Every person on-board a superyacht must comply with the entry requirement for Australia. To assist Australian Border Force and to speed up this process follow these steps:

• Make sure each person on board has a valid visa and passport;
• You are required by law to notify Customs before you arrive. 

The Master of a vessel arriving in Australia is required by law to give notice of impending arrival not later than 96 hours before arrival. Penalties may apply for failure to do so.

If the journey, from a place outside Australia, is likely to take less than ninety-six (96) hours then the below sliding scale is used based on the steaming time from the previous foreign port (section 64(5)(b)(i) of the Customs Act- Customs Regulations section 27).

There are several agencies interested in your arrival – principally Customs, Quarantine and Immigration. Superyacht 153° is a registered agent and can contact all these government departments on your behalf. 

You will need to provide the following information:

• The name of your Vessel
• Vessels Country and Port of Registration
• Your intended first port of arrival
• Your estimated arrival time
• Your last four ports
• The details of people on board including name, date of birth, nationality and passport number
• Details of any illness or disease recently encountered
• If you have any animals on board
• If you have any firearms on board

Clearly display the International Pratique Q-flag and travel directly to an appointed boarding station;

Complete the Arrival forms and Incoming Passenger Card.

Australia has strict laws to protect its citizens and natural environment. Penalties may be imposed if you breach those laws by illegally importing:

• Drugs;
• Animal or plant material;
• Firearms, weapons or ammunition;
• Protected wildlife and products made from them;
• Some food items; and
• Some medicinal products including Performance Enhancing Drugs.

The Department of Agriculture has developed operator guidelines for vessels entering Australia. Biosecurity reporting obligations ask that you use the online Maritime Arrivals Reporting System (MARS) prior to arrival. Superyachts 153° is a registered agent and can complete the MARS entry requirements on your behalf.

Pre-arrival information, and changes, for maritime conveyances (vessels) must be reported in a form approved by the Director of Biosecurity, which is MARS. Electronic offline forms can be used where there is limited connectivity, but they do not constitute the approved form. Your reporting obligations are met once your information has been submitted in MARS.

Vessel Operator Responsibilities: The operator of the vessel is obligated to accurately report information in accordance with Section 193 of the Biosecurity Act 2015. This information must be lodged in MARS no later than 12 hours prior to arrival.

Any changes in circumstances during the voyage in Australian waters must be reported to the department as soon as practicable.

Visit www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity/avm/vessels

Visit www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/ente/avia/maritime

www.homeaffairs.gov.au/Factsheets/Documents/bringingsuperyachtsintoaustralia2015mar10.pdf

Fees and charges

As a cost-recovered organisation, the department must charge for all activities it undertakes to protect Australia’s biosecurity. A full list of fees associated with vessel biosecurity services are set out in the department’s charging guidelines.

Further information can be found at:

www.abf.gov.au