Australia

General information

Postal information

• Priority service: 6 days
• Economy service: 11 days

Required mail conditions

• Maximum weight: 2 kg maximum
• Address guidelines

Options

• Declared value: 0 SDR
• Cash on delivery: 0 SDR
• Option specifications: Insured letter without advice of delivery ou without any sticker CN 22 indicated the inside value will be delivered to the addressee without any signature.
• SDR value: Special Drawing Rights (SDR) to Euro as of January 1, 2012: 1 SDR = 1.1314 Euro

Prohibited items:

Specific prohibited items for this country:

The Australian laws on quarantine apply strictly to the import of all products of plant or animal origin as well as those made from soil or sand. The imported items must not have been packed in wooden boxes nor in fruit cartons.

Principal prohibited items:

Various types of prohibitions apply to items sent by La Poste: universal bans (see below), country-specific bans (which stem from national import regulations), and bans enforced by national postal operators (applying to merchandise that is legally authorised for import but banned by postal regulations).
A partial list of these items is included in this “Prohibited items” section.
The sender is held responsible for noncompliant mail even if La Poste accepts it. The items listed below are prohibited regardless of the chosen destination. La Poste is not responsible for misinformation or omissions as this list of merchandise is subject to great variation.

• Perishable biological materials, infectious or non-infectious.
• Items that due to their nature or packaging are hazardous to postal workers or may soil or damage other mail or postal facilities. 
• Illegal drugs and psychotropic substances.
• Live animals; however, bees, leeches, and silkworms may, under strict packaging conditions, be sent from France by La Poste if they are authorised by the postal regulations of the country of destination.
• Obscene or immoral items.
• Counterfeit goods.
• Explosives, inflammable products (alcohol, perfume, etc.) or other dangerous materials such as compressed gas (aerosol products, etc.), radioactive materials, and corrosive liquids.
• Jewels, precious metals, banknotes, bearer securities, money, and other items of value (unless they are sent by registered mail with declared value).

Sales carried out through a “snowball” procedure, or any other similar process consisting in offering merchandise to the public by suggesting the prospect of receiving products either for free or in exchange for a sum that is inferior to their real value. These sales require the presentation of vouchers or tickets to third parties, membership, or subscriptions.

Senders are held fully responsible for imprecise customs declarations and failure to respect any customs bans or restrictions. They are thus urged to seek information from relevant organisations (Chambers of Commerce and Industry, embassies, consulates, foreign country trade missions in France).

Special restrictions covering sensitive merchandise:

Independent of its country of origin or destination, certain merchandise is subject to mailing restrictions because it is considered as sensitive. The customs authorities, in cooperation with other government agencies, are responsible for applying these restrictions. Such merchandise includes: arms, medicine, alcoholic beverages, tobacco, dual use material (strategic goods that have both military and civilian uses) or products derived from species of wild fauna and flora that are protected by the Washington Convention.

Such merchandise must be accompanied by specific documents such as a licence, certificate, import or export authorization, which must be presented to government officials at the time of customs clearance or at any spot control. The French customs authorities may block such shipments. 
 
Customs formalities for mail containing merchandise subject to restrictions or to other special formalities must be completed by the sender or by his/her representative, (-ABBR-0-e.g., La Poste) when such mail is sent. Shipments of food products are strictly regulated by most countries.

Sending counterfeit products by mail:

The export, import, mailing and possession of products with a counterfeit brand or trademark are prohibited. If such an infraction is discovered, customs may seize the merchandise.
 
Required declaration of cash, gold or open financial instruments

In general, mailings of cash, gold or open financial instruments should respect the postal regulations of the country of destination, which either prohibit such mailings outright or prohibit their inclusion in ordinary mail. Mailing banknotes, coins, checks, open bills of exchange or promissory notes, debt securities in bearer form, or gold bars and gold and silver coins, with a value of -ABBR-1-€7,600 or more, must be declared to customs regardless of destination, including member States of the European Union, other countries, overseas territories or the Principality of  Monaco. It is also necessary in every case to ascertain whether, and if so under which conditions, the country of destination will accept such a mailing for delivery.

Declaration form -ABBR-2-CN 23 and the -ABBR-3-DAU form are filled out for gold bars and gold or silver coins sent to countries outside of the European Union. 

Customs information

Customs formalities
General provisions

Specific provisions: