Moving to Australia means clearing one of the strictest biosecurity regimes on earth, securing the right visa through the Department of Home Affairs, and shipping your life 10,000+ kilometres by sea over roughly 10-14 weeks door-to-door. This pillar guide walks the whole journey end to end — visas, how your belongings travel, customs and the Unaccompanied Personal Effects (B534) concession, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) quarantine rules, pets, money (the AUSTRAC AUD 10,000 threshold), and settling in with a TFN, Medicare and superannuation. Every figure below is drawn from current official Australian sources and linked inline; rules change, so verify with the relevant authority before you ship.

Key takeaways

• Visas run on points. Skilled independent (189), nominated (190) and regional (491) visas need a minimum of 65 points, though real invitation cut-offs sit far higher — check SkillSelect via Home Affairs.
• Sea freight is the norm and it is slow. Budget roughly 10-14 weeks door-to-door from the UK/Europe for a container; air freight is days but costs multiples more.
• Australia’s biosecurity is unforgiving. Anything made of, or contaminated by, plant or animal material is a risk — declare it on the B534 and check BICON before shipping.
• Used personal effects can enter duty- and GST-free under the Unaccompanied Personal Effects concession if you meet the ownership and residency conditions — via the ABF B534 statement.
• Pets go to Mickleham. Every eligible cat and dog completes a minimum 10-day stay at the government PEQ facility in Victoria — home quarantine is not permitted.
• You must report AUD 10,000+ in cash moving in or out of Australia to AUSTRAC.
• Settling in = TFN + Medicare + super. A free TFN from the ATO, Medicare enrolment where eligible, and 12% employer super are the three pillars of Australian life.

1. Visas: your legal basis to live in Australia

Your visa determines everything else — how long you can stay, whether you can work, and whether you qualify for Medicare. The main permanent skilled routes are the Skilled Independent (subclass 189), Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) and provisional Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visas, all managed through SkillSelect. All three require a minimum of 65 points on the points test, but nomination adds 5 points (190) and regional living adds 15 points (491), and in practice competitive occupations demand far more — always confirm current settings on the Home Affairs points calculator.

If you have an employer, the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa lets an approved sponsor nominate you for a role on the Core Skills Occupation List, valid for 2-5 years depending on stream — see Home Affairs subclass 482. Partners of Australians apply for the subclass 820/801 (onshore) or 309/100 (offshore) partner visa, a two-stage temporary-then-permanent pathway. Visa selection is a specialist decision; the Department of Home Affairs is the only authoritative source for eligibility and processing times.

2. How your belongings travel: sea vs air

Almost all household goods travel by sea freight in either a Full Container Load (FCL — your own 20ft or 40ft container) or a shared Less than Container Load (LCL/groupage). The ocean leg from Europe or the UK is long, and once you add packing, port handling and customs clearance at both ends, a realistic door-to-door timeline is around 10-14 weeks for FCL/LCL and longer for groupage. Plan your interim living arrangements around that gap — you will land well before your container does.

Air freight delivers in days rather than months but costs several times more per cubic metre, so it is best reserved for a small "arrival kit" of essentials. A common strategy is a small air shipment for what you need immediately, with the bulk following by sea. Whichever mode you choose, the biosecurity and customs rules below apply identically.

3. Customs and the Unaccompanied Personal Effects (B534) concession

When your goods arrive separately from you (which they almost always do), they are treated as unaccompanied personal effects and must be declared to the Australian Border Force on the B534 Unaccompanied Personal Effects Statement, submitted online or on paper — see the DAFF moving/immigrating guidance. This single form serves both ABF (customs) and DAFF (biosecurity).

The good news: genuinely used personal and household effects that you have owned and used can generally enter free of customs duty and GST under the UPE concession, provided you meet the ownership and arrival conditions. The concession is not open-ended — you cannot use it to import effects long after you settle, and if goods arrive before you do you may need to show intent to travel (an airline ticket, work contract or study offer). New goods, alcohol, tobacco and motor vehicles fall outside the concession and are assessed separately. Confirm current eligibility with the ABF before shipping.

