Sending Parcels From Thailand to Australia: What Biosecurity Stops, What BICON Says, and What Duty and GST Apply
Australian biosecurity screens packages from Thailand with X-ray, detector dogs and manual inspection. Officers look hardest for food, plant material, animal products. Goods that fail are destroyed or sent back. Treatment, where offered, costs 94 Australian dollars per mail item and the importer pays. BICON, the import conditions database of the Department of Agriculture, says what each product needs. A package worth 1,000 Australian dollars or less generally has no duty, no GST at the border, and a registered overseas seller collects GST at the time of sale. Above 1,000 the receiver lodges an import declaration, pays duty and 10 percent GST.
Prices for the trip are on the Australia destination page.
How does Australia screen parcels that arrive from Thailand?
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) is the government department that inspects all goods at the border. They use X-ray machines, detector dogs, and manually open packages to inspect. Just because nothing risky is declared doesn't mean the package is safe.
Your article may be selected for random inspection, even if you don’t declare any risk goods.
Source: Sending or ordering goods online from outside Australia, DAFF, agriculture.gov.au.
If goods do not meet import conditions, they will be immediately destroyed or sent back to the overseas sender. Some goods may require treatment before they are permitted into Australia. The cost of treatment for an item arriving by international mail is A$94 per item, at the importer’s expense.
Source: Sending or ordering goods online from outside Australia, DAFF, agriculture.gov.au.
The importer is the person who receives the parcel. For the Australian Border Force (ABF), the receiver of the parcel from outside Australia is the importer, even if the goods are unsolicited. The Australian buyer or relative decides whether the goods are treated, exported or destroyed. The DAFF seller leaflet says the importer agrees and pays before treatment. If goods are concealed, the importer may face an investigation and possible criminal prosecution.
The penalty can be very heavy, up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to 1.6 million dollars, per a DAFF media release on a June 2025 case over more than 62,000 kg of Thai food sold on the black market. That was a commercial smuggling case, and the figure is the maximum, not what a single package would incur.
Source: Two years jail for illegally importing 62,000 kg of frogs, prawns, pork and insect-infested produce from Thailand, DAFF media release, 26 June 2025.
What is BICON, and how do you look up a Thai product?
BICON is the DAFF Biosecurity Import Conditions system. It shows if a product is permitted to import, what conditions it must meet, which documents are required, if it needs treatment and if a permit is required.
BICON houses Australia’s biosecurity import conditions and food safety requirements for more than 20,000 plants, animals, minerals and biological products.
Source: BICON, DAFF, bicon.agriculture.gov.au; BICON case Noodles; Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON), DAFF.
The quick search takes a Search Term, Scientific Name or Tariff Code. The answer comes as a case, then questions, then a scenario. One question is personal use. In the noodles case, personal use covers up to 10kg of solid food. Commercial samples of any quantity and larger quantities fall under the non-personal use conditions. A shop shipping stock reads the non-personal scenario. DAFF says that for food imported for sale the importer is responsible for import conditions and Australian food standards.
Import conditions in BICON are reviewed regularly. Make sure you check the conditions each time you want to send or order goods.
Source: Sending or ordering goods online from outside Australia, DAFF, agriculture.gov.au.
The new Biosecurity Regulations 2026 come into effect on 1 October 2026, says a DAFF notice. DAFF has a leaflet for online sellers in the Thai language and in English.
DAFF: notice on the new biosecurity legislation, seller leaflet in Thai
What can't you send from Thailand to Australia?
The DAFF leaflet for overseas sellers has a DO NOT SEND list of high risk goods, unless all import conditions can be met. The list is not exhaustive, BICON is the final check.
