Moving to Australia 🇦🇺

Taxes exemption

The biggest tax exemption in Australian Border Customs simply is that goods with a value lower than AUD.1000,00 are not subject to duties (apart from some exceptions like alcohol).

Missions, posts and privileged individuals can import or purchase goods without paying duties if it is related to an official use.

To be granted this status, you have to contact the ABF’s ACT Regional Office and then ask for a Customs Identification Number to claim customs duty exemption. For instance, administrative staff or humanitarian volunteers may be granted the status.

Here you will find further details about Unaccompanied Personal Effects (UPE):

Vehicle importation

Like in many countries, bringing your car in Australia is very complicated. You will face many rules and regulations.

First, here is the list of documents you will need:

• A formal customs entry
• A copy of passport
• Registration papers
• Sales invoice
• Paid receipt
• Vehicle import approval
• OBL
• B534
• Registrant compliance form if the vehicle is equipped with an air conditioning system

The first thing to do is to obtain a vehicle import approval by the Department of Infrastructure and Transport. You will need to apply to the Vehicle Safety Standards office in Canberra.
When granting your approval, the Department of Customs will attribute a levy to the car, is calculated based on thanks to the age and type of the vehicle, which should vary between 0 and 20% of the value of the vehicle (Duty + GST). The value of the vehicle is calculated with the original country purchase price and the Australian Landed Value.

To be given the Import Approval Permit, your vehicle must meet safety and pollution standards, which can be quite strict in Australia. For instance, your car must be equipped with seat belts, child restraint anchor points, Australian standards mirror on the driver side, etc.

The documents to submit to the Department of Infrastructure and Transportation to get your permit include:

• Weighbridge certificate
• Engineer certificate
• Imported Blue Slip ensuring the RTA the vehicle fits with the road
• RTA Visual Identification Unit inspection.

Customs process

Drug Contreband

Explosives

Biohazard

Chemicals

Corrosive

Counterfeit

Ivory

Batteries

Flammable

Firearms

Drugs

Counterfeit notes

Poison

Pornography

Knife

Tobacco

Gambling

Hazardous

Method of transportation

In order to move to Australia from Thailand, you can choose the way you want. It can be by sea or by air. Each one has advantages and drawbacks.

In the last BITRE statistical report on Australian Sea Freight, the country is depicted as an ever-growing sea freight nation with a growth of sea freight of 3.1% in 2015-2016.

Among Australian sea freight, international exports represent more than 87% of the total. This means that Australian freight is oriented towards the world and especially Southeast Asia (and the US).

For this reason, the dynamism of the Australian-Asian sea connection makes the Thailand-Australia freight very common.

Main ports in the Australia

Totally surrounded by Oceans and Seas, Australia had to build big ports to prosper economically speaking. Here is a list of the largest seaports in Australia.

The seaport of Brisbane is currently the third busiest port in Australia and the fastest-growing container port, and that is what we need to ship big volumes for a whole relocation.

The three other biggest ports are located in Fremantle, Melbourne, and Sydney (Port Botany).

Ocean freight will be the best deal for you if:

• You move a full house/condo
• The goods you need to ship are greater than 3 CBM
• You’re not in a hurry to receive them

Transit times

From	To	Estimated Transit Time
Bangkok	Adelaide	22-24 days
Bangkok	Brisbane	19-21 days
Bangkok	Darwin	24-26 days
Bangkok	Fremantle	14-16 days
Bangkok	Melbourne	21-23 days
Bangkok	Port Kembla	16-18 days
Bangkok	Sydney	23-25 days
Bangkok	Townsville	33-35 days

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Remark : Please note that those transit times are just indicative timing between Thailand and Australia

Sea freight rates

We can’t calculate sea freight rates without knowing all the relevant information of the situation. The rates depend a lot on what you ship (nature of the goods and quantity) but also on where you ship it in Australia, if you need trucking after unloading at port, etc.

We generally advise to choose a FCL if you ship more than 15 cubic meters and a LCL if less. Our experts will obviously guide you in this choice.

Remark : According to your budget, we can adapt our solution (with or without a packaging and/or loading service) which could have huge influence on the quotation.

Why choose us?

