rules.
Documents
- Commercial invoice listing each item and its value, marked as used personal effects or a gift where true
- Sender's photo ID if the courier asks for it
- EEI filed in AES, which the courier can do as your agent, if one Schedule B number is over $2,500 or a license is needed. Household goods for your own use abroad are reported without Schedule B codes.
- Any export license, or OFAC authorization for an embargoed destination
Can't leave United States
- Items that need a Commerce or State Department export license, such as firearms and defense articles. EEI is required for these at any value.
- Goods for Cuba or Iran need US government authorization. For Iran, general licenses cover gifts up to $100 and the used household effects of people relocating there.
- Medicines that are controlled substances may need a DEA export permit, which also triggers EEI
- Couriers will not carry cash, aerosols, flammables, or loose lithium batteries
Arriving in Australia
Australia customs, in short
- Duty-free threshold
- AUD 1,000 (about $710) for most goods. Shipments worth AUD 1,000 or less generally pay no duty, GST, or charges at the border. Alcohol and tobacco are taxed at any value. Gifts get no separate allowance, and a parcel can't be split into smaller items to stay under the limit. Above AUD 1,000, duty, GST, and processing charges apply unless a concession fits.
- Import tax
- GST at 10%, plus customs duty on some goods, once a shipment is worth more than AUD 1,000. Duty varies by item: for example, 5% on cotton clothing and wooden furniture, and free on laptops. Wine also pays a 29% wine equalisation tax. Overseas online sellers may charge GST at checkout on purchases of AUD 1,000 or less, but that doesn't apply to your own used goods.
- Who pays
- Shipments are sent DAP. The receiver pays any duties and taxes before or on delivery. The courier may add a clearance or disbursement fee.
- Moving there?
- If you are moving to Australia, unaccompanied personal effects (UPEs) sent by air, sea, or post can come in free of duty and GST. You must be 18 or over, arrive from outside Australia as a passenger or crew member, and arrange the shipping before you arrive. Furniture, household goods, and most personal effects must have been owned and used by you for 12 months before you leave for Australia. Clothing, footwear, and toiletries have no ownership period but need Australian citizenship, a permanent visa, or a special category visa. Alcohol, tobacco, vehicles, inherited goods, goods for sale, and anything sent after you arrive are not covered. Lodge form B534.
Not allowed into Australia
- Aerosols, spray cans, and compressed gas cylinders
- Flammable liquids and solids: fuel, lighter fluid, paint, nail polish, matches
- Loose or spare lithium batteries and power banks not installed in a device
- Cash, gift cards, checks, and other negotiable items
- Firearms, ammunition, replicas, and weapon parts
- Perishable food, and meat, dairy, or fresh produce
- Cannabis, CBD, and THC products, even where they are legal at origin
- Vaping goods of any kind, with or without nicotine, even with a prescription
United States to Australia: questions
How long does it take to ship boxes from United States to Australia?
Typically 4 to 7 business days door to door after pickup, plus any time customs in Australia takes to clear the shipment.
Do I pay duty on used belongings sent to Australia?
AUD 1,000 (about $710) for most goods. Shipments worth AUD 1,000 or less generally pay no duty, GST, or charges at the border. Alcohol and tobacco are taxed at any value. Gifts get no separate allowance, and a parcel can't be split into smaller items to stay under the limit. Above AUD 1,000, duty, GST, and processing charges apply unless a concession fits. Shipments are sent DAP. The receiver pays any duties and taxes before or on delivery. The courier may add a clearance or disbursement fee.
What paperwork do I need to send boxes from United States?
A commercial invoice listing what's in each box and what it's worth today. Onvoyo prepares it from your contents list for you to review and approve. Most personal boxes leave the US with just a commercial invoice. You or an authorized agent, such as the courier, must file Electronic Export Information (EEI) in the Automated Export System when any one Schedule B number is worth more than $2,500, or when an export license is needed, whatever the value. The export rules' exemption for personal effects covers only baggage not shipped under an air waybill, so courier boxes follow the normal rules.
Do I pay duty on used belongings sent to Australia?
Not if you are moving there, have owned and used them for 12 months, arrange the shipping before you fly, and lodge form B534. Otherwise, shipments worth AUD 1,000 or less usually pay nothing at the border, and larger ones pay duty, 10% GST, and processing charges.
What is form B534 and how do I lodge it?
It is the Australian Border Force statement for unaccompanied personal effects. It claims duty and GST relief and is also a legal declaration to the biosecurity department. Lodge it in person with a 100-point ID check, by email to your state's Border Force office, or through a customs broker.
Can I send a gift to Australia duty-free?
Yes, if the shipment is worth AUD 1,000 or less and has no alcohol or tobacco. There is no separate gift allowance, so a gift worth more pays duty, GST, and charges like any other goods.
Official sources
Export rules for United States and import rules for Australia, checked against these official pages. Customs makes the final decision on every shipment.
- 1.Office of the Federal Register (eCFR) · 19 CFR Chapter I -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security; Department of the Treasury (opens in a new tab)
- 2.U.S. Customs and Border Protection · Prohibited and Restricted Items (opens in a new tab)
- 3.U.S. Census Bureau (eCFR) · 15 CFR Part 30 -- Foreign Trade Regulations (opens in a new tab)
- 4.Office of Foreign Assets Control, U.S. Department of the Treasury (eCFR) · 31 CFR Chapter V -- Office of Foreign Assets Control, Department of the Treasury (opens in a new tab)
- 5.Australian Border Force · Unaccompanied Personal Effects (opens in a new tab)
- 6.Australian Border Force · Import declarations (opens in a new tab)
- 7.Australian Border Force · Import Processing Charges (opens in a new tab)
- 8.Australian Border Force · GST and other taxes when importing (opens in a new tab)
- 9.Australian Taxation Office · GST on low value imported goods (opens in a new tab)
- 10.Australian Border Force · List of prohibited items (opens in a new tab)
- 11.Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry · Moving to Australia or importing personal effects/household goods (opens in a new tab)
- 12.Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry · Bringing or mailing goods to Australia (opens in a new tab)
Going the other way? Ship boxes from Australia to United States