Shipping from India to Australia 2026 – moving household goods from India to Sydney, Melbourne and Perth
Shipping from India to Australia follows one of the fastest-growing skilled-migration corridors in the world: India is now Australia’s largest source of permanent migrants, and Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide have Indian communities that number in the hundreds of thousands. Most families arrive with suitcases – but those on permanent visas, families joining relatives and professionals on long contracts increasingly ship a household. A move from India to Australia is a sea-freight project with the strictest biosecurity regime in the world at the other end, and a container that arrives with a dusty prayer mat, a wooden temple with bark on the back, or a bag of rice gets opened, cleaned and billed.
Flyto Relocation arranges door-to-door moves from India to Australia through vetted partner crews in India, ocean freight contracted with established carriers, and destination partners in every Australian capital. We do not own ships and we do not claim an office in India – we manage the freight, the paperwork at both ends and the delivery, and stay your single point of contact throughout.
How much does shipping from India to Australia cost?
Indicative 2026 market ranges for door-to-door moves from India – not a Flyto price list. Your exact price is calculated from your volume, origin and destination cities and address conditions.
| Shipment | Typical volume | Perth | Sydney / Melbourne / Brisbane | Transit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shared container (LCL) | 3–10 m³ | USD 2,000–4,200 | USD 2,300–4,800 | 6–9 weeks |
| Shared container (LCL) | 10–15 m³ | USD 3,600–6,200 | USD 4,000–6,800 | 6–9 weeks |
| 20 ft dedicated container | up to ~28 m³ | USD 5,800–9,200 | USD 6,300–10,000 | 4–6 weeks |
| 40 ft dedicated container | up to ~58 m³ | USD 8,500–13,000 | USD 9,200–14,500 | 4–6 weeks |
| Air freight (essentials) | 1–3 m³ | USD 1,800–4,000 | USD 1,900–4,200 | 5–10 days |
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Perth is the closest Australian port to India and usually the cheapest; the east coast adds a week and a few hundred dollars. Prices exclude the Australian quarantine inspection by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (typically AUD 300–900), any cleaning or fumigation DAFF orders, and storage if your Australian address is not ready. INR prices are quoted at the current rate on request.
Australian customs and biosecurity
Household goods you have owned and used for at least 12 months are duty- and GST-free when you arrive to live in Australia, declared on the Unaccompanied Personal Effects Statement (form B534) with your passport, visa details and a full inventory. New items, anything bought in the last 12 months and alcohol are dutiable.
Biosecurity is where Indian shipments most often fail, and the reasons are specific. DAFF targets food of any kind – rice, dal, spices, pickles, tea, sweets, even sealed – along with plant and animal material, untreated wood and used outdoor equipment. Wooden furniture and religious items carved from raw timber are inspected for bark and borer and often fumigated; brass, steel and stone are fine. Prayer mats, rugs, cane and jute furniture must be spotless. Cricket bats, bikes and shoes are cleaned before packing. Coconut, mango and neem products, feathers, shells, seeds and dried flowers are prohibited. Our crews document the preparation at loading, because the alternative is fumigation or destruction in Australia at your cost.
Leaving India: export formalities
Household goods leave India as unaccompanied baggage under a personal-effects declaration: passport copy, Australian visa grant, a packing list and a declaration that the goods are used and personal. Our Indian partner crews prepare the export documentation and clear at Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Chennai or Kochi. Antiques and items over 100 years old need an Archaeological Survey of India certificate.
Shipping from India: the route
Collection and export packing at home, photographed inventory (which becomes your B534 list), export clearance at the port, then the ocean leg – often via Singapore or Colombo – to Fremantle (Perth), Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or Adelaide. Customs and quarantine inspection take one to three weeks on arrival; the destination partner then delivers, unpacks if booked and removes the packing material. Shared containers wait for consolidation and take two to three weeks longer than dedicated ones.
Booking window: 6–8 weeks before your preferred collection date for a dedicated container, 8–10 weeks for a shared container. Monsoon months (June–September) can delay collection in Mumbai, Kochi and Chennai; we build that into the schedule.
Packing for the voyage
A container from India spends four to nine weeks at sea through the tropics. Export packing – double-walled cartons, blankets and stretch wrap, crates for glass, stone and artwork, desiccant against monsoon humidity – is what stops mould, warping and breakage. India and Australia both run on 230 V/50 Hz, so appliances work with a plug adapter and are worth shipping. Liquids, aerosols, batteries and gas cylinders are prohibited in sea freight.
Why Flyto for shipping from India to Australia
One contract and one fixed price for the whole door-to-door move including the ocean leg, Indian export clearance and Australian customs brokerage; export-grade packing with a photographed inventory that doubles as your B534 list; vetted crews in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi and Pune and destination partners in every Australian capital; and honest logistics – we tell you upfront exactly what DAFF will pull from an Indian household, rather than letting the inspection tell you at your expense.
Frequently asked questions
How long does shipping from India to Australia take?
Four to six weeks door to door for a dedicated container, six to nine for a shared container, including customs and quarantine on arrival.
Are my household goods duty-free in Australia?
Yes, if you have owned and used them for at least 12 months and declare them on form B534. New items and alcohol are dutiable.
Can I ship spices, rice and pickles?
No. Food of any kind is the most common reason Indian shipments are held by DAFF. Ship the kitchen equipment, not the pantry.
Can I ship my wooden temple or carved furniture?
Yes, if it is free of bark and borer; raw or rough-cut timber is often fumigated at your cost. Brass and stone items are unproblematic.
Can I share a container?
Yes. Shared (LCL) containers are the standard for anything under about 15 m³ and cost less per cubic metre.
Which Indian cities do you collect from?
Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and most other cities on request.
Get a fixed price for your move to Australia
Enter your volume and addresses and get a door-to-door price in two minutes: instant quote for shipping from India to Australia. If you are unsure of the volume, the calculator estimates it room by room.