Immigration delays in Darwin????

[boomerone]

We are thinking about arranging our own excursion in Darwin after 4 days at sea following a visit to Brunei. We understand Darwin is an immigration port and we may experience delays getting off the ship which will have an impact on our excursion departure time. Can anyone shed some light on the immigration procedures in Darwin. Thanks!

[Aus Traveller]

We are thinking about arranging our own excursion in Darwin after 4 days at sea following a visit to Brunei. We understand Darwin is an immigration port and we may experience delays getting off the ship which will have an impact on our excursion departure time. Can anyone shed some light on the immigration procedures in Darwin. Thanks!

We have been into Darwin several times on cruises and there weren't any real delays. The main thing is to NOT take any food including fruit ashore. Every time we have been there the arriving passengers have to stop walking and stand in a line with their bags on the floor while a 'quarantine dog' walks along the line. It only takes a few minutes at most. As long as you don't have food (or that the bag doesn't smell of food from a previous occasion) you are free to go. If the dog shows interest in your bag you would have to move over to an inspection counter where AQIS staff would look through the bag. Australian authorities treat quarantine matters very seriously, as they should.

 

Bottom line - there would not be delays that would impact on your excursion departure time. Where are you planning to go on your excursion?

[Iluvcruising2]

Can I clarify, for all Australian ports we cannot bring any food on shore?

[Aus Traveller]

Can I clarify, for all Australian ports we cannot bring any food on shore?

That is correct. No food should be taken ashore at any Australian ports.

 

If you carried items like commercially packaged biscuits (cookies), chocolates or candies AND YOU DECLARE THEM ON THE FORM they would be permitted. I have brought such items into Australia and declared them on the card that people entering the country have to fill in. I showed the items and they were OK'd. The items that will absolutely refused and could mean you get a monetary fine are meat items, honey and fruit/vegetables. It is probably simpler not to bring any food in.

 

They don't care if you take water or any other drinks.

 

As Australia is an island we don't have a lot of the pests and diseases that affect agriculture and farming in other countries and our AQIS (Australian Quarantine) are vigilant at keeping these pests out. We even have quarantine restrictions within Australia to protect fruit farms in particular areas.

[Globaliser]

Can I clarify, for all Australian ports we cannot bring any food on shore?

To add a bit to what Aus Traveller has said: There is quite a lot of commercially-produced food which is actually acceptable for import. But you must declare this too.

 

You can be heavily fined for failing to declare it, even if the food itself is actually perfectly acceptable for import. If you're caught with undeclared food, it's not an excuse to say that Customs would have let the food in anyway; the failure to declare it is an entirely independent issue, because it's for Customs not the passenger to decide whether the food is acceptable.

 

The same goes for other items subject to quarantine, including (for example) muddy hiking boots.

[Iluvcruising2]

That is correct. No food should be taken ashore at any Australian ports.

 

If you carried items like commercially packaged biscuits (cookies), chocolates or candies AND YOU DECLARE THEM ON THE FORM they would be permitted. I have brought such items into Australia and declared them on the card that people entering the country have to fill in. I showed the items and they were OK'd. The items that will absolutely refused and could mean you get a monetary fine are meat items, honey and fruit/vegetables. It is probably simpler not to bring any food in.

 

They don't care if you take water or any other drinks.

 

As Australia is an island we don't have a lot of the pests and diseases that affect agriculture and farming in other countries and our AQIS (Australian Quarantine) are vigilant at keeping these pests out. We even have quarantine restrictions within Australia to protect fruit farms in particular areas.

 

Thanks very much for the info.

 

Ok, we'll take note.

 

No cruise ship food to be brought on shore.

[ozzie_daz]

We are thinking about arranging our own excursion in Darwin after 4 days at sea following a visit to Brunei. We understand Darwin is an immigration port and we may experience delays getting off the ship which will have an impact on our excursion departure time. Can anyone shed some light on the immigration procedures in Darwin. Thanks!

 

i work at Darwin airport and the customs there can be quite slow, as they r often training people. i also work in the Darwin CBD at times and deal with cruise ship passengers (i work for a rental car company) and they r often coming to our office to pick up cars when they get off cruise ships. i've never herd any of the people saying that it took a long time to get off cruise ships, and the ships dock quite close to town. i guess its like and time people disembark from a ship there will always be delays, but i don't think they get held up for very long in Darwin.

hope this is of some help