International shipping guide from Australia

When you have freight that needs shipping from Australia to any global location, you’ll find plenty of shipping companies in Australia prepared to help you.

Alternatively, you can choose to work with one of the large global freight forwarders or an online freight company like Shipa Freight. Of all these options, you might find the easiest way to start is with a quick online quote from the Shipa Freight platform. It only takes a moment to get an instant quote.

If the trade lane you require is not in our online database, our team will get right to work to provide you with a customized quote for your shipment of freight from Australia.

While you’re waiting, you might like to scan through the facts and information on this page about some of the practicalities of exporting goods from Australia, the routes available, and the transit times involved.

International Shipping from Australia: Standards and Procedures

In comparison with many countries, the Australian government is not overly prescriptive about control of exports, but of course, you will still need to submit export declarations before the customs authorities will clear your shipments to leave the port or airport of origin.

Making the Customs Declaration for Exports

It is possible to make a customs declaration using a paper document, but the process is much simpler if you use the ICS, which is Australia’s online solution for customs declarations. Of course, customs declarations of any type are rarely simple, which is why they are best completed and submitted by logistics specialists with knowledge of customs clearance procedures.

Most shipping companies in Australia will be prepared to complete and file your export declarations for you, but you will need to provide them with all the necessary information. At Shipa Freight, our platform’s integrated compliance engine will prompt you to provide all information necessary to fulfill Australian customs requirements.

Just to be clear, if you book your shipments with Shipa Freight, you will not need to complete or file the declaration—we will do that for you.

Customs Client Registration

If you are the owner of the goods to be shipped from Australia, or if your company owns them, you will require either an Australian Business Number (ABN) or a Customs Client Identifier (CCID) number in order to make an export declaration. This is a mandatory requirement, even if you are using Shipa Freight or one of the many shipping companies in Australia to arrange clearance on your behalf.

If you should decide to submit the export declaration yourself, you will find a lot more information about it, along with instructions for completing the ICS forms at the Australian Bureau of Statistics website.

Restrictions on Shipping Freight from Australia

The Australian government places restrictions, similar to those in many other countries, on the export of products and materials that can be used for military purposes. For example, high-performance computers require special permissions to export, unless the exporter can prove that they have a specific, non-military application.

As it’s not necessarily easy to know if your products are subject to dual-use regulation, you can perform a check to see if they appear on the Defence and Strategic Goods List (DSGL). The government provides a tool to help you carry out such a check. The DSGL tool can be found on the website of the Australian Department of Defence website.

Other products that are restricted or regulated for export include Australian wine, which when exported in quantities of over 100 liters, can only be cleared on presentation of an export license, a product registration certificate, and an export permit.

If you are shipping any type of products or materials not mentioned in this section, and you’re unsure if your goods are subject to export restrictions, you should be able to check with the company that will manage your transportation. Most of the better shipping companies in Australia will be pleased to help you comply with any applicable rules and regulations.

Trade Lanes for Ocean Freight from Australia

The following information is intended to familiarize you with some of the main ocean freight routes for shipping from Australia. Although the details you see in this section relate only to port-to-port, shipping legs, Shipa Freight also offers port-to-door and door-to-door shipping services between Australia and any of 100 countries around the world.

If you will be engaging regularly in international shipping from Australia, it helps to be aware of some of the trade lanes that exist and the transit times they involve. While ocean freight is the slowest form of transportation, it is also the least expensive compared with using air freight or even the services of an international courier in Australia.

Most Popular Ocean Lanes for Shipping from Australia

While shipping from Australia to USA, European, South American, and even African ports is popular, the greatest volumes of freight are moved between Australia and Asia. This will be evident from any study of the most popular ocean freight routes, including the following top-five list we’ve compiled for your interest:

• Brisbane to Yokohama (Japan)
• Melbourne to Qingdao (China)
• Brisbane to Ningbo (China)
• Brisbane to Shanghai (China)
• Sydney to Cartagena (Colombia)

Ocean Freight from Australia: The Shortest and Longest Transit Times

With the exception of New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, which are close neighbors to Australia, the rest of the world is a long way away, so most ocean freight routes involve considerable time in transit for shippers’ cargo.

