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Shipping from the USA to Australia

The long haul done right. Ocean and air freight from the US to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and every postcode in between — biosecurity and customs handled.

Door-to-Door 25+ Years on This Route Flat-Rate Pricing

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Tell us a bit about your shipment and we'll come back with a flat-rate quote — usually the same day.

10,000+ Shipments Delivered

Tens of thousands of successful international moves from the US to destinations worldwide — including Ireland, the UK, and Europe.

In Business Since 2004

20+ years moving households and freight from the US to destinations across Europe and beyond.

Door-to-Door Service

We collect from your US home and deliver to your new front door. You handle nothing in between.

Flat-Rate Packages

One price covers everything — pickup, ocean transit, customs clearance, and final delivery.

Shipping from the USA to Australia is one of the longest routes we run — and one of the most paperwork-heavy. City Post Express has been moving personal belongings and household goods from the US to Australia for over 20 years, founded by Robert Swords, an Irish shipper who has spent a quarter-century learning how to move people's lives across oceans. We handle the full journey: pickup at your US home, ocean or air freight to an Australian port, the Form B534 Unaccompanied Personal Effects (UPE) declaration through the Australian Border Force, biosecurity inspection with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), and door-to-door delivery anywhere from a Sydney apartment to a farm outside Launceston. Whether you are an Australian returning home, a US expat relocating for work, a student heading to Melbourne, or a family making the full move, we offer flat-rate pricing, weekly shipments, no hidden fees, and the B534 paperwork prepared on your behalf.
Our route

How We Ship to Australia

City Post Express ships to Australia every week. We consolidate shared-container ocean freight from the US East Coast and West Coast into the major Australian ports — Sydney (Botany), Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle (Perth) — and we fly air freight into Sydney and Melbourne for clients who need their belongings in days rather than weeks. Our team handles the full customs entry, including the Unaccompanied Personal Effects Statement (Form B534) to the Australian Border Force and the biosecurity declaration to DAFF.

Australia is a long route. Ocean freight from the US East Coast typically takes 6–8 weeks port-to-port, and 8–12 weeks door-to-door once pickup, sailing, customs clearance, biosecurity inspection and final delivery are all factored in. West Coast sailings are faster. Most clients ship ocean freight for the bulk of their belongings and send a smaller air freight consignment with essentials timed to arrive shortly after they land. We recommend starting the process 8–12 weeks before your arrival in Australia.

We deliver to every state and territory — New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the ACT. Rural addresses, Tasmanian deliveries via Bass Strait, and anything off the main east-coast corridor are all routine for us. If your address has a postcode, we can get your belongings there.

Shipping to Australia
Weekly shipments
to Australia since 2004
Your options

Air Freight vs Ocean Freight to Australia

Many clients use both — air for essentials they need on arrival, ocean for the bulk of their belongings.

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Air Freight

Transit time
5–8 days
Door-to-door
2–3 weeks
Best for
Essentials you need soon after arrival — seasonal clothing, important documents, electronics, medication, items of sentimental value

Air freight from major US gateways (JFK, LAX, ORD) into Sydney or Melbourne, with customs clearance, biosecurity inspection and final delivery to your Australian address. Costs more per kilo than ocean freight but meaningfully faster — useful as a companion to a larger sea shipment.

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Ocean Freight

Transit time
6–8 weeks port-to-port (East Coast US → Australia); faster from the West Coast
Door-to-door
8–12 weeks
Best for
Furniture, household goods, large or heavy items, the bulk of your belongings

Ports: Sydney (Port Botany), Melbourne, Brisbane, Fremantle (Perth)

Ocean freight from US ports to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Fremantle. Includes pickup, export documentation, ocean transit, B534 customs entry with UPE concession claim, DAFF biosecurity inspection (almost always applied to household shipments), and delivery to your door. Shared container (LCL) for smaller shipments, full container (FCL) for complete household moves. Expect a biosecurity inspection fee — we flag this up front so it is never a surprise.

What You Can Ship to Australia

We handle the customs documentation. Here is a quick guide to what travels well on this route — and what doesn't.

Commonly shipped

  • Household furniture and furnishings
  • Personal clothing and shoes
  • Books, photos, and personal documents
  • Electronics — laptops, tablets, TVs (check for 230V compatibility)
  • Kitchen items — cookware, small appliances, utensils
  • Bedding, linens, and towels
  • Children's belongings and toys
  • Sporting equipment — golf clubs, surfboards, fitness gear
  • Bicycles (must be cleaned of all soil and plant matter)
  • Musical instruments
  • Art, antiques, and collectibles
  • Tools and garden equipment (thoroughly cleaned)

