Import Conditions

Case: Microscope slides mounted with biological material, human material, soil and water Effective 22 Sep 2023

Import conditions prior to arrival in Australian territory

1. A Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry import permit is not required, provided that the following conditions are met.

2. The products must be microscope slides mounted with biological material, human material, soil or water.

3. All material must be processed and mounted on a microscope slide, in a manner referred to below.

   To demonstrate compliance with this requirement you must present the following on a Manufacturer's declaration:
   1. A statement that the goods are microscope slides holding biological material, human material, soil or water only, and

   2. A statement:

      2.1. that the goods are preserved and sealed with a cover slip and adhesive;
      OR
      2.2. that the goods have been stained using standard histology methods and sealed with a cover slip and adhesive,
      OR
      2.3. that the smears or impressions have been stained using standard histology methods.

   The declaration must be issued by the individual or facility that prepared the slides. The declaration must be specific to the microscope slides being imported by making reference to label information or by providing a description of the slides which allows biosecurity officers to identify the goods.

4. No animal (other than humans) is permitted to be exposed (whether directly or indirectly) to the specimens mounted on the microscope slide.

Import conditions after arrival in Australian territory

5. The goods are not permitted to be used for isolation or synthesis of viable microorganisms or infectious agents or their homologues.

Additional information

6. Commercial administrative conditions
   Documents must be provided with each consignment which:

   1. identify the consignment (if non-personal) e.g. entry number
   2. identify all goods being imported as part of this consignment e.g. invoice or waybill or importer’s manifest
   3. describe the goods being imported (where not clear).
      e.g. 1: Product XRab = Purified protein derived from rabbits
      e.g. 2: Product AX = Synthetic antibiotic
      e.g. 3: Comte = Cheese.

7. Under the Biosecurity Charges Imposition (General) Regulation 2016 and Chapter 9, Part 2 of the Biosecurity Regulation 2016, fees are payable to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry for all services. Detail on how the department applies fees and levies may be found in the Charging guidelines.

8. In addition to the conditions for the goods being imported, non-commodity concerns must be assessed including container cleanliness, packaging and destination concerns, and may be subject to inspection and treatment on arrival. Please refer to the Non-Commodity Cargo Clearance BICON case for further information.

9. If you are unable to meet the above import conditions and you believe that the biosecurity risk of your goods can be managed in an alternative way, you may apply for an import permit which will be assessed by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry prior to the importation of goods into Australia.

   Note that an import permit will only be issued if biosecurity risks can be managed to an acceptably low level. You will need to provide information with your permit application to demonstrate equivalence with the conditions outlined above.

   An import permit may be obtained by submitting an import permit application to the department (use the 'Apply Now' button at the bottom of this page).