The shortest of these lanes link Australia with Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. One of the fastest routes, with the shortest transit time, connects the Australian port of Adelaide with Singapore, and involves a mere nine days of transit time.

Shipping from Australia can involve some very long transit times, although container vessels can reach ports in the western states of California and Washington in less than three weeks. However, the route from Brisbane to Savannah in Georgia is one of the longest, taking as much as 57 days from port to port.

Route List: Shipping from Australia worldwide destinations

Please note that all transit times shown in the list below are for your interest and general guidance only. They are not guaranteed to be precise, and your freight may be in transit for more or less time than the charts indicate.

To America

Port of Origin	Destination Country	Destination Port	Approximate Duration
Melbourne	Canada	Vancouver	36 Days
Sydney	Canada	Vancouver	35 Days
Brisbane	Canada	Vancouver	30 Days
Fremantle	Canada	Vancouver	43 Days
Melbourne	Colombia	Cartagena	28 Days
Melbourne	Panama	Balboa	22 Days
Sydney	Panama	Balboa	18 Days
Sydney	United States	Oakland	49 Days
Melbourne	United States	Miami	49 Days
Brisbane	United States	Oakland	48 Days
Melbourne	United States	Oakland	46 Days
Melbourne	United States	Norfolk	49 Days
Sydney	United States	Seattle	35 Days
Melbourne	United States	Seattle	35 Days
Fremantle	United States	Seattle	34 Days
Adelaide	United States	Seattle	46 Days
Melbourne	United States	Mobile	49 Days
Sydney	United States	Mobile	55 Days
Melbourne	United States	Los Angeles	36 Days
Sydney	United States	Long Beach	37 Days
Brisbane	United States	Long Beach	27 Days
Adelaide	United States	Long Beach	41 Days
Sydney	United States	Los Angeles	37 Days
Melbourne	United States	Tacoma	38 Days
Sydney	United States	Tacoma	35 Days
Brisbane	United States	Tacoma	30 Days
Melbourne	United States	Savannah	46 Days
Sydney	United States	Savannah	51 Days
Brisbane	United States	Savannah	57 Days
Fremantle	United States	Savannah	42 Days
Melbourne	United States	Charleston	50 Days
Sydney	United States	Charleston	53 Days
Melbourne	United States	Charleston	49 Days

To Europe

Port of Origin	Destination Country	Destination Port	Approximate Duration
Sydney	Belgium	Antwerp	42 Days
Melbourne	Belgium	Antwerp	43 Days
Brisbane	Belgium	Antwerp	47 Days
Adelaide	Belgium	Antwerp	40 Days
Sydney	Germany	Bremerhaven	46 Day
Melbourne	Germany	Bremerhaven	48 Days
Melbourne	Slovenia	Koper	45 Day
Sydney	Slovenia	Koper	43 Day
Brisbane	Slovenia	Koper	47 Day
Fremantle	Slovenia	Koper	34 Day
Sydney	Spain	Barcelona	40 Day
Melbourne	Spain	Barcelona	39 Day
Brisbane	Spain	Barcelona	47 Day
Melbourne	Spain	Valencia	40 Day
Sydney	Spain	Valencia	41 Day
Sydney	Sweden	Gothenburg	42 Day
Brisbane	Sweden	Gothenburg	44 Day
Fremantle	Sweden	Gothenburg	33 Day
Melbourne	Sweden	Gothenburg	44 Day
Sydney	United Kingdom	London Gateway	41 Day
Brisbane	United Kingdom	London Gateway	45 Days
Melbourne	United Kingdom	London Gateway	41 Days
Fremantle	United Kingdom	London Gateway	41 Days
Adelaide	United Kingdom	London Gateway	39 Days
Sydney	United Kingdom	Felixstowe	41 Days
Melbourne	United Kingdom	Felixstowe	41 Days
Brisbane	United Kingdom	Felixstowe	45 Days
Sydney	United Kingdom	Southampton	41 Days
Brisbane	United Kingdom	Southampton	45 Days
Melbourne	United Kingdom	Southampton	41 Days
Fremantle	United Kingdom	Southampton	31 Days
Adelaide	United Kingdom	Southampton	39 Days

