Oceania (Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific) - Australian customs and certain items

Been watching the tv show "Border Security" and seen loads of people getting stopped for not declaring various food items etc.

Two things I tend to bring with me are these sachets of Nescafe coffee and a certain brand of Oatflake cookies / biscuits that I snack on (flour, sugar, oats etc)
Would these be fine to bring into the country (I assume I have to declare them)?

Also, I run a bit and would naturally bring my running shoes as a run around Darling Harbour would be something I would be looking at doing.
Did see something where someone had some mud / dirt on some shoes in their baggage and could this be problematic? Wouldn't want to risk by not declaring, getting pulled over etc and losing the shoes if possible.

Two things I tend to bring with me are these sachets of Nescafe coffee and a certain brand of Oatflake cookies / biscuits that I snack on (flour, sugar, oats etc)
Would these be fine to bring into the country (I assume I have to declare them)?


Yes for coffee. Probably for the cookies - since they are cooked already. Just declare them - there is no fine for declaring something which turns out to not be allowed. Worst case you just have to bin them at the checkpoint.


Also, I run a bit and would naturally bring my running shoes as a run around Darling Harbour would be something I would be looking at doing.
Did see something where someone had some mud / dirt on some shoes in their baggage and could this be problematic? Wouldn't want to risk by not declaring, getting pulled over etc and losing the shoes if possible.

Why would you be transporting muddy shoes? Wash them in a sink before you travel. Unless you're a backpacker or dressed like you just came back from the amazon/sahara, I don't think they would bother to check.

I believe the customs question asks if you have been in a farm in the last couple of weeks that you need to declare it (which means they then check your shoes etc).

So long as the packet for the cookies wasnt open I dont think you would get any grief for these products, but you can check the Australian Quarantine website.

They wont take the shoes off you. They will just clean them if they are covered in mud, and only if you have worn them in certain areas.

My advice is to declare the items. They are really reasonable people so long as you are honest, it is the people who dont declare things that have problems.

In terms of bringing food items into Australia, it's not that these items are necessarily forbidden but they must be declared. if they're not allowed, there's no penalty (so all you've lost is the cost of the item). I imagine that the coffee will probably be OK and that the biscuits might well be.

On the other hand, if you don't declare something that ought to have been declared, then you might get into trouble.

With the shoes, the customs people might want to clean the mud off them. (This happened to me a few years ago after a golfing holiday when I went into Australia: my golf shoes had some dirt on them. So too did a couple of tees that I had, though I wasn't too worried about losing them, but no, they were cleaned too!) Of course, if you clean the shoes, particularly the soles, before you travel, then it shouldn't be a problem at all.

I went trekking one time in Egypt, despite my cleaning, there's still sand everywhere in the shoes. Upon my return, I just told them where I've been and what I've been doing. End result was a 5 minute wait and a clean pair of shoes. :)

Your coffee will be fine so long as it is declared. The oatcakes/biscuits should be fine as long as they are in unopened, commercial packaging and are fully cooked.

As noted above and you seem to have picked up on, simply declare that you are carrying food on your incoming passenger card. The Customs officer at the primary immigration line will likely ask what you are carrying. If the answers are fine you will get the right markings on your passenger card and be sent either straight through the customs and quarantine line or simply have your bags x-rayed.

Two things I tend to bring with me are these sachets of Nescafe coffee....May one ask why? The standard of the coffee in Sydney (where you appear to be going) may not be quite up to the standard of that in Australia's coffee capital (Melbourne) but I've never had a problem getting a decent cup of coffee in Sydney (unlike Perth, where it's impossible). I hear they even sell coffee (in a variety of forms) in the supermarket so don't really understand why you would want to bring something as relatively mediocre as Nescafé sachets? To each his own, obviously .... but please don't go to Starbucks. I'm in Tampa this week and was forced to settle for Starbucks yesterday - even with an extra shot, it was weak, watery and tasteless. It'll be nice to get back home to Melbourne and a decent cup of coffee. Even the coffee pods (Lavazza) in my hotel room are far superior to the Starbucks "coffee" I had yesterday.

I remember entering Australia on a flight where they Xrayed everything for food and it took forever as people were forced to dig out the hidden contraband. I had some food in a readily accessible place, pulled it out and showed it to the officer and sailed through. IIRC I had real coffee and instant for my caffeine addiction, some non packaged cookies, chocolate, crackers, and processed fake cheese sealed in plastic.

I like to be assured of being able to make coffee in my hotel room and to be able to snack when I wake up in the middle of the night starving as part of jet lag. Most hotels don't offer appealing room service at all hours.

