A guide to getting antiques into Australia

This guide is intended for individuals who may, from time to time, get antiques or collectables sent from overseas and have to deal with customs in order to get the goods into Australia. With the ease at which antiques can now be purchased over the internet, it is important to know how to then get them in the country. I think it's also important to know what other customs or import fees you might have to pay, in order to figure this into the original cost of the item.

In this guide, I'm talking about goods that have a stated value of over (AUD) $1000. This is because you may import goods under $1000 into Australia (apart from alcohol and cigarettes) without paying duty or taxes. So, anything under $1000 should not require any forms to fill out and *should* arrive at your door. However, Customs still has the power to open parcels to check for illegal imports, so take a look at the Customs prohibited and restricted imports page if you think your item may fall into this category.

In Australia, anything over $1000 requires a Customs Import Declaration to be filled out before the goods can be released. I think in reality this means that Customs has the power to hold anything over $1000, but it probably doesn't hold everything that is just over $1000. According to the Customs website, if you have multiple goods arriving at the same time, these may be grouped together (which may push their combined value over $1000) - so be aware of this if purchasing multiple items, even if their individual value is less than $1000.

So, if you are purchasing an item worth more than $1000, it is possible the item will get stopped by Customs. They will send you a notice in the mail stating that they are holding your goods and will enclose a bunch of forms which need to be filled out in order to get your goods released. Customs advises that you can fill the forms out yourself, or pay a customs broker to do it. while filling out all the forms are a pain, I have done it successfully in the past, so I think it is possible to do by yourself. But, if you don't feel comfortable, customs brokers are listed in the Yellow Pages.

The main form you have to fill out is the Import Declaration - Post (N10) form. If this is the first time you've had to use the system, you'll also have to fill out the Customs client registration form and provide 100 points of identity to prove who you are. You'll also need to fill out a client registration form for your "supplier" - so make sure you have a proper business address for the dealer or shop you bought your goods from, not just an internet address.

Once you've registered on their system, you'll receive a Customs Client Identification Number (CCID).

Filling out the N10 form
You now need to fill out the N10 form to claim your goods. Part A is fairly self explanatory - enter your name and contact details in the spaces provided. The owner ID is where you enter your CCID or ABN (if you have one), and use the reference number Australia Post gives you for the Owner reference.

Section B is also fairly self explanatory since most of the information is given to you by Australia Post (or you know it yourself). For the origin country code, you're meant to use the ISO country codes which can be found here. Most of these are fairly self explanatory.

Section C is where you need to know what you're doing. While they have simplified this process, it is still important to know what you're filling and why - otherwise you could end up paying more than you need to! For Sender/Supplier Name, use their business name if at all possible. Under Description of the contents of the parcels, err on the side of more description, not less. Customs definitely doesn't like generic descriptions such as "antiques" or "collectables". Try to be specific without going over the top: eg "antique ring from 1800s containing seed pearls"; "Silver-plate 1900 teapot", etc. They like to know what materials the goods are made of, if it is possible to list them. With jewellery, I would advise to include any gems set in the jewellery, as they are very specific about this in the tariffs lists.

For the Value of goods in AUD, you will have to use their exchange rates to calculate the cost of your goods. These are published weekly by Customs and can be found here. You are meant to know the date when your goods entered the country in order to use that day's exchange rate to calculate the value of your goods. I have used the date listed on the Notice you get from Australia Post to calculate the exchange rate successfully in the past. You'll also need to use the exchange rates to calculate the Value of Postal and Insurance charges in AUD.

Next comes the Tariff Classification. While Customs does provide a list of common tariff codes, when I did this last time, this didn't include the code for antiques. The code you'll mostly be able to use is 9706.00.00. This class is defined as "antiques of an age exceeding one hundred years". The statistical category for this class is 07. If this class is not appropriate, take a look at the other chapter 97 classes because this includes other useful categories such as paintings, drawings, scupltures and collections. Another useful class is Chapter 71, which lists jewellery, gems and other precious stones. However, be aware that these other categories may have a different duty level which means you might pay more. The antiques-specific class is duty free, meaning you will only need to pay GST. The full tariff list can be found
here.

I usually leave the additional information about this parcel section blank. Then, sign and date the form, and you're done!!

The process once the form is completed
The easiest way to communicate with Customs is by fax. You can lodge it electronically but I think this means you have to buy a digital certificate, which costs $130. I'm not even sure if it's possible to buy one for an individual. Anyway, once you fax the form in, Customs will check it for completeness and accuracy.

If you've filled out the form correctly, and customs has no issues, they will inform you of how much you must pay to retrieve your goods. This process can be sped up by also filling in the Direct Debit request form, if you're happy doing direct debit. You can also pay by internet banking or eftpos.

Once you've paid the appropriate amount, Customs will release your goods back to Australia Post who will then deliver them. It used to be possible to pick them up from an Australia Post outlet in Tullamarine, but this is no longer possible. Goods should be held at your closest regional office, which means they're already in the right state, so they shouldn't take too long to get to your door.