FAQs

Take the stress out of visiting Queensland. These questions and answers may assist and direct you to further information.

CUSTOMS

Where are the Queensland proclaimed first ports of entry?

Queensland’s proclaimed ports are:

• Brisbane
• Bundaberg
• Cairns
• Gladstone
• Mackay
• Thursday Island
• Townsville
• Weipa

See the link to proclaimed ports.

What happens when I arrive?

When you have berthed Customs Officers will board your vessel to check the reason for your visit, and check the passports of all passengers and crew.  Passengers and crew should have their passport and Incoming Passenger Card ready for the Customs and Quarantine authorities. 

Customs officers may have drug or weapons detection dogs search your vessel, and may drug test the vessel, crew and belongings.

They will also request the crew and passengers complete Incoming Passenger Cards (which is a declaration for what each individual is bringing into the country). 

The Master of the superyacht must also complete a Small Craft Arrival Report.

Depending on vessels intended activities whilst in Australia, Customs will usually issue a Control Permit which has certain conditions outlined on each permit.

What do I need to do to clear customs?

For superyacht tourist visitors arriving by sea, immigration processing may be completed on board the vessel – and Customs officers will be able to provide you with advice at the time of entry.

What information do I need to provide to Customs?

• The name of your craft
• Craft's 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
• Whether you have any animals on board
• Whether you have any firearms on board

What do I need to declare?

The Australian Government requires that you declare any items that fall into the following categories before you are permitted to enter the country.

• Firearms, weapons and ammunition
• Counterfeit goods and offensive types of pornography are also banned
• Performance and image enhancing drugs
• Currency (Amounts of A$10,000 or more in Australian currency or foreign equivalent. If asked by Customs you must also fill in a Bearer Negotiable  Instruments (BNI) form if you're carrying promissory notes, travellers cheques, personal cheques, money orders or postal orders)
• Food, plants, animals and biological goods
• Medicines
• Protected wildlife
• Heritage-listed goods
• Veterinary products
• Defence and strategic goods

More detailed information is available at the following link.

What if the Master wants to fly home and come back later?

The Australian Customs Service makes allowances for vessel Masters who need to come in and out of Australia over a period of time. However you must advise Customs and make arrangements for appropriate control of the superyacht while out of the country.

Further information will be available at the Customs office when you arrive in Australia. See details on the Ports of Entry page.

What options are available to clear the vessel for entry?

When you arrive in Australia, the Australian Customs Service provides a number of clearance options for superyachts, depending on when you intend to leave.

If you intend to leave within 12 months, you may:

• be granted a control permit; or
• asked to provide a security for temporary importation of your superyacht or to formally import the craft.

The Australian Customs service provides more information on its website through the ‘Clearance Options for Visiting Smallcraft’ fact sheet.

Both options provide access to Australian waters and lands.

When do I get my security back?

If a cash security has been given and a cash refund is sought it will be necessary for you to give advance notice to Customs at the proposed port of departure before you leave.

Where can I find more information regarding Customs?

More information on the various requirements of Customs and Border Protection are available on the website.

Further information can also be obtained from the Customs office at your intended port of arrival. See details on the Ports of Entry page.

IMMIGRATION

What is required by the immigration authorities?

On arrival all passengers and crew must:

• hold a valid visa and present a valid passport; and
• complete an Incoming Passenger Card - Customs officers undertake immigration clearance procedures on behalf of the Immigration Department at Australian seaports.

The usual processes for immigration clearance will be conducted upon arrival in Australia.  If you are a passenger arriving by sea immigration processes may be conducted by Customs officers.

What visas do crew and passengers need?

The two major types of visa that you are likely to require if you are visiting Australia are either the Temporary Superyacht Crew Visa (for staff and crew working on the superyacht) or the standard visitor’s visa (for tourists entering for recreation).

The Australian Government has developed a specific Temporary Superyacht Crew Visa (subclass 488) intended to cater to the needs of overseas superyacht crews entering Australian waters. The Crew Visa allows crew members to work on-board a superyacht and remain in Australia for up to 12 months.

The visa defines a superyacht as any high value luxury sailing ship or motor vessel 24 metres or longer in load line length, not carrying cargo, and being used for sport or pleasure.

The Superyacht Crew Visa is designed specifically for superyacht crew members and is not available for the dependents of superyacht crew members. Dependents should apply for an ETA (visitor) (subclass 976) or a Tourist (subclass 676) visa.

