Australia · DAFF packing declaration

Australia packing declaration generator

Send the packer a declaration DAFF will accept the first time.

Answer the packing questions once and print the DAFF FCL/X, LCL or annual packing declaration in the department's template wording, ready for the packer's employee to sign on letterhead.

Last updated 2026-09-28. Math runs in your browser, no data leaves your computer.

The declaration is issued by the company that packed the container, on its own letterhead, and signed by one of its employees. As the importer you can fill it in here, print it and send it to the Chinese packer to check against what actually went into the box; the wording follows the DAFF templates exactly.

Everything you type stays in your browser. Bulk liquid in an ISO tank needs no packaging or cleanliness statement, so this form is for dry containers with drums, IBCs, bags or pallets.

Form and packer

Choose FCL/X when one importer takes the whole container, because only that form carries the container cleanliness statement DAFF needs for full containers.

Name the company that packed or watched the packing, since the fact sheet puts the declaration on that entity's letterhead.

Give a street address, because DAFF's unacceptable example fails partly on a missing physical address.

Consignment

Take it from the booking confirmation, because section 1.8 accepts the vessel and voyage in place of a date of issue.

Copy the voyage exactly as the carrier prints it, so the officer can match it to the bill of lading.

Quote container numbers, the bill of lading number or the invoice number, since section 1.9 rejects package counts, weights and dates as links.

Packing questions

Q1 Unacceptable packaging material used?

This covers straw, hay, chaff, bark, rice hulls, soil bags, used empty bags, used cartons and used tyres, which the non-commodity policy sends for inspection or treatment when declared.

Q2 Timber or bamboo packaging or dunnage used?

Pallets, crates, skids, bearers and blocks of solid wood count, while packaging made entirely of plywood, veneer or reconstituted wood does not need declaring.

Sign off

Print the name of the packer's employee who signs, because a printed name only without a signature is on DAFF's list of failures.

Date it when it is issued; a one off declaration may carry the vessel and voyage instead, and an annual one runs 12 months from this date.

The button opens your browser's print dialog, where you can choose a printer or pick Save as PDF, and the sheet prints on A4.

Before the booking, screen the name on the invoice. Shipment pre-check is on the paid plans, from USD 59 a month.

General guidance only. Verify against the cited primary sources before you commit to a shipment, declaration, or contract.

Where the wording comes from

The four layouts are the FCL/X, LCL, FCL annual and LCL annual packing declarations on the DAFF documentary templates page, last updated on 11 August 2025. The printed questions, answer boxes and statements are copied from the department's Word files, including the switch to "will be" wording on the annual forms.

The checks come from the minimum documentary and import declaration requirements policy, version 4.2, effective 12 May 2025. Section 2.1.1 puts packing declarations on the issuing company's letterhead or stamp with its name and address, section 1.9 needs a consignment link, section 1.8 needs a date of issue or, for a packing declaration, the vessel and voyage, and section 4.5 says the packer's employee endorses it with name and signature.

The answers follow the non-commodity information requirements policy, version 4.1. It lists the unacceptable packaging materials, says ISPM 15 is not acceptable for bamboo, leaves the cleanliness statement off LCL cargo, and exempts ISO tanks from the packaging and cleanliness statements.

The tool refuses answers that contradict each other, such as timber declared with no treatment answer, because DAFF's own unacceptable example fails on conflicting answers to Q2 and Q3. It does not cover the khapra beetle container measures, which apply to FCL/X containers packed in a khapra beetle country and unpacked in a grain growing postcode, so check DAFF's khapra beetle pages for the current country list.

Worked example. Drums on pallets with the wrong treatment box

The booking. A Melbourne importer brings in 80 drums of a solvent on 20 timber pallets in one 20 foot container from Ningbo. The factory's packing declaration is on letterhead with the container number, answers no to unacceptable packaging and yes to timber in Q2, and is signed and dated, which looks fine on paper.

The failure. The packer left Q3 blank, because the pallets carry the ISPM 15 stamp and nobody thought to say so on paper. Section 5.3 of the non-commodity policy needs an ISPM 15 statement or treatment evidence once timber is declared, so the container is directed for inspection at the importer's cost, and the choice is simple: reissue the declaration, or pay for the inspection.

The fix. The importer fills this tool in with timber ticked and "Treated and marked in compliance with ISPM 15" chosen, and the tool will not print until Q3 is answered. The packer's employee signs the page on letterhead with the container number as the link, and the officer can now match the ISPM 15 answer to the stamped pallets.

Pallets carry a stamp you cannot read? The ISPM 15 stamp decoder explains each part of the mark, and the fumigation certificate template covers the certificate when the timber is treated under DAFF's own requirements.

Frequently asked

What is a packing declaration for Australia?

A document issued by the packer of a sea container stating what packing material was used, which the DAFF packing declaration fact sheet says gives assurance that biosecurity risks will not come in through the packing or the container. It answers whether unacceptable packaging material or timber or bamboo was used, how any timber was treated, and for FCL/X containers whether the container was cleaned. Using the department's template is recommended, not mandatory.

Who must sign the packing declaration?

An employee of the company that packed the goods into the container or watched them being packed, which may be the supplier or exporter. Section 4.5.5 of the DAFF minimum documentary policy says the declaration must be endorsed with the employee's name and signature, and a company stamp that does not identify a person is not enough.

What is the difference between the FCL/X and LCL packing declaration?

The FCL/X form adds the container cleanliness statement and the LCL form leaves it out, because LCL cargo is unpacked in controlled metropolitan premises. The fact sheet tells packers not to include a cleanliness statement on LCL declarations, and striking it out by hand is shown on DAFF's unacceptable example as an unendorsed alteration.

How long is an annual packing declaration valid?

Twelve months from the date the packer, supplier or exporter issues it, and it must still be valid when the container is exported to Australia, under section 4.5.3 of the DAFF policy. It uses the importer and exporter names as the link instead of container numbers, and its statements are in the future tense.

Does an ISO tank need a packing declaration?

No packaging or cleanliness statement is needed for ISO tanks. Section 4.2 of the DAFF non-commodity information requirements policy exempts them because of their restricted use, design and construction, as long as the bill of lading identifies the container as an ISO tank. Drums, IBCs and bags in a dry container still need the full FCL/X declaration.

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Sourzi shows what official files say. It is not customs or legal advice. For a binding answer, ask a licensed customs broker, a CBP ruling or an Australian Border Force Tariff Advice.

File dates and links are on Data sources.