Taking Household Goods To Australia

expat network

Taking Household Goods To Australia

You can find guidance on sending your household goods and personal effects on the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs website. Unaccompanied Personal Effects (UPEs) include your household and personal items, but not motor vehicles or parts, commercial goods or items that have been bequeathed or purchased over the internet. UPEs may arrive in Australia by air, sea cargo or by international mail (post).

If you are eligible for a concession, your UPEs may be cleared from customs control without requiring you to pay customs duty, goods and services tax (GST) or other taxes and charges.

An Unaccompanied Personal Effects Statement (B534 Form) should be completed when clearing UPEs from customs control.

Provided you arrive from outside Australia and meet Australian residence requirements you will not have to pay duty on your personal property provided it is ‘suitable and intended for use by you in Australia’ and has been owned and used overseas by you generally for 12 months before your departure for Australia. This does not apply to motor vehicles, tobacco or alcoholic beverages, which will be assessed to duty.

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.