DAFF category | Strings on the DAFF list | Thai goods it can catch |
|---|---|---|
Seeds | “seeds for planting, such as flower, tree or vegetable seeds”; “ornaments, jewellery, souvenirs or crafts made with seeds” | Vegetable seed packets, seed necklaces, seed crafts |
Live plants | “including cactus/succulents or aquarium and bonsai plants”; “bulbs, cuttings or tissue cultures” | Adenium and succulents, aquarium plants, orchids in flasks |
Soil and growing media | “peat, clay or coir” | Coir pots, peat plugs |
Fruit | “dried fruit with skin or seeds”; “dried citrus or citrus peel” | Dried fruit sold whole, dried lime peel |
Fruit teas | “products containing fruit seeds, skin, peel, or pieces, such as herbal teas” | Herbal and fruit teas with dried fruit pieces |
Meat and animal products | “fresh/frozen or preserved meat, including jerky, bakkwa, sausages, salami or other smallgoods”; “birds’ nest” | Thai sausages, dried meat snacks, edible bird's nest |
Herbs and therapeutic products | “herbs or spices”; “traditional medicines or dietary supplements containing animal, plant or microbial ingredients” | Dried herbs, herbal remedies, supplements |
Wood, bamboo and plant fibre | “wooden articles contaminated with timber borers, insect pests, or bark”; “fresh or green bamboo”; “banana leaf products and decorations” | Carvings with bark or borer holes, green bamboo, banana leaf crafts |
Source: Biosecurity information for international sellers sending goods to Australia, DAFF leaflet BIO038.0324, agriculture.gov.au. The third column is a reading of the DAFF strings, not DAFF wording.
Biosecurity is one of several gates. Goods without a biosecurity risk may be restricted under other laws. The DAFF page points to the Department of Home Affairs, Therapeutic Goods Administration, Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, CITES and state or territory agriculture departments.
Guide: prohibited and restricted items when shipping from Thailand
Which Thai foods and drinks can go to Australia?
Commercially packaged, shelf stable Thai food mostly fits, except raw rice and dried chillies. Anything with meat, fish, prawn, skin or seeds needs a BICON check by name before packing.
Item | Status | What the sources say |
|---|---|---|
Noodles, plant ingredients only | Permitted | No permit. BICON: “No inspection is required for noodles that are commercially manufactured and packaged.” |
Noodles with a meat flavour | Conditional | Instant noodles with a meat flavour inside must be shelf stable, presented for instant use and have no discernible pieces of meat. BICON sends a separate sachet to the Animal based flavours case. Goods “derived from bovine, caprine, ovine or porcine animals must be labelled by the manufacturer as a product of a country approved” as free from foot and mouth disease. Thailand is not on DAFF's list effective 18 March 2026, so a pork or beef sachet made in Thailand does not meet that label condition. |
Chilli paste, curry paste | Conditional | Allowed for personal use if “commercially cooked”, shelf stable for “at least 6 months” and in hermetically sealed containers. Animal-derived ingredients are checked in BICON by ingredient. |
Dried prawns, dried fish | Conditional | Dried prawns “are allowed into Australia if all import conditions are met” and are inspected on arrival. Fish for personal use must be “non-viable fish, able to be stored at room (or ambient) temperature” and no more than 10 kg. |
Dried fruit | Check the scenario | The seller leaflet lists “dried fruit with skin or seeds”. BICON's Dried fruit case, scenario for goods arriving as low value mail, needs no permit, but “All material in the consignment must be thoroughly dried.” |
Raw rice | Not permitted | “Raw (uncooked) rice is not permitted and will be destroyed.” |
Dried chilli | Not permitted | “Dried chillies/capsicum are not permitted and will be destroyed, unless they meet the exclusions listed on the urgent actions to protect against khapra beetle webpage.” |
Plain tea | Permitted | “These teas are allowed into Australia from any country if the tea is in clean and new packaging (unopened) and free of live insects and other contamination.” |
Herbal tea | Conditional | Plant origin only, no permit, “no greater than 1 kg per blend”. The seller leaflet lists herbal teas that contain fruit seeds, skin, peel or pieces. |
Coffee | Roasted permitted | “Roasted coffee is permitted into Australia for personal use” up to 10 kilograms. Green coffee “must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate.” |
Sausage, jerky, bird's nest | High risk | On the DAFF list: “preserved meat, including jerky, bakkwa, sausages, salami or other smallgoods” and “birds’ nest”. |
Sources: Bringing or mailing goods to Australia, DAFF, page last updated 12 March 2026; BICON cases Noodles, Animal based flavours or floss, Dried fruit, Tea and Fish, bicon.agriculture.gov.au; FMD-Free Country List, DAFF; seller leaflet, DAFF.
Personal use is for things like gifts or shopping for yourself. Bulk stock is for things like reselling. The statuses in the table are for personal use. Bulk stock uses the non-personal scenarios, which ask for more paperwork.
Guide: shipping food and snacks from Thailand
What about wooden carvings, rattan, herbal products, seeds and plants?
Wooden and rattan goods pass when clean, dry, free of bark and insects. Seeds, orchids, live plants need permitted species and paperwork before shipping. Herbal products depend on what is inside.
Item | Status | What the sources say |
|---|---|---|
Wooden carvings and handicrafts | Allowed if clean | “Wooden items are allowed into Australia if they are free from bark, insects and signs of insect damage (such as borer holes) or any other contamination.” Items that fail “will be treated, exported or destroyed at the importer’s expense.” |
Wooden items with bark as a design feature | Treatment | BICON's bark case covers “wooden items where bark is a feature of the end product”. The non-commercial scenario says “Each consignment is subject to mandatory treatment prior to release, with one of the following:” ethylene oxide fumigation or gamma irradiation at 25 kGy. |
Commercial manufactured wooden articles | Fumigation papers | BICON's Timber case needs a phytosanitary or fumigation certificate showing methyl bromide or sulfuryl fluoride treatment, and warns “It is an offence to import a timber product into Australia that contains illegally logged timber.” |
Rattan and cane goods | Permitted if dry | “All material in the consignment must be thoroughly dried and not capable of propagation.” Fresh or green bamboo is on the DO NOT SEND list. |
Thai herbal compress balls | Own BICON case | The case Articles stuffed with dried herbs or seed names “Thai massage balls”. For mail with seeds it asks that goods be “inspected and found free from evidence of any Trogoderma species of biosecurity concern including khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium)”, shown on a phytosanitary certificate, and warns “Opening the pillows/bags may destroy the samples.” |
Traditional medicines, supplements | High risk | On the DAFF list: “traditional medicines or dietary supplements containing animal, plant or microbial ingredients”. |
Cosmetics | Allowed | Personal use: “commercially manufactured, prepared, packaged”, up to 10 kilograms or 10 litres, no permit. Non-personal use: a statement that goods “contain less than 20% by mass of material of animal origin”. |
Seeds | Permit and papers | “Seeds must be a permitted species.” DAFF's seeds page asks for the botanical name (genus and species) and says most seeds must come with a phytosanitary certificate. |
Live plants | Permit | “Most live plants must not be imported to Australia unless the importer has a valid import permit issued by the department.” |
Soil and used gear | Permit or clean | “If the goods are identified as soil, an import permit will be required” and used footwear and sporting gear must be “clean, dry and free from soil, seeds or plant material.” |
Sources: Bringing or mailing goods to Australia, DAFF; Sending or ordering goods online, DAFF; BICON cases Timber and timber products, Wooden manufactured articles containing bark, Cane and rattan articles, Articles stuffed with dried herbs or seed and Cosmetics and soaps, bicon.agriculture.gov.au; seller leaflet, DAFF.
Guides: phytosanitary certificate in Thailand, importing plants from Thailand, rules by country
Do you need an import permit, and who applies for it?
BICON says if a permit is needed. The permit belongs to the importer, and for a parcel that is the receiver in Australia. In a DAFF example the receiver needs a valid import permit, or pays for treatment on arrival.
Most import permits will be issued within 20 business days for standard (category 1) applications and within 40 business days for non-standard (category 2 to 5) applications after receiving payment and a completed application.
Source: Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON), DAFF, page last updated 1 July 2026.
It is best to wait for the permit. For seeds, DAFF tells the sender to see the permit and include a copy in the consignment.
Is there duty or GST on a parcel from Thailand to Australia?
A parcel of 1,000 AUD or less generally has no duty, GST or charges to pay at the border. Above 1,000 the receiver pays duty, 10% GST and any other import charges. For small parcels a registered overseas seller collects GST at the time of sale.
However, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) may be collected by overseas vendors of low value goods when imported from overseas by consumers in Australia (excluding alcoholic beverages). GST will be charged at the point of sale and not at the border.
Source: Importing by post or mail, ABF, page last updated 20 October 2026.
AUD 1,000 or less | Over AUD 1,000 | |
|---|---|---|
Customs duty | None for most goods | Customs Tariff rate, or Free for Thai originating goods with proof of origin |
GST | Collected at sale by a registered overseas seller, nothing at the border | 10 percent of the value of the taxable importation, paid by the importer |
Declaration | Mail is delivered once cleared by ABF and DAFF. Air or sea cargo needs a Self-Assessed Clearance declaration | Import declaration, with a First Notice from Australia Post for mail |
Government charges | Import processing charge AUD 0 | Import processing charge AUD 50 electronic or AUD 90 documentary, plus AUD 48 biosecurity charge for air |
Sources: Importing by post or mail, ABF; Import declarations, ABF; Import Processing Charges, ABF.
