When will Australia get modern entry procedures?

[justinbrett]

Yes, I had seen that but you can never be sure.

No, you really can be sure.

On what planet does a chocolate bar count as grains? You think whatever pathogen they’re trying to keep out survived the many processes that went in to making that bar?

They aren’t asking for food allergies, it’s to stop biological threats. The fact that chocolates are never a problem is because you don’t need to declare them in the first place.

By your logic you should always declare meat as you have flesh under your skin.

 

[Beano]

I want to know where to get the chocolate coated bacon now

they put bacon into everything these days!

 

[Beano]

I want to know where to get the chocolate coated bacon now

 

[anat0l]

I wonder how strictly Customs clamps down on the $900 duty free concession limit?

Yes, AQIS is important to protect our ecosystems and agriculture, but there have been more noises in recent years regarding the duty free concession limit.

I suppose cross-referencing TRS claims with electronic incoming passenger forms may allow much stricter scrutiny of possible "TRS abuse" and forcing some people to pay the tax back on "re-imported" claimed items, assuming that they can set up an incoming passenger process that will funnel these kinds of passengers for said extra scrutiny.

No, you really can be sure.

On what planet does a chocolate bar count as grains? You think whatever pathogen they’re trying to keep out survived the many processes that went in to making that bar?

They aren’t asking for food allergies, it’s to stop biological threats. The fact that chocolates are never a problem is because you don’t need to declare them in the first place.

By your logic you should always declare meat as you have flesh under your skin.

As an aside, I think it was a mistake to remove "food" as part of the declaring questions in the incoming passenger arrival form.

Knowing how Australian Customs works, I'd rather be thought an idiot for asking a stupid question (i.e. making a declaration that really didn't need to happen) than the opposite, i.e. failing to make a declaration that I, from reading the question, didn't think I had to. Even the form and the video we all watch before landing in Australia says, "If in doubt, declare it". That said, I'll admit that I wouldn't go so far as to tick "yes" for every single question on the form, "just in case".

If I bring in chocolate - and often do - no matter if it is artisanal or common commercial (e.g. Lindt) chocolate - I will always tick "yes" under bringing dairy and often "yes" for nuts.

I'm pretty sure you can't be legally penalised for saying "yes" to a question that you were unsure about, no matter how stupid the situation ends up being. Unless the Government would like to very strictly enforce the legal part of, "Making a false declaration may be punishable by law", i.e. if you say "yes" to something when you should have said "no", you have made a false declaration therefore can be prosecuted.

 

[justinbrett]

I wonder how strictly Customs clamps down on the $900 duty free concession limit?

Yes, AQIS is important to protect our ecosystems and agriculture, but there have been more noises in recent years regarding the duty free concession limit.

I suppose cross-referencing TRS claims with electronic incoming passenger forms may allow much stricter scrutiny of possible "TRS abuse" and forcing some people to pay the tax back on "re-imported" claimed items, assuming that they can set up an incoming passenger process that will funnel these kinds of passengers for said extra scrutiny.



As an aside, I think it was a mistake to remove "food" as part of the declaring questions in the incoming passenger arrival form.

Knowing how Australian Customs works, I'd rather be thought an idiot for asking a stupid question (i.e. making a declaration that really didn't need to happen) than the opposite, i.e. failing to make a declaration that I, from reading the question, didn't think I had to. Even the form and the video we all watch before landing in Australia says, "If in doubt, declare it". That said, I'll admit that I wouldn't go so far as to tick "yes" for every single question on the form, "just in case".

If I bring in chocolate - and often do - no matter if it is artisanal or common commercial (e.g. Lindt) chocolate - I will always tick "yes" under bringing dairy and often "yes" for nuts.

I'm pretty sure you can't be legally penalised for saying "yes" to a question that you were unsure about, no matter how stupid the situation ends up being. Unless the Government would like to very strictly enforce the legal part of, "Making a false declaration may be punishable by law", i.e. if you say "yes" to something when you should have said "no", you have made a false declaration therefore can be prosecuted.

If in doubt just look it up on the customs website, they are very clear what you can and can’t bring in and when you need to clear it. Declaring Lindt chocolate is ridiculous, there is no doubt, the website explicitly says it’s permitted. Equally you must always declare nuts, no matter how processed.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I'm pretty sure you can't be legally penalised for saying "yes" to a question that you were unsure about, no matter how stupid the situation ends up being. Unless the Government would like to very strictly enforce the legal part of, "Making a false declaration may be punishable by law", i.e. if you say "yes" to something when you should have said "no", you have made a false declaration therefore can be prosecuted.

In fact they say, ‘if you are unsure, declare it’.

So no penalty for being cautious.

 

[kpc]

If in doubt just look it up on the customs website, they are very clear what you can and can’t bring in and when you need to clear it. Declaring Lindt chocolate is ridiculous, there is no doubt, the website explicitly says it’s permitted. Equally you must always declare nuts, no matter how processed.

What about chocolates that contain nuts?

 

[Forg]

I ticked yes to a small Kit Kat (plant, dairy) and was sent to secondary inspection and waived through. No 10 always amuses me when I am in business mode! Is that a John Deere in your HLO?