To Asia

Port of Origin	Destination Country	Destination Port	Approximate Duration
Sydney	Bangladesh	Chittagong	24 Days
Melbourne	Bangladesh	Chittagong	21 Days
Brisbane	Bangladesh	Chittagong	27 Days
Sydney	China	Qingdao	19 Days
Brisbane	China	Shanghai	20 Days
Melbourne	China	Shanghai	25 Days
Adelaide	China	Shanghai	24 Days
Adelaide	China	Ningbo	25 Days
Sydney	China	Xiamen	32 Days
Sydney	China	Shanghai	27 Days
Melbourne	Hong Kong	Hong Kong	17 Days
Brisbane	Hong Kong	Hong Kong	13 Days
Sydney	Indonesia	Surabaya	21 Days
Melbourne	Indonesia	Surabaya	19 Days
Fremantle	Indonesia	Surabaya	11 Days
Adelaide	Indonesia	Surabaya	16 Days
Adelaide	Indonesia	Jakarta	13 Days
Sydney	Indonesia	Jakarta	13 Days
Brisbane	Indonesia	Jakarta	16 Days
Fremantle	Indonesia	Jakarta	10 Days
Sydney	Japan	Yokohama	13 Days
Fremantle	Japan	Yokohama	25 Days
Adelaide	Japan	Yokohama	29 Days
Melbourne	Japan	Yokohama	15 Days
Brisbane	Japan	Yokohama	10 Days
Sydney	Japan	Kobe	24 Days
Melbourne	Japan	Kobe	24 Days
Fremantle	Japan	Kobe	18 Days
Brisbane	Japan	Osaka	11 Days
Brisbane	Japan	Kobe	17 Days
Melbourne	Malaysia	Port Klang	14 Days
Brisbane	Malaysia	Port Klang	19 Days
Sydney	Malaysia	Port Klang	17 Days
Adelaide	Malaysia	Port Klang	11 Days
Brisbane	Malaysia	Tanjung Pelepas	26 Days
Fremantle	Malaysia	Tanjung Pelepas	14 Days
Melbourne	Malaysia	Tanjung Pelepas	19 Days
Sydney	Malaysia	Tanjung Pelepas	19 Days
Sydney	Philippines	Manila	30 Days
Melbourne	Philippines	Manila	26 Days
Fremantle	Philippines	Manila	17 Days
Melbourne	Singapore	Singapore	12 Days
Adelaide	Singapore	Singapore	9 Days
Fremantle	Singapore	Singapore	11 Days
Brisbane	Singapore	Singapore	17 Days
Sydney	Singapore	Singapore	14 Days
Brisbane	South Korea	Busan	13 Days

Air Freight from Australia

The following information covers some of the main air freight routes from Australia. Although you will only find airport-to-airport shipping details here, Shipa Freight provides a full range of transportation services, including port-to-door and door-to-door shipment from Australia to destinations in 100 countries.

Air freight is a fast, but typically costly way of shipping from Australia to any global location. However, if your shipments are time critical, there is certainly no better way to ship them than by air.

The economy of air freight will depend upon the size of your shipments. If your shipments are small, perhaps comprising single orders for direct dispatch to customers, you may be better off trying a courier in Australia, to see if this might be a less expensive method than air freight for shipping your goods to overseas destinations.

However, if you should decide that air freight is the right solution, the following information about routes and transit times may be useful.