Something else to be aware of when going down under is that ingredients in many common over the counter medications are strictly forbidden. You need to remove the stray packet of cold pills from briefcase, purse, corner of suitcase, hidden backpack pocket, etc. or risk potentially serious legal problems.

...Something else to be aware of when going down under is that ingredients in many common over the counter medications are strictly forbidden. You need to remove the stray packet of cold pills from briefcase, purse, corner of suitcase, hidden backpack pocket, etc. or risk potentially serious legal problems.This is mostly a problem for OTC medications bought in china etc, where many controlled substances are used in them, and importation is a popular source of ingredients for those making meth etc. Most US/Canada sourced items are also legal in Australia, though not all. Generally a good idea to declare everything you bring in and let customs decide. Particularly if you are also bringing in coffee (often used by smugglers to try to fool the dogs) :)

You should have no problems at all, and you probably won't even be slowed down, as long as you follow the advice already given and declare. I've brought all sorts of things in, once even loose cashews from Phuket, I was certain they would make me bin them, but they were happy when I told them they were roasted (didn't even want to look, just took my word)

It sounds as though perhaps you should bring all your shoes with you and tell them you've been walking in mud, since it appears that you will be given a high standard shoe-shine service courtesy of the Australian taxpayer :)

I'd like to put to bed the rumour that Melbourne is the coffee capital of Australia - you won't get better coffee anywhere in the world than you will in Sydney, just avoid chains. Any little cafe anywhere in the city will make the perfect cup, it's enshrined in State law and inferior baristas are taken off to re-education camps. This doesn't apply to the city of Newcastle for some reason, where coffee is consistently rubbish.

Curious as to why you would want to bring instant coffee? Of course, if Nescafe really is your preference Melbourne may be a better place for you ... :D

The coffee I like are those one cup sachets that have mocha etc flavourings. Like to just empty one into a cup at night or whenever and add hot water. It's what I'm used to at home.

Will very occasionally drink normal black coffee but do prefer the flavoured ones.

We are arriving in SYD next month. My wife has plans to bring packaged protein bars, etc. with us. It sounds like simply declairing them should allow us to pass easily. I think they are trying to prevent raw meat and produce from entering their country. That seems appropriate.

We would welcome any comments on the subject.

We are arriving in SYD next month. My wife has plans to bring packaged protein bars, etc. with us. It sounds like simply declairing them should allow us to pass easily. I think they are trying to prevent raw meat and produce from entering their country. That seems appropriate.

We would welcome any comments on the subject.

Your assumption is more or less correct. Processed and propely packaged food such as the protein bars should be fine. Plant and vegetable matter would be promptly destroyed, as would raw meat. Australia is an island and as such can be isolated from many diseases and problems. The prohibition of some items might not seem to make sense but I'm happy that they err on the side of caution rather than allow something seemingly innocuous that results in disaster.

Just make sure that you declare it. Even if items are allowed and you don't declare them you can be fined.

Enjoy your trip to Sydney, I'd enjoy reading your comments after you've been here.

The coffee I like are those one cup sachets that have mocha etc flavourings. Like to just empty one into a cup at night or whenever and add hot water. It's what I'm used to at home.

Will very occasionally drink normal black coffee but do prefer the flavoured ones.

Fair enough. If you run out during your trip those sachets are readily available in supermarkets and convenience stores.

The caricature banned Yankee item is beef jerky. A surprisingly large quantity of it gets confiscated every day, I'm told.

The caricature banned Yankee item is beef jerky. A surprisingly large quantity of it gets confiscated every day, I'm told.

Yep meat products of any type - dried, cooked, raw, packeted, processed, whatever are completely banned.

Yep meat products of any type - dried, cooked, raw, packeted, processed, whatever are completely banned.

I'm really surprised at that, I thought that something processed like beef jerky would have been ok if it was in a sealed packet. I knew that salami and that sort of stuff wasn't allowed.

having passed through customs in Sydney at least 20 times this year- agree with above- declare EVERYTHING- even chewing gum, have it readily available in one bag in your hand luggage for inspection, dont even think about bringing in meat/dairy products or fruit (including from the aeroplane) and you will be fine..also note that the vast majority of the time your will either have your bags xrayed for food OR be "sniff" searched by the dogs..including whilst waiting for the luggage to appear on the carousel...all the usual stuff like protein bars, nescafe mocha sachets etc etc can all be purchased here...if you want to check out your absolutely must have or i will die product - coles.com.au and woolworths.com.au are the two biggest supermarket chains...