International shipping guide to Australia

Are you looking for a freight forwarder in Australia, or one that specializes in shipping to that far-flung part of the world? Perhaps you are a business owner or executive based in Australia, with a need to get quotes for shipping your imports. Whatever your transportation needs, Shipa Freight’s network covers all the main trade routes for ocean and air freight to Australia and Tasmania.

While on the subject of routes, you’ll find some useful information on this page about the lanes used by freight companies in Australia and around the world, to move goods on behalf of international shippers. We have also provided some guidance on how to comply with Australian import rules and standards.

Procedures and Standards for Shipping to Australia

We are sharing the following details purely to help you stay informed about customs and border procedures for imports to Australia. As a Shipa Freight customer, you will not have to worry unduly about the obligations described here, as we take care of most border formalities. This includes the preparation and submission of customs declarations and supporting documents

If you send a shipment via ocean or air freight to Australia, with a goods value of more than $1,000 (AUD) you or your freight forwarder must declare it to the customs authorities using an import declaration form. As a commercial importer, you will be required to use one of two types of declaration:

• If you will be sending your imported goods directly to a customs-licensed warehouse, you must complete a Warehouse Declaration (N20).
• If you will forward your goods directly to your own facilities or those of your customers, you must use the Import Declaration (N10).

Australia has an online solution for lodging import declarations, known as the integrated cargo system (ICS). However, you can declare your goods using paper documents if you prefer. If so, the document you will need to complete is called an Import Declaration (N10) (Form B650).

Importing is Easier with a Freight Forwarder

As is the case in most countries, you may complete your import declarations yourself if you wish, but the Australian government strongly recommends that you use a customs broker or freight forwarder in Australia to clear your shipments through customs.

You can also use a forwarder or broker based outside of Australia. For example, Shipa Freight is an online forwarder with expertise in shipping to Australia—and many other countries around the globe.

Restricted and Prohibited Imports to Australia

Unlike the customs websites of some countries, the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service website is very user-friendly and easy to navigate.

This makes it very easy to check if the products or materials you are shipping to Australia are subject to any import restrictions or are prohibited. However, if you just want an ‘at a glance’ view of restricted imports, the main categories are listed below:

Products and Materials Subject to Import Restrictions in Australia

• Anabolic/androgenic substances
• Antibiotics
• Asbestos
• Dog and cat fur products
• Glazed ceramic ware
• Chewing tobacco
• Cigarette lighters
• Cosmetics containing toxic materials
• Crowd control equipment
• Cultural heritage goods
• Rough Diamonds
• Protrusion-type Dog collars
• Narcotics
• Endangered animal and plant species
• Novelty erasers
• Plastic explosives
• Firearms and Ammo
• Fish
• Electronic fly swatters
• Growth hormones
• Substances of human or animal origin
• Ice Pipes
• Incandescent lamps
• Daggers and knives
• Laser pointers
• Ozone-depleting substances
• Synthetic greenhouse gases
• Pencils containing toxic materials
• Pesticides and other hazardous chemicals
• Pornography and objectionable material
• Security Sensitive Ammonium Nitrate
• Signal jamming devices
• Suicide devices
• Tablet Presses
• Therapeutic substances and drugs
• Unmanufactured leaf tobacco
• Toys made from toxic materials
• Warfare Goods and other Weapons

Primary Shipping Routes for Ocean Freight to Australia

The information shared here relates to some of the main ocean freight routes for shipping to Australia. You may notice that we only cover port-to-port shipping legs here, but Shipa Freight also provides port-to-door and door-to-door shipping services to any location within Australian borders.

While you can send very small shipments by courier to Australia, more sizeable consignments of goods for international shipping must be transported as less than container load (LCL) or full container load (FCL) ocean freight.

5 Highest-volume Routes for Ocean Shipping to Australia

As container ships transport the largest proportion of inbound freight to Australia, there are many international shipping lanes connecting the country with its closest neighbors—as well as with faraway continents.

