BICON is the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry's online system for checking biosecurity import conditions. Before you import, you search it for your product to see whether it is permitted, what conditions apply, and whether a permit or treatment is needed. Some goods, such as certain plant and animal products, cannot be imported at all because of biosecurity risk, and the department sets the requirements. Confirm the details on the live BICON pages. General information, not customs or biosecurity advice.
When does a seller need to check BICON?
Check it before you order stock, not when the container is already at the port. Products made of or containing plant or animal material are the obvious cases, but packaging can matter too. The department's rules for wooden packaging and permits are not covered here, so check them for your own shipment. Most plastic and electronics sellers will find few conditions, but only a search tells you for your product.
Biosecurity is separate from customs. Prohibited and restricted goods need permission from the relevant agency, and proof must be given to the ABF. The customs document itself is explained in import declarations.
What does biosecurity cost?
On a full import declaration for consignments over A$1,000, the ABF lists a biosecurity cost recovery charge of A$48 by air and A$71 by sea, citing a 2026 increase. That is a charge on the declaration, not a BICON fee. Permit, inspection and treatment costs are not covered here.
What should you do if BICON shows a condition?
Read the condition against your actual product, not the category name. If a permit is required, build the approval time into your launch plan, because stock cannot be cleared until the requirement is met. If the wording is unclear, ask your licensed customs broker, who can also tell you whether the condition changes how the consignment is declared. Keep the search result and any permit with your import records; the ABF says importers or brokers must keep import documents for five years.
Where does it fit in your import checklist?
- Confirm your product is not prohibited or restricted, using the ABF categories.
- Search BICON for biosecurity conditions and any permit.
- Check mandatory safety standards; see the Australian Consumer Law and product safety on Amazon Australia.
- Check electrical rules; see RCM.
- Lodge the declaration with your broker.
- Check Amazon's own restrictions in Amazon Australia restricted products.
Small consignments of A$1,000 or less are handled differently for tax, see LVIG, but biosecurity rules do not disappear because a parcel is small.
Next step
Blooprint does not advise on biosecurity. Once your stock is cleared, it manages Amazon seller accounts in Australia.