SIAM Relocation provides dedicated services to best respond to your specific needs and has been doing so for years. Our expert consultants will help you get the best for you.

As proof, if you transport small volumes, you should note that SIAM Relocation is the only moving company to have a rate for the first cubic meter. If you want to ship 1 cubic meter of your goods, other companies will charge you 4 cubic meter as it is their starting rate, SIAM Relocation will charge you 1 cubic meter because we seek for a fair service and relation.

Air freight rates

To calculate air freight rates, the more important is to know what you ship full well for the cost of that air freight is very sensitive to weight and volume. And also because the final cost of custom clearance will depend on applicable taxes on your goods.

Why choose us?

We, at SIAM Relocation, have been dealing with air freight since our first contracts and are used to working with the very best process in the world. Australian clients are frequent and we know how to make them satisfied. To find out the best solution to your needs, please contact our moving consultants.

Let’s see together how air freight are calculated. The most important aspect that you have to understand is the difference between actual weight and volumetric weight. Once you get it, you can understand your air freight quotations.

Moving with your pet to Australia

The first thing to know is that from Thailand, you will go through a lot of difficulties. But you should keep in mind that it is simply for security reasons and because Australia wants to stay a pet-friendly place.

All animals must be inspected by Thailand’s government vet before leaving the country. For this reason, exactly three days before your departure, you must go to the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport Custom and Animal Quarantine Office. Your animal has to be up to date about its vaccinations (especially Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, Para-influenza and Bordetella bronchiseptica).

During this inspection, you will need several documents :

• A rabies certificate, with all the contact details in English of the vet who made it. The pet must also have undergone a blood serology test to check for rabies antibody levels at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination. The test result must be at least 0.5 IU/mL.
• A copy of your valid passport
• Your flight details
• Your pet’s microchip number if your animal has one

Then, once at the office, you will have to fill in an export request form.

After conducting the health check, the government  will hand you the documents you require for your travel and charge you 50 Baht per animal. Do not forget to have your original pet health certificate, the airport vet certificate, and the export permit with you when you travel, three days later.

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That was what you have to do regarding Thailand. But of course, Australia also has its requisites, and they will have you do a lot for your pet importation, even before the airport inspection.

The Australian Department of Agriculture sets the conditions with which your pet must comply. They vary according to the country.

The Australian Department of Agriculture does not accept pet import directly from some countries. And unfortunately, Thailand is part of those countries. We explain:

All pets entering Australia must have a rabies titer test run by a licensed veterinarian. This test can be done in Thailand but the blood sample has to be sent and examined in an OIE-approved laboratory in China, France, Korea, the United Kingdom, or South Africa. And for the 6 weeks before transport to Australia, your pet must relocate to an approved country to pass the final rounds of testing. Then your pet needs to enter Australia from this approved country. Please check theAustralian Department of Agriculture’s websiteto know the list of approved countries.

You need to fill in an import permit application form and pay an application fee. You can do it online. Do it after the rabies titer test is done and sooner than 42 days of import.  The import permit is valid for 12 months after being issued.

Quarantine :

Quarantine is compulsory for all animals arriving into Australia. There are quarantine facilities run by the Department of Agriculture in Sidney and in Melbourne. The quarantine will last quite long (3-4 weeks maybe), especially as your pet originally comes from Thailand.

Here is a list of banned dog breeds : Dogo Argentino, Japanese Tosa, Pit Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull, Fila Brazileiro, all types of wolfdogs, Perro de Presa Canario or Presa Canario.

Packing service

Here are the most common packing materials :

Packing box surely is the standard packing equipment. Packing boxes exist in different sizes and are resistant enough to transport your goods.

Bubble wrap is useful to be cautious with fragile items. For instance, you should use it for glasses and crockery in order to avoid all damages.

When a large packing size is required (or any fragile items), we opt for wooden crates. They are bigger and more resistant than packing boxes and can resist more things like humidity for example.

Warehousing service

There are times when a warehousing service can be very useful. Let’s imagine your plane leaves one week before the cargo relocation (which would be convenient to be prepared to the goods arrival at destination), you would be glad to have somewhere else than your friend’s apartment to stock your belongings.

Office moves

Please take note that we also have a service specialized in commercial moving for companies, associations and government agencies.