I’d been early for my evening flight from BRU so had stashed luggage at the airport & run into town to get some fresh choccies (they’re only at their best for a week or maybe two so I left it as late as possible).

Obviously very processed, but then, who knows what the fillings are made of - unsure, I thought the safest way was to declare them, even if maybe it delayed me while they checked.

The customs guy didn’t go to the effort of flaying me for the awful crime of declaring something which didn’t need declaring … but he definitely wasn’t impressed with me “wasting his time”.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

What about chocolates that contain nuts?

cadbury almond mil chocolate bar? Maybe not.

vegan chocolate with organic cultured raw nuts picked my monkeys and dried with the smoky scent of yak dung in the remote jungle? Maybe

 

[Beano]

I always take in plant products and animal products without declaring them. I have done since i started flying and will continue to do so--- cotton clothing and leather belts and shoes!.

 

[justinbrett]

What about chocolates that contain nuts?

By the letter of the regulation, you must declare products containing nuts.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

By the letter of the regulation, you must declare products containing nuts.

Not sure what the regulation states, but the ABF advice is that a chocolate bar doesn’t need to be declares, even if containing nuts: https://www.abf.gov.au/entering-and-leaving-australia/can-you-bring-it-in/categories/food

The only time you need to declare/discard chocolate is if it contains meat (for example bacon).

You may bring commercially prepared and packaged chocolate or confectionery into Australia as a personal import.​

Confectionery includes fudge, toffees, boiled sweets, peppermints, marshmallows and liquorice.​

Chocolate and confectionary must not contain meat, e.g. bacon.​

​

There is a separate section for nuts, which allows the importation of commercially packaged nuts which meet the criteria (shelled, vacuum packed, etc).

Nuts must be declared and are subject to inspection.

You could not inspect nuts internally in a chocolate bar.

 

[Beano]

Not sure what the regulation states, but the ABF advice is that a chocolate bar doesn’t need to be declares, even if containing nuts: https://www.abf.gov.au/entering-and-leaving-australia/can-you-bring-it-in/categories/food

The only time you need to declare/discard chocolate is if it contains meat (for example bacon).

You may bring commercially prepared and packaged chocolate or confectionery into Australia as a personal import.​

Confectionery includes fudge, toffees, boiled sweets, peppermints, marshmallows and liquorice.​

Chocolate and confectionary must not contain meat, e.g. bacon.​

​

There is a separate section for nuts, which allows the importation of commercially packaged nuts which meet the criteria (shelled, vacuum packed, etc).

Nuts must be declared and are subject to inspection.

You could not inspect nuts internally in a chocolate bar.

Presumably they consider that nuts in a chocolate bar are sufficiently heat treated to be safe?

 

[Zero]

The last 3 times I've entered Aus there were customs people wandering around baggage claim, I had ticked yes to a few things, so they asked me some questions then took a photo of my passport, stamped the card and sent me to the nothing to declare lane.

I don't understand why the smart gates have 2 steps, but having done the Schengen ones a couple of times now even the Aus system is better. Apparently the EU sent officials on a fact-finding trip to Australia around 2011 when they were starting to think about implementing this, and look where we are 15 years later.

The only thing Australia seems to have done well is keeping electronic records of all entries and exits since 1990.

 

[Aeryn]

The last 3 times I've entered Aus there were customs people wandering around baggage claim, I had ticked yes to a few things, so they asked me some questions then took a photo of my passport, stamped the card and sent me to the nothing to declare lane.

^ This is my usual experience in Sydney. But Melbourne dont seem to do pre-checks the same way.

Today i entered through MEL, i ticked yes to having been in a national park, the gate keeper of the queue didnt ask for any clarification just sent me to the red line behind all those people vying to be the next star of Border Security with crazy amounts of luggage. Eventually get to the front, guy says did you clean your shoes (didnt ask to see them), i said yep and he sent me straight out. He seemed very disinterested.

Noting i didnt declare my whittakers chocolate bar because not necessary.

 

[Warragul]

^ This is my usual experience in Sydney. But elbourne dont seem to do pre-checks the same way.

Today i entered through MEL, i ticked yes to having been in a national park, the gate keeper of the queue didnt ask for any clarification just sent me to the red line behind all those people vying to be the next star of Border Security with crazy amounts of luggage. Eventually get to the front, guy says did you clean your shoes (didnt ask to see them), i said yep and he sent me straight out. He seemed very disinterested.

Noting i didnt declare my whittakers chocolate bar because not necessary.

I imagine the 'gatekeeper' was ABF- they should not action the farm/ national park question. It needs to be AQIS.

 

[Aeryn]

Well if second guy was AQIS he did nothing to check that my shoes were indeed free of contaminents. Like i said very uninterested in his job.

 

[Himeno]

Well if second guy was AQIS he did nothing to check that my shoes were indeed free of contaminents. Like i said very uninterested in his job.

That sounds like every time, in any airport anywhere in the world, that all documentation said I had to declare something, no one was interested in said declaration.