For goods with a customs value of 1,000 AUD or less, the ATO says a non-resident seller has to collect GST from the buyer and pay it to ATO. Once the seller’s GST turnover from Australian sales reaches 75,000 AUD, they have to register and can do so voluntarily before that. There is no GST on sales to Australian GST-registered businesses buying for business use.
The 1,000 dollar threshold counts the whole box. In an ATO example two necklaces at 750 each plus 50 for shipping and insurance have a customs value of 1,400 together. The ABF says a parcel cannot be split into separate items for assessment, even when the items are for other people. One box of gifts for three relatives is one consignment.
Sources: GST on low value imported goods, ATO; Non-resident businesses making online sales to Australia, ATO; How Australian GST works, ATO.
What does a parcel above AUD 1,000 pay?
For a package over $1,000 AUD the importer lodges an import declaration and pays customs duty, 10% GST and government charges. Goods that originate in Thailand are duty free under the Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA) when the importer holds a certificate of origin.
For mail, Australia Post sends a First Notice and the importer lodges an Import Declaration. If no action is taken within 30 days of the First Notice, Australia Post may return the goods to the sender.
The general rate of duty is 5% on cotton t-shirts 6109.10.00, cotton dresses 6204.42.00 and carved ornaments of tropical wood 4420.11.00, and Free on the live plant line 0602.90.00. For Thai goods the ABF Schedule 6 note says all rates are phased to Free except a listed few: alcohol, tobacco, petroleum products and some chemicals, not clothing, wood or plants. Under Article 410 of TAFTA the importer must hold a valid Certificate of Origin. Annex 4.2 names the Department of Foreign Trade as the Thai body. Schedule 6 covers goods that originate in Thailand, so stock made elsewhere and shipped from Bangkok does not qualify.
GST is the larger number: the ABF sets it at 10% of the value of the taxable importation. The value includes customs value plus duty plus transport and insurance to Australia. Customs value itself excludes international freight and insurance.
Sources: GST and other taxes when importing, ABF; Schedule 6, ABF; TAFTA Chapter 4, DFAT.
What do four typical parcels from Thailand need and pay?
Each parcel below has its own assumptions. The biosecurity notes come from the tables above. The money figures use the rates above and leave out the courier price.
Parcel | Biosecurity | Duty and GST at the border |
|---|---|---|
2 kg snack box worth AUD 90: 10 packs of instant noodles with plant-only seasoning, one sealed jar of plant-based chilli paste, 250 g of roasted coffee, one pack of dried mango | Noodles permitted. Paste allowed if cooked, shelf stable and sealed. Roasted coffee permitted. Dried mango not confirmed: check the Dried fruit case before packing. Total is far under the 10 kg personal-use limit. | None. The seller collects GST at sale if registered. |
One carved teak elephant, about 30 cm, AUD 150 with freight, bought by a private buyer | Allowed if free from bark, insects and borer holes, and inspected on arrival. If bark is part of the design, mandatory treatment applies. If a risk is found: treatment at AUD 94 per mail item, export or destruction, at the importer's expense. | None. The seller collects GST at sale if registered. |
40 bare-root orchid seedlings in a 3 kg box, AUD 300 | Permit before shipping, phytosanitary certificate with the botanical name, free from soil, notice of importation, insecticidal dip, then at least three months in post entry quarantine. | None (live plants are Free). The seller collects GST at sale if registered. |
Thai cotton T-shirts and dresses, AUD 1,500 on the invoice, AUD 120 freight and insurance | No clothing line appears on the DAFF DO NOT SEND list. The whole consignment is assessed. | See the calculation below. |
Assumptions: all values, weights and quantities in the first column are illustrative inputs, not market prices; the teak piece is bought for the buyer's own use and is not a bulk lot; the orchid box holds one genus and nothing else, classified under the live plant line 0602.90.00; the clothing is made in Thailand and the import declaration is lodged electronically.
