Arriving in Western Australia
While Australia is a friendly and welcoming nation, visitors from some countries are required to secure visas, on or before arrival, to ensure smooth entry into the country. These visas are managed and monitored by Customs and Immigration officer's at all international entry ports.
Customs officers are easily identifiable and can assist with a range of issues including customs clearance of goods and luggage, quarantine and travel health concerns.
For further information on how Customs can assist you, visit Department of Immigration.
Duty free, tax concessions and Customs clearance
Most international travellers appreciate the opportunity for duty-free shopping.
And visitors to Western Australian will enjoy a range of duty-free shopping benefits for goods including perfumes, cosmetics, alcohol, cigarettes, consumer goods and many other items.
Age restrictions and limits do apply, so check before you finalise purchases.
If you're an overseas guest, pick up a brochure on the Tourist Refund Scheme - you could well qualify for even more savings on your shopping through tax refunds.
Quarantine - protecting our State
Western Australia's geographic remoteness has provided the State with a natural barrier against many pests and diseases and Australia's customs and quarantine officers actively protect this.
The State's agricultural economy is one of our financial mainstays and can be severely affected through the introduction of noxious plants or insect species.
As such, strict quarantine laws are in place regarding the importing or transporting of identified food stuffs - domestically and internationally.
Inspection officers and detector dogs are on duty at all state entry points including air, sea, road and rail.
While they may seem harmless, nuts, seeds, fruit and vegetables, plants, flowers, honey, animals and introduced birds pose real threats to the Western Australian environment. Even used fruit and vegetable containers should be presented and scanned by Australian Quarantine and Inspection Services (AQIS) to ensure they are clean, and present no risk.
The best rule to follow is, "If in doubt, declare it". State-based AQIS officers are friendly, welcoming and professionally trained and generally return more than 90 per cent of declared items to visitors. They want you to have a great holiday in Western Australia.
Be warned, heavy penalties apply to those people not declaring items identified as a risk.
Visit Australian Quarantine and Inspection Services online for further information.