4. Biosecurity: Australia’s defining rule

This is where Australian moves succeed or fail. DAFF treats every imported personal-effects consignment as subject to biosecurity control, and is interested in anything that originated from a plant or animal — timber, wooden artefacts, cane and wicker, wool, feathers, seeds, soil, food, and plant-based handicrafts. Before you pack, check each item of concern in the Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON), which tells you whether an item is permitted, needs treatment, or requires an import permit.

The single biggest cause of delays is timber and wooden goods. DAFF requires wooden items to be clean and free of bark, insects, soil and other contaminants — inspect furniture, artefacts and musical instruments for fresh holes, sawdust-like powder or tunnels that signal live pests. On arrival, goods are inspected by a departmental officer; if biosecurity risk material is found, items are withheld and any treatment (fumigation, cleaning, or destruction) is at your expense. Anything used outdoors — bikes, camping gear, garden tools, shoes, vacuum cleaners — should be scrupulously cleaned of soil and seeds before it goes in the container. Declaring items honestly on the B534 is not optional; false declarations carry serious penalties.

5. Bringing pets: import permit and Mickleham quarantine

Cats and dogs can be brought to Australia but the process is long, sequential and unforgiving of timing errors. You must first obtain an import permit through BICON, which can only be applied for after the required rabies vaccination and rabies antibody titre test (RNATT) are complete — and there is a mandatory 180-day wait after the valid RNATT blood sample before entry. Start planning 7-12 months ahead.

Every eligible cat and dog must complete post-entry quarantine at the government Mickleham facility in Victoria (135 Donnybrook Road, Mickleham) — home quarantine is not permitted and all pets arrive into Melbourne. The minimum stay is 10 days, and the standard quarantine fee for that stay is published on the DAFF fees page (indicatively around AUD 1,877, plus import permit, flights, testing and pet-transport costs — confirm current fees with DAFF).

Check current species and breed rules in BICON before you commit to anything: certain dog breeds are prohibited, and restrictions do change. In particular, Bengal cats can no longer be imported into Australia — a full ban took effect on 1 March 2026 under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, ending the former 5th-generation exemption (owners with that exemption had to have their cat in Australia before 5pm on 28 February 2026). This is an environmental decision by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), separate from DAFF’s biosecurity rules. Confirm every step with DAFF (and, for hybrid animals, DCCEEW) before booking anything.

6. Money: the AUSTRAC AUD 10,000 report

There is no limit on how much money you can bring into or take out of Australia, but you must report physical currency of AUD 10,000 or more (or foreign equivalent) when you cross the border — carried on you, in luggage, or sent by freight, courier or post. The declaration is made to AUSTRAC via a Cross-Border Movement report, and the obligation also covers bearer negotiable instruments such as cheques and money orders. Failing to report can mean seizure of the funds and criminal penalties, so if you are moving savings as cash, declare it. For larger sums, an electronic bank transfer is simpler and is not subject to the physical-currency report (though your bank has its own AML checks).

7. Settling in: TFN, Medicare, superannuation and banking

Tax File Number (TFN). Your first administrative task. A TFN is a free, nine-digit ATO identifier used for employment, banking, super and tax returns. New migrants with work rights can apply online once they have an Australian address; without one, employers withhold tax at the top rate. Your tax residency also matters — foreign residents don’t get the tax-free threshold and pay 30% on income up to AUD 135,000, so confirm your status with the ATO.

Medicare. Permanent residents and eligible visa holders enrol in Medicare through Services Australia for subsidised healthcare. If you are moving from one of the 11 Reciprocal Health Care Agreement countries — including the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Malta and Slovenia — you may access medically necessary care even before permanent residency, though most still need to enrol.

Superannuation. Employers must pay 12% of your ordinary earnings into a super fund (the legislated rate since 1 July 2025), capped at a maximum contribution base of AUD 270,830 for 2026-27 — see ATO super guarantee. Give your fund your TFN so contributions aren’t taxed at penalty rates.

