Relocating from the United States to Australia is one of the longest door-to-door corridors Flyto runs — and one of the most tightly regulated on the import side. The American export step is comparatively light-touch, but Australia layers a strict customs concession (the B534) on top of the world’s most demanding biosecurity regime, run by two separate authorities that both read your packing list. This guide walks the corridor end to end, with every rule tied to the official US or Australian source that governs it.

Key takeaways

• Your household goods leave the US largely unregulated, but big-ticket cargo and cash have thresholds. Genuine personal effects are exempt from Electronic Export Information (EEI) filing, while formal household-goods shipments over US$2,500 filed as cargo generally require an AES filing (code "HH").
• Carrying more than US$10,000 in or out of the US must be reported on FinCEN Form 105 before departure — non-filing risks seizure.
• Australia lets you import used personal effects free of duty and GST via the B534 Unaccompanied Personal Effects statement — but alcohol, tobacco and motor vehicles are always taxed, regardless of how long you have owned them.
• Goods must generally be owned and used for 12 months or more to qualify for the UPE concession; anything newer must be declared and may attract duty and GST (ABF UPE).
• DAFF biosecurity inspects effectively every move. You must declare anything made of, or in contact with, plants, animals, timber, food, water or soil — dirty items are treated at your expense.
• Timber, wool, leather and food carry specific conditions. Check each item in the BICON import-conditions database before you pack.
• Pets from the US mainland face a long lead time. Expect microchip, rabies vaccination, an RNATT blood test and a 180-day wait before export, then quarantine at Mickleham — start six to seven months out.

1. Get the visa order right first

The Australian duty and GST concession is anchored to your migration status, so the visa comes before the container. The B534 concession is aimed at people arriving to take up residence — returning Australians, and non-citizens moving to Australia to live who have been abroad for more than 12 months (ABF UPE). If your effects arrive before your visa is granted, or on a short-stay visa, the concession can be refused and your shipment taxed. Confirm your specific visa’s standing with the Department of Home Affairs and time the sailing so your status is settled on arrival.

2. The US export side: lighter than you expect

Leaving the United States, most private moves need no export licence and no customs paperwork of their own. Under the Foreign Trade Regulations, EEI filing is not required for baggage and personal effects — accompanied or unaccompanied — of persons leaving the US, provided they are not shipped as commercial cargo under a bill of lading or air waybill and need no export licence (eCFR 15 CFR Part 30, Subpart D).

The threshold matters when a mover consolidates your goods as a formal household-goods cargo shipment. Where the total value of the household goods exceeds US$2,500, or the goods otherwise trigger mandatory reporting, an Automated Export System filing is required, coded "HH" for household goods (with the HH code, a Schedule B number is not required). Your freight forwarder normally files this; you supply an accurate valued inventory.

Two more US rules apply to the person, not the cargo. First, currency reporting: anyone leaving the US with more than US$10,000 (or foreign equivalent) in cash or monetary instruments must file FinCEN Form 105 before departure. Second, before you fly, review CBP’s Know Before You Go guidance on items you cannot freely take abroad or bring back.

3. Australian customs: the B534 concession

On the import side, the Australian Border Force treats your shipment as Unaccompanied Personal Effects (UPE) — household items that arrive separately from you. The clearance document is Form B534, which doubles as your customs declaration and the trigger for biosecurity assessment. The statement can be lodged by you, or by a nominee such as a relative or customs broker.

The concession is generous but conditional:

• Eligible items — clothing, furniture, sports equipment, appliances and similar household goods that you have owned and used for 12 months or more clear free of duty and GST.
• Newer goods — anything owned for less than 12 months must be declared and may be assessed for duty and GST.
• Always taxed — alcohol and tobacco arriving as UPE do not get the traveller duty-free allowance; they are assessed for duty, GST and (for wine) Wine Equalisation Tax. Motor vehicles and their parts are excluded from the UPE concession entirely and face duty, GST and separate import approval (ABF UPE).

Prepare a detailed, room-by-room inventory. Firearms, weapons, certain medicines and other restricted goods need import permits before arrival — flag them early rather than at the wharf.

4. DAFF biosecurity: the step that catches people out

Australia’s biosecurity screening is stricter than its customs step, and it is a separate authority — the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF). DAFF assesses the B534 and your packing list on every move to decide what needs inspection or treatment (DAFF moving/immigrating).

The governing principle: DAFF is interested in any item made from, containing, or in contact with plants, animals, timber, food, water or soil. By law you must declare goods of concern. Under-declaring is the single biggest cause of delay, treatment charges and penalties.

Category by category:

• Timber and wooden articles — furniture, carvings and bamboo are inspected for borers. If live timber pests are found on arrival, the item is fumigated or heat-treated at your expense (DAFF timber personal imports).
• Wool, leather, hides, bone, feathers and animal products — these can require specific treatment to ensure they carry no pathogens.
• Food — most food is high-risk. Check each product’s conditions in BICON; much of it is simply not worth shipping.
• Soil and organic matter — outdoor gear, garden tools, bicycles, prams, vacuum cleaners, sports shoes and lawnmowers must be spotless. Soil contamination triggers washing or steam-cleaning charges.