Shipping from the USA to Australia is rarely a problem, as most major shipping lines offer regular sailings between the two nations. The same is true for businesses wishing to export goods to Australia from Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and especially Asia. In fact, with East Asia being the closest continental landmass to Australia, it’s hardly surprising that this where the busiest routes are.

Four out of our top five high-volume ocean freight routes to Australia originate in either China or Japan. Here is the actual list, presented in no particular order:

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

Shipping to Australia: Longest and Shortest Routes

With the exception of Australia’s closest neighbors, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, most centers of international trade with Australia are a long way away. For businesses shipping from the US to Australia, the distances and hence, the transit times, are not so bad though, especially from ports on the US’s West Coast.

The longest transit times are associated with trade lanes from Europe, with one of the longest being a route from Barcelona in Spain, to Melbourne (located toward the Eastern end of Australia), which can involve a transit time of more than 60 days.

The shortest transit times are on routes from Southeast Asia (we will discount New Zealand since it is almost a domestic trading partner with Australia). The fastest ships embarking from Singapore for instance, can reach the Australian West Coast port of Fremantle in a mere eight days.

Ocean Freight Routes to Australian Ports

From America

Country of Origin	Port of Origin	Destination Port	Duration
Canada	Vancouver	Melbourne	26 Days
Canada	Vancouver	Sydney	43 Days
Canada	Vancouver	Brisbane	45 Days
Canada	Vancouver	Fremantle	37 Days
Colombia	Cartagena	Sydney	20 Days
Panama	Balboa	Sydney	18 Days
United States	Oakland	Sydney	33 Days
United States	Miami	Melbourne	59 Days
United States	Oakland	Brisbane	32 Days
United States	Oakland	Melbourne	38 Days
United States	Philadelphia	Sydney	36 Days
United States	Norfolk	Melbourne	37 Days
United States	Seattle	Sydney	40 Days
United States	Seattle	Melbourne	34 Days
United States	Seattle	Fremantle	37 Days
United States	Seattle	Adelaide	47 Days
United States	Mobile	Melbourne	52 Days
United States	Mobile	Sydney	52 Days
United States	Los Angeles	Melbourne	28 Days
United States	Long Beach	Sydney	33 Days
United States	Long Beach	Brisbane	36 Days
United States	Long Beach	Adelaide	45 Days
United States	Los Angeles	Sydney	32 Days
United States	Tacoma	Melbourne	34 Days
United States	Tacoma	Sydney	40 Days
United States	Tacoma	Brisbane	37 Days
United States	Savannah	Melbourne	49 Days
United States	Savannah	Sydney	48 Days
United States	Savannah	Brisbane	47 Days
United States	Savannah	Fremantle	34 Days
United States	Charleston	Melbourne	49 Days
United States	Charleston	Sydney	47 Days

From Europe

Country of Origin	Port of Origin	Destination Port	Duration
Belgium	Antwerp	Sydney	58 Days
Belgium	Antwerp	Melbourne	44 Days
Belgium	Antwerp	Brisbane	56 Days
Belgium	Antwerp	Adelaide	49Days
Germany	Bremerhaven	Sydney	55 Days
Germany	Bremerhaven	Melbourne	57 Days
Slovenia	Koper	Melbourne	42 Days
Slovenia	Koper	Sydney	51 Days
Slovenia	Koper	Brisbane	39 Days
Slovenia	Koper	Fremantle	34 Days
Spain	Barcelona	Sydney	46 days
Spain	Barcelona	Melbourne	64 Days
Spain	Barcelona	Brisbane	44 Days
Spain	Valencia	Melbourne	41 Days
Spain	Valencia	Sydney	43 Days
Sweden	Gothenburg	Sydney	57 Days
Sweden	Gothenburg	Brisbane	51 Days
Sweden	Gothenburg	Fremantle	49 Days
Sweden	Gothenburg	Melbourne	57 Days
United Kingdom	London Gateway	Sydney	43 Days
United Kingdom	London Gateway	Brisbane	41 Days
United Kingdom	London Gateway	Melbourne	43 Days
United Kingdom	London Gateway	Fremantle	45 Days
United Kingdom	London Gateway	Adelaide	53 Days
United Kingdom	Felixstowe	Sydney	43 Days
United Kingdom	Felixstowe	Melbourne	43 Days
United Kingdom	Felixstowe	Brisbane	39 Days
United Kingdom	Southampton	Sydney	43 Days
United Kingdom	Southampton	Brisbane	41 Days
United Kingdom	Southampton	Melbourne	43 Days
United Kingdom	Southampton	Fremantle	45 Days
United Kingdom	Southampton	Adelaide	53 Days