Most Popular Routes for Air Freight from Australia

The most popular air freight lanes for Australian shippers are the ones connecting them with customers elsewhere in the ASEAN region. Five of the busiest routes are…

• Sydney to Auckland ( New Zealand)
• Melbourne to Auckland ( New Zealand)
• Melbourne to Singapore
• Sydney to Singapore
• Brisbane to Christchurch (New Zealand)

Longest and Shortest Transit Times: Air Freight from Australia

Some of the longest transit times from Australia for air freight are associated with routes to the United States. While air-freight shipping is infinitely faster than ocean freight, some routes involve transit times that are quite excessive by air transportation standards. The route from Sydney to Houston in Texas is one of the longest, taking 17 hours in total.

The shortest routes of course, are between Australia and New Zealand. Cargo flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and other Australian airports, to Auckland, Christchurch, or Wellington in New Zealand, involve transit times of around three hours.

Air Freight Routes for International Shipping from Australia

Please note that all transit times shown in the list below are for your interest and general guidance. They show flight durations for direct routes only, and your freight may be in transit for more or less time than the charts indicate.

To the Americas

Airport of Origin	Destination Country	Destination Airport	Approximate Duration
Sydney	Canada	Vancouver	14 Hours
Brisbane	Canada	Vancouver	13 Hours
Melbourne	United States	Los Angeles	15 Hours
Sydney	United States	Los Angeles	14 Hours
Brisbane	United States	Los Angeles	14 Hours
Sydney	United States	San Francisco	13 Hours
Sydney	United States	Dallas	16Hours
Sydney	United States	Houston	17 Hours

To Asia/ Oceania

Airport of Origin	Destination Country	Destination Airport	Approximate Duration
Sydney	China	Beijing	12 Hours
Melbourne	China	Beijing	11 Hours
Sydney	China	Shanghai	11 Hours
Melbourne	China	Shanghai	10 Hours
Sydney	China	Chongqing	10 Hours
Sydney	Japan	Tokyo	9 Hours
Brisbane	Hong Kong	Hong Kong	8 Hours
Sydney	Hong Kong	Hong Kong	9 Hours
Melbourne	Hong Kong	Hong Kong	9 Hours
Sydney	New Zealand	Auckland	3 Hours
Melbourne	New Zealand	Auckland	4 Hours
Brisbane	New Zealand	Christchurch	3 Hours
Sydney	New Zealand	Christchurch	3 hours
Adelaide	New Zealand	Auckland	4 Hours
Sydney	New Zealand	Wellington	3 Hours
Brisbane	New Zealand	Wellington	3 Hours
Melbourne	New Zealand	Wellington	3 Hours
Perth	Singapore	Singapore	5 hours
Sydney	Singapore	Singapore	8 Hours
Melbourne	Singapore	Singapore	8 Hours
Adelaide	Singapore	Singapore	7 Hours
Sydney	Singapore	Singapore	8 Hours
Sydney	Seoul	South Korea	10 Hours
Brisbane	Seoul	South Korea	10 Hours
Sydney	Taiwan	Taipei	9 Hours
Brisbane	Taiwan	Taipei	9 Hours
Sydney	Thailand	Bangkok	9 Hours

Shipa Freight from Australia: When Your Freight Won’t Wait

It can be difficult to know which approach is best for shipping goods from Australia to anywhere around the world, especially when time is of the essence. After all, a courier in Australia will enable you to dispatch shipments quickly and easily, but only if those shipments are very small.

On the other hand, it can take days or even weeks to receive quotes for air or ocean freight from shipping companies in Australia.

Shipa Freight offers you the best of both worlds. We have the logistics resources and network to manage shipments of any size, yet our industry-leading digital platform gives you the speed you need, by providing you with fast quotes and enabling you to book, pay, and track your freight online.

If you don’t want to wait any longer to get your freight shipped from Australia, visit our home page to get started now.