The fix is preparation, not luck: clean everything before it is packed, empty and clean anything used outdoors, and run doubtful items through BICON to see whether they are permitted, need a permit, or require treatment (DAFF: preparing personal effects).

5. Transit reality: sea versus air

The US–Australia corridor is a genuine ocean crossing. Sea freight in a shared or full container is the standard for a household, with typical door-to-door transit of several weeks from a US coast to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Fremantle or Adelaide — plus customs and biosecurity clearance at the destination port. Air freight suits a small, urgent consignment; it is far faster and far dearer, and it faces exactly the same B534 and DAFF requirements. Whichever mode, the import bottleneck is rarely the voyage — it is the biosecurity assessment, so a clean, well-declared shipment is what actually saves time.

6. Bringing pets: start six to seven months early

Moving a cat or dog from the US mainland is the longest lead-time task in the whole move, because Australia classifies the continental US as a higher-risk (Group 3) country (DAFF cats and dogs). The sequence, in order:

1. Microchip — an ISO-compatible 15-digit chip, implanted before rabies vaccination.
2. Rabies vaccination, followed by an RNATT (rabies neutralising antibody titre test) showing a result of at least 0.5 IU/mL.
3. The 180-day wait — your pet can only be exported at least 180 days after the RNATT blood sample is received at the laboratory (DAFF RNATT). This is a residency period, not quarantine, and there are no exceptions. The test result itself stays valid for 12 months from the collection date.
4. Import permit from DAFF, obtained before travel (DAFF import permits).
5. Quarantine at Mickleham, Victoria — a minimum stay (10 days where the strict identity-verification timing is met, otherwise longer) at the government post-entry facility.

On the US side, a USDA-accredited veterinarian completes the health certification and the USDA APHIS endorsement that Australia requires; note DAFF also requires dogs exported from the US to be vaccinated against canine influenza. Because a single mistimed step resets the clock, build the pet timeline first and let the household move follow it.

How Flyto handles this move

For a corridor this demanding, Flyto runs the USA-to-Australia move as a single Platinum door-to-door service — our overseas tier. One coordinator owns the whole chain: professional export packing and a valued inventory in the US, ocean or air freight booked to your destination port, and full customs and biosecurity clearance in Australia.

That means we prepare and lodge your B534, structure the declaration so the 12-month UPE concession is applied correctly, and pre-screen your inventory against DAFF conditions and BICON so timber, wool, food and soil-risk items are cleaned, treated or removed before they ever reach the wharf — not discovered at inspection. We coordinate the pet timeline against the 180-day RNATT clock and Mickleham booking, and deliver to your door, unpack and remove the debris. You get one point of contact across two continents and two regulators.

Frequently asked questions

Will I pay Australian duty or GST on my household goods?
Generally no, if you hold an eligible visa and the goods have been owned and used for 12 months or more — they clear under the B534 UPE concession. Newer goods, alcohol, tobacco and vehicles are taxed.

Can I ship alcohol or my wine collection?
You can, but it will not receive the traveller duty-free allowance. UPE alcohol and tobacco are assessed for duty, GST and, for wine, Wine Equalisation Tax (ABF).

How strict is biosecurity, really?
Very. DAFF assesses every consignment and inspects anything touching plants, animals, timber, food, water or soil. Clean everything and check doubtful items in BICON — dirty or pest-affected goods are treated at your cost (DAFF).

Do I need to file anything to export from the US?
Genuine personal effects are exempt from EEI filing. Formal household-goods cargo over a total US$2,500 usually needs an AES filing, normally handled by your forwarder.

What about taking cash to Australia?
Report amounts over US$10,000 on FinCEN Form 105 before leaving the US. Australia has its own reporting rules on arrival — confirm current thresholds with the ABF.

How far ahead should I start for a pet?
Six to seven months. The 180-day RNATT wait plus permit and Mickleham quarantine dominate the timeline.

Can I import my car?
It is excluded from the UPE concession and needs separate import approval, plus duty and GST. Treat a vehicle as its own project, not part of the household shipment.

Freshness note: customs, biosecurity and pet rules change and thresholds are updated — verify current requirements with the ABF, DAFF and USDA APHIS before you ship.

Sources

• Australian Border Force — Unaccompanied Personal Effects (UPE)
• Australian Border Force — Form B534 (Unaccompanied Personal Effects statement)
• Australian Border Force — GST and other taxes on imports
• DAFF — Moving to Australia / importing personal effects
• DAFF — Preparing your personal effects for shipment
• DAFF — Importing timber and wooden articles for personal use
• DAFF — Bringing cats and dogs to Australia
• DAFF — Rabies vaccination and RNATT tests for cats and dogs
• DAFF — Import permits for cats and dogs
• BICON — Biosecurity Import Conditions system
• USDA APHIS — Pet travel from the US to Australia
• eCFR — 15 CFR Part 30 Subpart D (EEI filing exemptions)
• US Census Bureau — Foreign Trade Regulations FAQ (AES/household goods)
• US CBP — Money and monetary instruments / FinCEN Form 105
• US CBP — Know Before You Go: Traveling Abroad
• Australian Department of Home Affairs — visas