The orchid parcel carries the heaviest paperwork. BICON's Orchids case permits all orchid genera and species. A valid DAFF import permit is needed before import. The phytosanitary certificate gives the full botanical name. A Notice of Importation goes to the Regional Nursery Stock Office at least 7 working days before arrival. On arrival the orchids get a mandatory insecticidal dip, instead of methyl bromide. They stay at least 3 months in Post Entry Quarantine, and may also need a Wildlife Trade Permit from the Wildlife Trade Office.
The next table is the 1,500 AUD clothing order, worked out with and without a TAFTA claim.
Line | General rate | TAFTA claim |
|---|---|---|
Customs value of the goods | AUD 1,500.00 | AUD 1,500.00 |
Duty (5 percent, or Free) | AUD 75.00 | AUD 0.00 |
Freight and insurance to Australia (assumed) | AUD 120.00 | AUD 120.00 |
Value of the taxable importation | AUD 1,695.00 | AUD 1,620.00 |
GST at 10 percent | AUD 169.50 | AUD 162.00 |
Duty plus GST | AUD 244.50 | AUD 162.00 |
Import processing charge, electronic | AUD 50.00 | AUD 50.00 |
Biosecurity charge, air | AUD 48.00 | AUD 48.00 |
Government total at the border | AUD 342.50 | AUD 260.00 |
Sources: ABF Customs Tariff Schedule 3 chapters 61 and 62 and Schedule 6; ABF GST and other taxes; ABF Import Processing Charges; arithmetic by the author.
How Dragon Courier ships parcels to Australia
We send from Thailand door to door to Australia by air only, with all duties, costs and tariffs included in our fee. Nothing for you to pay on arrival in Australia. We take care of everything door to door including customs clearance.
We need the contents of the package and the receiver's name, address and contact number. The DAFF leaflet asks for a detailed description of what each item is and what it is made of. Gift, present or goods is not acceptable. Food, documents and medical items depend on the market, so contact our team with the item before booking.
Payment can be made via cash or bank transfer before export. We can provide any invoice you require. Insurance is required on every shipment and covers loss.
Claims and delays: terms and conditions. Prices: Australia destination page. Guides: customs declaration and commercial invoice from Thailand, DDP shipping from Thailand
About Dragon Courier
Dragon Courier is a family owned and managed company based in Bangkok. We have been in the logistics industry in Thailand for over 30 years and send more than 20,000 shipments a month to over 200 destinations worldwide.
Contacts and drop-off
Message Justin on LINE or WhatsApp +66 6-5937-0812. The office is +66 2656 9019 and the email is info@dragoncourier.com. For the price list, mention the item.
You can drop off your package until 5pm Monday to Saturday at our Bangkok office, which is located at 217/3 Crystal Garden Building, 3rd floor, Sukhumvit Soi 4, Klongtoey 10110. For a pickup, give us a specific date and time.
What happens if Australian biosecurity stops my parcel from Thailand?
Goods that do not meet the import conditions are destroyed or sent back to the sender. Some goods are treated first, 94 AUD per item for international mail, the importer pays. If goods are concealed the importer may face investigation and possible criminal prosecution.
Can I send instant noodles and snacks from Thailand to Australia?
Yes. Commercially made and packaged noodles with plant ingredients need no permit and no inspection. Flavour sachets from cattle, goat, sheep or pig need a foot and mouth disease free country label. Thailand is not on the DAFF list effective 18 March 2026. Check every snack by name in BICON before packing.
Is there GST on a AUD 500 parcel from Thailand to Australia?
No GST at the border on an A$500 package from Thailand. Goods of A$1,000 or less generally no duty, tax or charge at border. GST collected at sale when overseas seller registered. A seller registers once GST turnover from Australian sales reaches A$75,000.
Do goods made in Thailand pay less duty in Australia?
Under TAFTA, Thai originating goods are Free in every tariff line. The only exception is a short list including alcohol, tobacco and petroleum. The importer must hold a certificate of origin from an authorized body such as the Thai Department of Foreign Trade. Below 1,000 AUD there is no duty anyway. Without the certificate, clothing pays the 5% general rate.
Does Dragon Courier pay the duty and GST on parcels to Australia?
Yes. Duty and tax are included in our fee, so there is nothing more to pay in Australia. Biosecurity conditions set by DAFF apply to the contents of all packages sent to Australia. Ask our team before booking anything that needs a permit.
Shipping something from Thailand?
Tell us what you are sending and where it is going, and we will come back to you with a price and a realistic timeline.
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