Restricted or prohibited

  • Untreated wooden items, items with bark, or wood-packaging without treatment marks (biosecurity)
  • Meat, dairy, eggs, honey and most animal-derived food products (biosecurity)
  • Seeds, nuts, plants, cut flowers and plant material (biosecurity)
  • Shoes, boots, bikes, tents or outdoor gear with soil or organic matter attached (biosecurity)
  • Animal hides, feathers, bones, ivory and products from protected wildlife (CITES)
  • Firearms, ammunition and weapons (separate permits required)
  • Alcohol and tobacco (not covered by UPE concession — duty and GST apply)
  • New, unused items still in packaging (may attract duty and GST)
  • Hazardous materials — flammable liquids, aerosols, gas cylinders, lithium batteries outside devices
Customs & duty

Customs Clearance for Australia

Australia is one of the stricter destinations in the world for imports — not because duties are high, but because the country runs two separate regimes in parallel: customs clearance through the Australian Border Force (ABF), and biosecurity clearance through the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF). Personal effects that you have owned and used overseas generally enter duty- and GST-free under the Unaccompanied Personal Effects (UPE) concession, but every household shipment must still pass biosecurity — and that is where most clients run into surprises. City Post Express prepares both declarations on your behalf and knows exactly what ABF and DAFF expect.

Unaccompanied Personal Effects (UPE) — Form B534

Form B534 is the Unaccompanied Personal Effects Statement lodged with the Australian Border Force. It lets you import used household goods and personal belongings free of customs duty and GST, provided the items were owned and used by you overseas before shipping. The concession is specifically for unaccompanied effects — goods arriving separately from you, by sea or air, rather than in your checked luggage.

Requirements

  • You must be the owner of the goods and must have used them overseas before shipping
  • The goods must be for your own personal use in Australia — not for sale, hire or commercial use
  • You (or an authorised representative) must complete and sign Form B534 for lodgement with the ABF
  • You must be in Australia, or due to arrive, when the goods clear customs
  • Alcohol, tobacco, motor vehicles and new items are excluded from the UPE concession

Let us handle the customs

Customs paperwork for Australia is included in every package — ToR relief, declarations, all of it.

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From the team

Shipping tips for Australia

01

Start 8–12 weeks before your move

Ocean freight to Australia is long. Ship your sea consignment well before you fly so your belongings are clearing customs while you settle in. Use a small air shipment to cover essentials for the first few weeks.

02

Clean everything — biosecurity is strict

DAFF inspects almost every household shipment. Vacuum shoes, scrub bike tyres, wipe mud off garden tools, clean camping gear, and empty the lint from vacuum cleaners. Dirty goods mean inspection delays, fumigation charges, or items being destroyed at your cost.

03

Leave the food behind

Australia is an island continent with no native agricultural pests and it intends to keep it that way. Meat, dairy, eggs, honey, seeds, unpopped popcorn and many pantry staples are prohibited. Do not pack the pantry.

04

Check wooden items for bark and treatment

Untreated wood, items with bark, and raw timber can trigger mandatory fumigation or destruction. Declare wooden furniture, carvings and instruments on your inventory so we can flag them for DAFF in advance.

05

Australian homes are smaller than American ones — outside the suburbs

Apartments in Sydney and Melbourne, and inner-city terraces, are compact. Oversized US furniture and king-sized beds often will not fit. Measure before you ship.

06

230V means most large US appliances stay behind

Laptops, phone chargers and most modern electronics are dual-voltage and just need a Type I plug adapter. Large 110V appliances — kettles, toasters, kitchen stand mixers, hair tools — are not worth the step-down transformer. Replace locally.

Australia — Frequently Asked Questions

Resources

Further reading: shipping to Australia

Guide ·15 min read

Customs Clearance for International Shipping: Complete Guide

Complete guide to customs clearance for international shipping from the US to Europe. Covers the customs clearance process step by step, Transfer of Residence duty-free rules, country-by-country requirements for Ireland, UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy, required documents, timelines, duties and taxes, and prohibited items.

Guide ·15 min read

Moving to Ireland from the US — Shipping Guide

Everything you need to know about moving to Ireland from the US — shipping costs, transit times, Transfer of Residence duty relief, customs clearance, and practical tips from a company that has been shipping personal belongings to Ireland for over 25 years.

Blog ·7 min read

Flat-Rate International Shipping: How It Works and Why It Matters

Flat-rate international shipping means one transparent price that covers pickup, ocean freight, customs clearance, and delivery to your door. Learn how it works, why traditional movers charge hidden fees, and how City Post Express pioneered fixed-price shipping for personal belongings from the US to Ireland, the UK, and Europe.

Guide ·12 min read

Cheapest Way to Ship Overseas from the US

Compare the cheapest ways to ship overseas from the US — USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL, and ocean freight — with real pricing for 2025–2026. Includes cost comparison tables, tips to reduce international shipping costs, and a decision framework for choosing the right method based on your shipment size.

Get your Australia shipping quote

Flat-rate pricing, weekly sailings, customs and biosecurity handled end-to-end. Tell us what you are moving and we will come back with a clear all-inclusive price — no surprise surcharges, no hidden fees.

No obligation. No hidden fees. Just honest, flat-rate shipping.