From Asia

Country of Origin	Port of Origin	Destination Port	Duration
Bangladesh	Chittagong	Sydney	21 Days
Bangladesh	Chittagong	Melbourne	23 Days
Bangladesh	Chittagong	Brisbane	22 Days
China	Shanghai	Brisbane	19 Days
China	Xiamen	Melbourne	21 Days
China	Shanghai	Adelaide	27 Days
China	Ningbo	Adelaide	24 Days
China	Xiamen	Sydney	23 Days
China	Shanghai	Sydney	15 Days
China	Qingdao	Fremantle	33 Days
China	Qingdao	Adelaide	28 Days
China	Qingdao	Melbourne	25 Days
China	Qingdao	Sydney	22 Days
China	Qingdao	Brisbane	19 Days
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Melbourne	13 Days
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Brisbane	15 Days
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Sydney	22 Days
Indonesia	Surabaya	Sydney	19 Days
Indonesia	Surabaya	Melbourne	21 Days
Indonesia	Surabaya	Fremantle	13 Days
Indonesia	Surabaya	Adelaide	24 Days
Indonesia	Jakarta	Adelaide	23 Days
Indonesia	Jakarta	Sydney	18 Days
Indonesia	Jakarta	Brisbane	14 Days
Indonesia	Jakarta	Fremantle	14 Days
Japan	Yokohama	Sydney	24 Days
Japan	Yokohama	Fremantle	33 Days
Japan	Yokohama	Adelaide	29 Days
Japan	Yokohama	Melbourne	26 Days
Japan	Yokohama	Brisbane	21 Days
Japan	Kobe	Sydney	21 Days
Japan	Kobe	Fremantle	19 Days
Japan	Osaka	Brisbane	20 Days
Japan	Kobe	Brisbane	22 Days
Malaysia	Port Klang	Melbourne	17 Days
Malaysia	Port Klang	Brisbane	13 Days
Malaysia	Port Klang	Sydney	15 Days
Malaysia	Port Klang	Adelaide	20 Days
Malaysia	Tanjung Pelepas	Brisbane	23 Days
Malaysia	Tanjung Pelepas	Fremantle	13 Days
Malaysia	Tanjung Pelepas	Melbourne	21 Days
Malaysia	Tanjung Pelepas	Sydney	21 Days
Philippines	Manila	Sydney	19 Days
Philippines	Manila	Melbourne	22 Days
Philippines	Manila	Fremantle	21 Days
Singapore	Singapore	Melbourne	15 Days
Singapore	Singapore	Adelaide	18 Days
Singapore	Singapore	Fremantle	8 Days
Singapore	Singapore	Brisbane	10 Days
Singapore	Singapore	Sydney	19 Days
South Korea	Busan	Brisbane	21 Days
South Korea	Busan	Melbourne	20 Days
South Korea	Busan	Sydney	22 Days
South Korea	Busan	Adelaide	33 Days
South Korea	Busan	Fremantle	25 Days
Taiwan	Kaohsiung	Fremantle	15 Days
Taiwan	Kaohsiung	Brisbane	18 Days
Taiwan	Kaohsiung	Sydney	18 Days
Taiwan	Kaohsiung	Melbourne	19 Days
Thailand	Laem Chabang	Adelaide	23 Days
Thailand	Laem Chabang	Fremantle	15 Days
Thailand	Laem Chabang	Melbourne	20 Days
Thailand	Laem Chabang	Sydney	23 Days
Thailand	Laem Chabang	Brisbane	24 Days
Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh City	Fremantle	14 Days
Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh City	Sydney	20 Days
Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh City	Melbourne	23 Days

Air Freight to Australia

The information presented here relates to some of the main air freight routes serving Australia. You may notice that we only cover airport-to-airport shipping legs on this page, but Shipa Freight also provides port-to-door and door-to-door services to any destination in Australia.

