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Case Documentation Requirement

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Case: Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) hitchhiker pests Effective 05 Mar 2021 to 09 Apr 2021

Documentation Requirements

The information below describes the requirements for documentation presented to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to support the risk assessment of imported goods.

BMSB heat treatment certificate

A certificate for goods/packaging that has been heat treated prior to arrival in Australia. This document includes the treatment provider’s letterhead, a description and quantity of the items treated and details of the treatment (including date and time of treatment completion, exposure time and minimum temperature requirements). This document is signed by the treatment provider and links to the consignment being imported.

BMSB treatments conducted must comply with the BMSB seasonal measures, Offshore BMSB Treatment Providers Scheme and Standards and documents for biosecurity treatments.

  1. Complete - All prescribed information required to be on a document must be present and complete. Additional prescribed information below:

    1. The certificate must be on the treatment provider’s letterhead including name and physical address.
    2. The certificate must include the treatment provider’s AEI (Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment Entity Identifier) number (where applicable).
    3. The certificate must include certificate number.
    4. The certificate must include a description of the consignment – including quantity.
    5. The certificate must include country of origin, country of destination and port of loading.
    6. The certificate must include the name and address of exporter.
    7. The certificate must include the name and address of importer.
    8. The certificate must include the date and time treatment was completed.
    9. The certificate must include the date and time the ventilation was commenced.
    10. The certificate must include the place of treatment.
    11. The certificate must include the exposure time (minutes).
    12. The certificate must include the required temperature.
    13. The certificate must include the minimum temperature maintained.
    14. The certificate must include an answer to ‘Were surface temperature sensors placed in the goods at the coldest surfaces that were determined to be the hardest to heat’.
    15. The certificate must include an answer to ‘Were the goods treated in the container they will be shipped in’.
    16. The certificate must include a yes or no answer to ‘Was a container seal applied by the treatment provider within 120 hours of the treatment completion’. If yes, provide seal number.
    17. The certificate must include the container number/s (where applicable).
    18. The certificate must include a yes or no or NA answer to ‘Was all shipping packaging/wrapping removed or configured in a way that allowed the heat to access all surfaces of the goods’.
    19. The certificate must include a yes or no or NA answer to ‘Was all commercial packaging applied as part of the good’s manufacturing process’.
    20. The certificate must include a declaration stating all information on this certificate is true, complete, and accurate, and that the treatment has been conducted in accordance with the Heat Treatment Methodology.
    21. The certificate must include the date, technicians name and signature.

  2. Legible - All prescribed information required to be on a document must be legible.

  3. Valid - Many documents, such as import permits, are valid for a certain period. Presented documents must comply with the validity requirements specified for that class of document.

  4. In English - All information required to be on a document must be in English. Exceptions to this rule include:

    1. company letterheads that do not need to be translated into English but must be in English characters.

    2. commercial, transport and government certification that are required to comply with international standard formats.

    3. signatures and names of individuals.

    Where a document cannot be provided in English, an affidavit will be accepted from either:

    1. that country’s consulate in Australia.

    2. the Australian embassy in the country of origin.

    3. a translator accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters Ltd.

  5. Free from erasures and alterations - All prescribed information on the document must be free from erasures and alterations unless endorsed by the issuer of the document. The only acceptable endorsement is a company stamp or seal signed by the company employee (including printed name) or a government stamp or seal signed by a government employee (including printed name) applied adjacent to the alteration.

  6. Multiple page documents - Multi page document must:

    • include individual reference numbers/numerical link on ALL pages of the document.
      For example, commercial invoices (or similar) must contain the documents individual reference number or numerical link on each page of the document.

    • contain an endorsement on the final page of the document, following the information that is being endorsed.

    Note: where a document has noted attachments, the attachments can follow the endorsement.

  7. Endorsed - All documents must be endorsed by a representative of the organisation or corporation issuing the document. An endorsement must:

    1. be an acceptable signature or stamp as defined in the Definitions section of this policy

    2. appear after the information that the signatory is endorsing.

    Where a document has noted attachments, the endorsement can be made before the attachments.

  8. Date of issue - All documents must identify the date of issue and is to include the day, month and year. Packing declarations may contain vessel/voyage number which can be used in lieu of the date of issue.

  9. Consignment specific link - All documents presented to the department for assessment must have a unique consignment-specific link. Examples of consignment identification include:

    • container numbers

    • bill numbers

    • commercial invoice numbers

    • lot codes

    • preferential tariff certificate numbers

    • packing list numbers

    • letter of credit numbers.

    Where a document does not contain one of the accepted forms of consignment identification, a numerical link to another document that does contain appropriate consignment identification must be present.

    Examples of acceptable numerical links include:

    • order numbers

    • reference numbers

    • any other internal reference numbers used by overseas companies

    • vessel/voyage references.

    Numerical links alone cannot be used as consignment identification links.

    Unacceptable numerical links are references that could be present in previous or subsequent consignments and relate to a model, type or standardised item number. Examples of unacceptable numerical links include:

    • number of packages

    • weights

    • dates

    • stockkeeping unit

    • item codes.

    Annual packing declarations are exempt from having consignment-specific links.

Warnings and Information Notices
Information

For further information, please refer to the Minimum documentary and import declaration requirements policy.

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