Australian Border Force require an Advance Notice of Arrival (ANA) and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) require a Pre-Arrival Report.
By law, once visas have been secured for all crew, the captain of any vessel must give notice of arrival between 96 hours and 90 days before arrival. If your journey is likely to be less than 96 hours, then use this table to work out when to give notice.
This can be done by:
Request a confirmation and print it out for reference.
Note that the Notification requirement( 96 hours or four days) prior to arrival is the minimum requirement. Therefore a skipper can report his impending arrival in Australia prior to departing his previous port up to 90 days before his expected arrival in Australia.
If by chance the vessel arrives prior to lapsing of the 96 hours of arrival it can wait out the time anywhere it is safe to do so. If due to dangerous seas, or there is a medical emergency etc., then the vessel is able to progress to a safe haven or the Boarding Station.
See Australian Border Force: Let Us Know You're Coming for more details.
For general information on the reporting requirements for small craft arrivals visit the Australian Border Force website information for Yachts and Pleasure Craft.
Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries require all Non-commercial vessels arriving in Australian territorial waters to submit a Non-commercial vessel Pre-Arrival Report (PAR) which includes questions relating to biofouling management practices on the vessel. The PAR must be submitted 90 days to 12 hours before arriving in Australian territory.
See Biosecurity for more information.
All international non-commercial vessels must only arrive at specific Australian ports, known as First Points of Entry (FPOE). You must also ensure that your FPOE is also a Biosecurity Entry Point (BEP).
If you want to arrive at a Port of Entry that is not a Biosecurity Entry Point then you must apply for permission at least 10 days before arriving into Australia territory. These requests must be sent to conveyance.maritime@aff.gov.au.
Official Ports of Entry which are also Biosecurity Entry Points all have 24-hour service. There are severe penalties for stopping anywhere else before clearing in, up to an AUD$50,000 fine. Fly the Q flag as soon as you enter Australian territorial waters.
A full list of official Ports of Entry including contact details is also available on the Australian Border Force website. A list of Biosecurity First Points of Entry is available on the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries website.
Australian Biosecurity reported nearly 1,000 yacht and superyacht arrivals in 2024, the three favourite ports of entry being Bundaberg (Queensland), Cairn (Queensland) and Christmas Island (Indian Ocean).
Ensure your VHF is on "International" when entering Australian waters otherwise you will not be able to contact the local stations.
There are particularly strict rules concerning stops in any of the islands in the Torres Strait. The area is under constant surveillance by Customs planes. If a yacht has already cleared into Australia and obtained a Control Permit, then stops are permitted as long as the biosecurity procedures are observed. See Shipping and Yachting in the Torres Strait for the details.
If a yacht has not cleared in and an emergency stop is made at one of the islands, no one must land or have contact with any other vessel.
As this is an international waterway, vessels are allowed to transit without clearing into Australia provided the above rules are observed. The nearest port of entry is at Thursday Island.
Australian Border Force (ABF) and Biosecurity (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry - DAFF) clearance must be completed before anyone can go ashore. (See the Fees section for information on what you will have to pay on arrival).
They may require a list of ship's stores, dutiable items and information about any animals on board as well as the previous port clearance and the usual crew list and official papers.
Every person on board must have a valid visa, otherwise, the captain will be fined Aus$1000 for every person arriving without a visa, including the captain himself. See Immigration for details.
On arrival, the captain must complete an arrival report and everyone must complete an Incoming Passenger Card.
If you don't intend to stay in Australia for longer than 12 months, a Control Permit will be issued by ABF. This will be issued for 12 months, or the length of the Skipper's visa. The permit enables foreign yachts to cruise freely between their port of entry and exit and allows them to visit ports and places besides the official ports of entry. Find out more in documents.
It is an Australia Border Force requirement that small craft are required to make an appointment (with the relevant ABF office/location) to be cleared for departure from Australia.
However some ports may take longer to process departure clearance formalities. For example, ABF in Darwin asks for at least five days notice of intended departure.
For further information in regards to requirements for departing from Australian by sea, see this information on the ABF website: Entering and leaving by sea.
Clearing out can only be done at one of the official First Points of Entry. The documents needed to get Customs clearance are passports, crew list, list of ship's stores and registration certificate. Australian yachts must be registered before leaving Australia.
After clearing out, one is not allowed to stop at any other places, but anchoring for the night or in bad weather is permitted, provided one does not go ashore.
Last updated: Augusut 2025
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