Busiest Routes for Air Freight to Australia

A lot of air freight to Australia arrives as cargo on passenger airliners, which of course fly to the country from hundreds of worldwide locations. However, the number of dedicated freighters in use on Australian routes is not as high as in some other regions. The busiest routes are those coming in from New Zealand and Singapore, with the following five routes being among the most popular:

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

Shortest Routes for Air Freight to Australia…

Unless you slept through every geography class at school, you probably don’t need the wisdom of a freight forwarder in Australia to advise you that the country’s neighbor, New Zealand is, relatively speaking, not too far away. What might surprise you though is that the two countries are not quite as close together as they seem on a map.

Although air freight routes between New Zealand and Australia are the shortest in terms of distance and transit time, it is still a three-hour flight from Wellington in New Zealand, to the Eastern Australian city of Brisbane.

…And the Longest

If the shortest route to Australia is pretty long, the longest route is a major test of endurance for freighter flight crews. If you will be shipping from the US to Australia, try to avoid sending your freight from either Dallas or Houston in Texas, unless you have your production or distribution centers in either of those cities.

Houston and Dallas are the departure points for the longest flights to Australia, and your cargo will be in transit for a whopping 17 hours if it’s going to Sydney. Ideally, you won’t want the addition of major truck-freight mileage to increase the overall transit time of your shipments.

Air Freight: Some Examples of Routes to Australia

From America

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

From Asia and Oceania

Country of Origin	Airport of Origin	Destination Airport	Duration(Approx.)
China	Beijing	Melbourne	11 Hours
China	Beijing	Sydney	11 Hours
China	Shanghai	Sydney	10 Hours
China	Shanghai	Melbourne	10 Hours
China	Shanghai	Brisbane	10 Hours
China	Guangzhou	Sydney	9 Hours
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Sydney	9 Hours
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Melbourne	9 Hours
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Brisbane	8 Hours
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Perth	8 Hours
Japan	Tokyo	Sydney	9 Hours
Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur	Sydney	8 hours
Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur	Melbourne	7 Hours
Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur	Perth	6 Hours
New Zealand	Auckland	Sydney	4 Hours
New Zealand	Auckland	Melbourne	4 Hours
New Zealand	Christchurch	Brisbane	4 Hours
New Zealand	Christchurch	Sydney	3 Hours
New Zealand	Christchurch	Melbourne	4 Hours
New Zealand	Auckland	Adelaide	4 Hours
New Zealand	Wellington	Sydney	3 Hours
New Zealand	Wellington	Brisbane	3 Hours
New Zealand	Wellington	Melbourne	3 Hours
Singapore	Singapore	Brisbane	7 Hours
Singapore	Singapore	Melbourne	7 Hours
Singapore	Singapore	Perth	5 Hours
Singapore	Singapore	Darwin	5 Hours
Singapore	Singapore	Adelaide	6 Hours
South Korea	Seoul	Sydney	10 Hours
South Korea	Seoul	Brisbane	10 Hours
Thailand	Bangkok	Sydney	9 Hours

Need a Freight Forwarder for Australia… or Anywhere?

At Shipa Freight, we understand that importing and exporting to Australia can entail long transit times and high costs when compared to other regional markets.

We built our online platform on a database containing thousands of freight routes, and the global network of our parent company, Agility Logistics, includes offices in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia.

In short, Shipa Freight is equipped to offer affordable shipping to Australia from hundreds of locations globally. We can also help you move your commercial imports and exports across borders without delays—a critical factor for success in global commerce.

Before you spend too much time looking up freight companies in Australia, try our platform by requesting a quick quote for your next air or ocean freight shipment.