Importing from China to Australia 2026: ChAFTA, BICON, RCM

The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA), signed on 17 June 2015 and in force since 20 December 2015, set out a multi-year tariff phase-down schedule covering a large share of Harmonized System lines. A ChAFTA certificate of origin, attached to the import declaration lodged with the Australian Border Force, certifies that the goods meet the agreement's rules of origin and allows the negotiated preferential tariff to apply instead of the general tariff.

Without this document, or if the Harmonized System code used does not yet fall among the lines already brought to zero under the schedule, the goods are taxed at the general tariff, line by line. Three points should be checked before production starts: the exact HS code of the product, its status under the ChAFTA schedule, and which Chinese body will issue the origin document. As of 27 September 2026, we found no accessible primary source detailing which Chinese bodies are authorised to issue it, or whether a declaration of origin by approved exporter exists as an alternative: this should be checked directly with the Australian Border Force or the ChAFTA desk at Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade before placing an order.

Australia's GST (Goods and Services Tax), set at 10% since 1 July 2000 under the A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 (No. 55 of 1999), is calculated under Division 13 of that Act on the customs value of the goods, plus any duty and transport and insurance costs. A duty reduced to zero under ChAFTA never removes the GST liability: only the calculation base changes.

The Treasury Laws Amendment (GST Low Value Goods) Act 2017 (No. 77 of 2017) extends GST to low value imported goods: since 1 July 2018, below 1,000 Australian dollars in customs value, GST on a sale to a consumer is collected by the overseas vendor or marketplace at the point of sale; above that threshold, it remains payable at the border. The same 1,000 Australian dollar threshold also shapes, on the customs declaration side, the distinction between a simplified clearance and a full import declaration for a commercial shipment; this mechanism, not verified on an accessible abf.gov.au page at the time of writing, should be confirmed directly with the Australian Border Force before any commercial shipment.

The Biosecurity Act 2015 (No. 61 of 2015) is the federal law governing the control of imported goods that carry a biosecurity risk: products of plant, animal or food origin, but also wood, packaging or pallets that may carry residual soil or insects. The relevant Australian department publishes online, under the acronym BICON (Biosecurity Import Conditions system), a product-by-product search database indicating whether a permit or inspection is likely before shipment; its exact operation, costs and timeframes could not be verified on agriculture.gov.au at the time of writing and should be checked directly before ordering.

Packaging wood falls under the international ISPM 15 standard, adopted by Australia in July 2010: debarked and then either heat-treated (56 degrees at the core for 30 minutes) or fumigated with methyl bromide, it must carry an IPPC stamp showing the country code, treatment code and certification number. Plastic or corrugated cardboard pallets, plywood, OSB panels, wood under 6 millimetres thick and wine barrels are exempt. Non-compliant packaging risks being held on arrival, with the outcome decided case by case with the relevant department.

The Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) has been mandatory since 1 March 2016, following a transition period that began on 1 March 2013, for any electrical, electronic or wireless device sold in Australia; it replaces the former A-tick and C-tick markings. It sits within the Electrical Equipment Safety Scheme (EESS), a regulatory framework shared by several Australian jurisdictions and New Zealand, aimed at improving the safety of household electrical equipment.

An importer placing a device on the Australian market must register as a responsible supplier on the EESS platform, updated on 14 October 2024, prepare a responsible supplier declaration and obtain a certificate of conformity or suitability depending on the equipment's risk level. The scheme distinguishes three registration levels (Level 1, 2 and 3); their exact criteria should be checked directly on eess.gov.au for the specific product before finalising specifications with the factory.

Port Botany, in Sydney, handles 2.8 million TEU a year against a capacity of over 7 million TEU and manages 99.6% of New South Wales' containerised trade; around 80% of its import containers do not travel more than 40 kilometres from the port. The Port of Melbourne describes itself as the country's largest container and general cargo port, though no recent, verifiable traffic figure was found to date.

From southern China, freight most often departs from Guangzhou, Shenzhen or Yantian, depending on the route booked by the freight forwarder; the choice of Australian port depends mainly on the final destination of the goods, not on any difference in customs treatment, since GST and the ChAFTA tariff apply identically regardless of the port of entry.

The minimum documentation to clear customs in Australia includes a customs declaration, a bill of lading or air waybill, the commercial invoice and the packing list, which underpins the customs value. The importer remains responsible for this information regardless of who prepares it, and must keep commercial documents for at least five years after entry, including samples.

Depending on the product, the ChAFTA certificate of origin is supplemented by proof of packaging wood treatment, RCM registration for electrical devices and, where applicable, a favourable BICON assessment outcome. Gathering these documents before shipping avoids a container being held over a single missing item.

Sorva is a sourcing and trading house based in Guangzhou, in the Tianhe district, backed by a Chinese subsidiary whose corporate purpose covers buying, reselling and exporting goods, and by a parent company in France. Our Mandarin-speaking team finds and vets factories, arranges visits and samples, negotiates terms, has quality checked before loading and organises freight through to the chosen Australian port. Our technical team can also help scope a product's RCM or biosecurity compliance before production.

Sorva never acts as the official importer of record in Australia, does not clear customs in the destination country and does not itself export vehicles without a licensed Chinese exporter: the certificate of origin, the BICON declaration and RCM marking remain the responsibility of the Australian importer or their local customs broker. Our base offer is invoiced in US dollars, with optional add-ons, such as RCM or biosecurity support, quoted separately.