Banking. Open an Australian bank account early — many banks let you open one before you arrive. You’ll need it for salary, super and everyday life, and you’ll provide your TFN to avoid withholding tax on interest.

8. A realistic timeline

• 6-12 months before: confirm visa; if bringing pets, start the rabies/RNATT/180-day clock.
• 2-3 months before: book your international mover; declutter aggressively (you pay to ship volume); pre-clean outdoor gear for biosecurity.
• Moving month: container packed and sailed; carry passports, visa grants and an air-freight arrival kit.
• On arrival: apply for TFN, open/activate banking, enrol in Medicare, give super and TFN details to your employer.
• ~10-14 weeks after: sea container clears customs and biosecurity inspection; delivery to your Australian home.

9. Moving from Australia

Leaving works in reverse, with two Australia-specific items. If you were here on a temporary visa, you can usually reclaim your super via a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP) after you leave and your visa ceases — but note that permanent residents are not eligible, and funds transfer to the ATO as unclaimed money if you don’t claim within six months. Second, the same AUSTRAC AUD 10,000 cash-report rule applies on the way out. Your household goods leaving Australia must meet the destination country’s customs and biosecurity rules, so check the authority at the other end early.

How Flyto handles this

Flyto runs a single door-to-door PLATINUM service for international moves to or from Australia — one team owning the whole chain: export packing, sea or air freight, ABF customs and the B534 concession, DAFF biosecurity inspection, and final delivery and unpacking at your Australian address (or, on the way out, to your destination overseas). Because Australia is an intercontinental corridor, it is Platinum-only: full-service, fully managed, with your belongings handled once and correctly against the world’s strictest quarantine regime. Pets, timber-heavy inventories and biosecurity paperwork are exactly the friction points our single point of contact is built to absorb.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to ship my belongings to Australia?
By sea, plan for roughly 10-14 weeks door-to-door from the UK or Europe. Air freight arrives in days but costs far more, so it’s best for essentials only.

Do I pay duty and GST on my household goods?
Genuinely used personal effects you’ve owned and used can generally enter free of duty and GST under the Unaccompanied Personal Effects concession, declared on the B534. New goods, vehicles, alcohol and tobacco are assessed separately.

What’s most likely to be held up at the border?
Anything made of or contaminated by plant/animal material — especially unclean timber, outdoor gear with soil, food and seeds. Check every item in BICON and clean thoroughly before packing.

Can my dog or cat avoid quarantine?
No. Eligible cats and dogs complete a minimum 10-day stay at the Mickleham facility; home quarantine isn’t allowed, and you need a BICON import permit and a 180-day post-RNATT wait first. Note that some breeds are barred entirely — Bengal cats cannot be imported since the 1 March 2026 ban.

How much cash can I bring in?
Any amount, but you must report AUD 10,000 or more (or foreign equivalent) to AUSTRAC on entry or exit. Bank transfers avoid the physical-currency report.

What should I sort out first after landing?
Apply for your free TFN, activate banking, enrol in Medicare if eligible, and give your employer your super and TFN details.

Can I get my superannuation back when I leave?
If you were on a temporary visa, yes — via a DASP. Permanent residents cannot claim it.

Sources

• DAFF — Moving to Australia / importing personal effects
• DAFF — Preparing your personal effects for shipment
• DAFF — Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON)
• DAFF — Mickleham Post Entry Quarantine facility
• DAFF — Cats and dogs quarantine fees
• DCCEEW — New policy for importing Bengal cats
• Australian Border Force — Importing
• AUSTRAC — Moving money overseas
• Home Affairs — SkillSelect
• Home Affairs — Points calculator
• Home Affairs — Skills in Demand (subclass 482)
• Home Affairs — Partner visa (subclass 820)
• ATO — TFN application for migrants and temporary visitors
• ATO — Your tax residency
• ATO — Super guarantee rates
• ATO — Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP)
• Services Australia — Enrolling in Medicare
• Services Australia — Reciprocal Health Care Agreements