Shipping a vehicle from Greece to Australia

Australia does not let a vehicle in simply because it arrived. It needs import approval before it is loaded, it needs to be biologically clean, and it needs to be free of asbestos. We ship cars, motorcycles and boats from Greece to Australia - and we run the file that has to be finished before the vehicle ever sees the port.

What we ship on this lane

From Greece to Australia, by container out of Piraeus. We ship into Melbourne and Sydney; which port your cargo arrives at depends on the delivery address, and we confirm it before loading:

• Passenger cars, on their own in a container or alongside your household effects.
• Motorcycles, on a purpose-made frame.
• Pleasure craft, by whichever method suits their dimensions - see the vehicles page for the options.

How it works

Inspection and photography → vehicle import approval applied for and granted → deregistration at the Greek tax office → biosecurity cleaning and check → loading and securing in the container → Piraeus → export customs → vessel → DAFF inspection on arrival → import customs with our partner → delivery.

That order is not optional. Import approval is not issued retrospectively: if the vehicle reaches Australia without one, the Australian Border Force will not release it from customs control, and storage costs fall on the importer.

Three checks it has to pass

1. Vehicle import approval. Under the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 it is an offence to import a road vehicle into Australia without approval. The application goes through ROVER, the Australian Department of Infrastructure’s online portal. Assessment can take up to 60 business days - which is why it starts first, before any loading date is fixed.

2. Biosecurity (DAFF). The vehicle must arrive free of soil, mud, seeds, plant residue, animal material and insects - outside, under the chassis, in the wheel arches, on the tyres and around the engine. DAFF inspects on arrival. Light contamination means cleaning at an approved site at the importer’s cost; heavy contamination means the vehicle can be directed for export back out of Australia, again at the importer’s cost. The wash happens here, before loading, and is documented.

3. Asbestos (ABF). Importing asbestos into Australia is prohibited, and the prohibition applies to vehicles of any type, age or value. The importer is expected to know the vehicle’s history. Tolerance levels set by other countries are not accepted at the Australian border; where the ABF judges there is a risk it will require assurances and may sample and test, with the cost and the delay falling on the importer. It bears mainly on older vehicles and on parts such as brake pads, gaskets and clutch plates.

What gets through, and what does not

Gets through

• A vehicle with a valid import approval issued before loading.
• A vehicle clean enough to satisfy DAFF’s inspection.
• A vehicle whose asbestos history can be evidenced.

Does not

• A vehicle without import approval - this cannot be fixed after arrival.
• A vehicle carrying soil, seeds or plant material anywhere on it.
• Components containing asbestos, whatever the vehicle’s age.
• Undeclared personal belongings loaded inside the vehicle. Household effects are declared separately, on form B534.

Duty, GST and, for some vehicles, Luxury Car Tax may fall due on import. The Australian Border Force sets and collects these, not us.

Documents you need

Greek side

• Deregistration at the competent tax office (after keeping a copy of the registration document) and the deregistration certificate.
• Your ΑΦΜ and electronic authorisation for our customs broker.
• A copy of the registration document and proof of ownership.
• The owner’s passport, and the Australian visa or residence status.
• Photographs and confirmation of the biosecurity clean.

Australian side

• Vehicle import approval via ROVER.
• The import declaration and, for household effects travelling with it, form B534 Unaccompanied Personal Effects.
• Consignee details and the delivery address in Australia.

Official sources

• Department of Infrastructure - Importing a road vehicle into Australia: who needs approval and which kind.
• ROVER: the portal the approval application goes through.
• DAFF - Importing motor vehicles, motorcycles, tyres and machinery and Cleanliness requirements: what counts as contamination and what happens at inspection.
• ABF - Importing a motor vehicle: the customs side.
• ABF - Asbestos in imported motor vehicles: the prohibition and the importer’s obligations.
• ABF - Unaccompanied Personal Effects and the B534 form.

The competent authorities are the Australian Border Force (ABF) for customs, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) for biosecurity, and the Department of Infrastructure for import approval. Those are the current names.

Other documents or procedures may be required, and each country’s laws can change without notice. Contact us and we will give you an up-to-date briefing.

Why us

Vehicles bound for Australia are not lost at sea; they get stuck at the port. Almost always for one of three reasons: the import approval was not issued in time, the vehicle was not clean enough, or its asbestos history could not be evidenced. All three are decided in Greece, weeks before the ship sails.

We have been shipping to Australia since 1988, with our own customs brokers here and settled partners there. We start from the approval and work backwards.