How do I apply for a visa?

Crew members must be sponsored to work in Australia by the captain or owner of the superyacht on which they will be working. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship recommends applicants seek their sponsorship from the owner of the vessel.

The captain or owner is considered the employer of the crew member. They must complete the relevant form (Form 1366) in order to sponsor the applicant.

Information on how to apply for this visa is available from the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship website.

There are two main types of visas used for visiting Australia as a tourist. These are the ETA (Visitor) (subclass 976), eVisitors (subclass 651) and Tourist visa (subclass 676).

Information on these visa options as well as useful tools to help you locate alternative visa options that may be more suitable to your individual circumstances are available at the Department of Immigration & Citizenship website.

QUARANTINE

What do I need to declare to Quarantine?

AQIS provides a useful list of the categories of items that need to be declared upon arrival in Australia.  Any item that would normally fall into one of the following categories must be declared for Quarantine purposes.

• Food commercially prepared, cooked and raw food and ingredients
• Dairy and egg products
• Animal products
• Seeds and nuts
• Fresh fruit or vegetables
• Live animals and animal products
• Biological specimens including tissue culture
• Craft and hobby lines made from animal or plant material
• Used sporting and camping equipment including tents, footwear, hiking boots, golf equipment and bicycles (need to be checked to ensure they are clean and free from soil contamination)
• Used freshwater watercraft or fishing equipment including rods and nets, waders, kayaks, paddles and life jackets.

If I have a pet on board, what do I need to do?

AQIS requires that all cats and dogs entering Australia meet all import conditions prior to entering the country. This is done to ensure no exotic diseases are introduced to the country.

If you would like to import a cat or dog into Australia, you will need to apply for an AQIS import permit through the Live Animal Imports Program.

AQIS officers will assess the application and grant an import permit provided the animal meets the import permit requirements.

An import permit is required to book a space at an AQIS post-arrival animal quarantine station. There are three post-arrival animal quarantine stations for cats and dogs in Australia: Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.

Different import conditions apply for the importation of disability assistance dogs.

More information is available on the AQIS website.

What do we do with all the food we have on board?

Quarantine will clear the superyacht of all fresh produce. If a superyacht is staying for a short period of time, and they have substantial cost and quantity of non-approved provisions onboard there is sometimes the option of bonding these items onboard. 

In order for this bonding to take place there must be a lockable area onboard for the goods to be retained and sealed whilst in port.

What other issues do quarantine inspection deal with?

Other issues may be found at Frequently Asked Questions.

GREAT BARRIER REEF MARINE PARK AUTHORITY

What permissions will I need to visit the Great Barrier Reef?

Superyacht visitors can access and visit most of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park subject to certain restrictions.  There are differing requirements for Private Recreational Users and Commercial users.

There are also different restrictions depending upon the size of your superyacht. The size categories are as follows:

• less than 35m
• between 35m and 70m
• greater than 70m

For further information on private recreational management requirements you should visit the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority website.

Further information regarding commercial permit access to the reef is available on the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park website.

Any vessels travelling in the Great Barrier Reef are encouraged to use AUSREP and must use REEFREP (Ship Reporting Systems) if over 50 meters.  The entry and reporting requirements under REEFREP can be found in the Great Barrier Reef & Torres Strait Vessel Traffic Service User Manual.

PILOTAGE

Do I require a pilot?

To provide safer navigation through the Great Barrier Reef, superyachts greater than 70 metres must carry a licensed pilot in designated compulsory pilotage areas.
 
The compulsory pilotage areas in Queensland are:

• The inner route of the Great Barrier Reef Region bounded by the northern boundary of the Great Barrier Reef Region, latitude 16.6652 S, the Australian mainland and the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef
• Hydrographer's Passage
• The Whitsundays compulsory pilotage area.

More detailed information is available at the following links:

Australian Maritime Safety Authority   
Maritime Safety Queensland

How do I access a pilotage service?

Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) provides pilotage services to all Queensland ports outside Brisbane.

MSQ may grant a ship master an exemption from pilotage within a declared pilotage area.  Exemptions will only be endorsed for the master for a particular ship or class of ship for a particular declared pilotage area. Guidance on the granting of pilotage exemptions is available from the regional harbour master offices of MSQ.