Ivory & CITES-Listed Items 🇦🇺 Australia
Ivory & CITES-Listed Items import prohibited
Can I bring Ivory & CITES-Listed Items into Australia?
Ivory & CITES-Listed Items import prohibited
Required at the destination customs authority
Full details
Trade in elephant ivory is banned under CITES Appendix I listings. Both import and export of new ivory are prohibited in virtually all countries that are CITES parties. Antique ivory (pre-1947 and in some markets pre-1975 with documentation) may be e. Enforcement in Australia carries fines from AUD 66,600 to AUD 1,665,000 and imprisonment up to 10 years in aggravated cases under Customs Act 1901 s.233A; Criminal Code Act 1995 Part 9.1.
PENALTIES
- Fine: 66600–1665000 AUD
- Imprisonment up to 120 months
- Criminal penalty
Active — Customs actively enforces this rule.
Leaving Australia with ivory & cites-listed items
Elephant ivory is listed in CITES Appendix I: commercial international trade is banned, and personal cross-border movement of ivory items from Australia is prohibited without CITES documentation that is in practice only issued for narrow antique and museum exemptions. Domestic ivory legislation in most covered countries (US ESA rules, UK Ivory Act 2018, China's 2018 trade ban and equivalents) further bans dealing in ivory regardless of export. Travellers carrying inherited or antique ivory must obtain pre-issued CITES export documentation for the narrow exemption categories; without it, items are seized at either border and prosecution is possible.
Do not bring ivory & cites-listed items to this country. Penalties may be severe. If unsure, declare on arrival — declared goods at worst attract duty or surrender, while undeclared goods found in screening are seized and fined.
This page covers destination customs rules in Australia. Whether you can carry ivory & cites-listed items through security, in carry-on, or in checked baggage depends on airline and screening rules — see air travel rules.
Related rules
Ivory & CITES-Listed Items rules in other countries
Ivory & CITES-Listed Items
🇺🇸 United States
Commercial ivory trade is banned. Personal importation subject to narrow exemptions.
Ivory & CITES-Listed Items
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
One of the world's strictest ivory bans under the Ivory Act 2018.
Ivory & CITES-Listed Items
🇿🇦 South Africa
Ivory trade banned under CITES and national law
Ivory & CITES-Listed Items
🇨🇳 China
Complete ban on ivory trade since 2018
Ivory & CITES-Listed Items
🇨🇦 Canada
Ivory & CITES-Listed Items import prohibited
Ivory & CITES-Listed Items
🇳🇿 New Zealand
Ivory & CITES-Listed Items import prohibited