Clearance Options

When a superyacht arrives in Australia from overseas, the Australian Border Force (ABF) needs to know how the vessel will be treated while it is here. The right clearance option depends on who owns the vessel, how long it will stay, and what it will be used for. All options give access to Australian waters and land.

Choose your clearance option before you arrive, and discuss it with your agent or the ABF at your intended port of entry.

Is my vessel a superyacht?

The ABF defines a superyacht as a high-value luxury sailing or motor vessel that is:

• 24 metres or longer
• not carrying cargo
• used for sport or pleasure.

Superyachts are subject to customs, immigration and biosecurity controls when entering and leaving Australia, whether used privately or for commercial recreational activities.

Clearance options at a glance

Option	Best suited to	How long	Duty and GST	Can the vessel be chartered?	Can the vessel be sold?
Control Permit	Foreign-owned yachts visiting for private cruising	Up to 12 months (or the length of the Master’s visa, if shorter)	Not payable, no security required	No	No
Temporary Importation	Tourists or temporary residents bringing in a yacht they own personally	Up to 12 months	Not payable if the vessel leaves in time, but a security or undertaking may be required	Not without ABF permission	Not without ABF permission
Entry for Home Consumption (formal importation)	Australian citizens and residents, yachts to be chartered or used commercially, and yachts to be sold	No limit	Payable on arrival	Yes	Yes
Licensed Warehouse	Yachts to be stored or sold, lifted onto a hardstand or trailer	Until the yacht is exported or imported	Not payable while in the warehouse	No	Yes, subject to conditions

Yachts intending to charter in Australia may also operate under a Temporary Coastal Trading Licence. See Chartering in Australia.

Control Permit

A Control Permit is issued to the Master when the ABF is satisfied the vessel is visiting Australia for non-commercial purposes. It is the most common option for foreign-flagged superyachts on a private cruise. No security is required.

Who can apply

The applicant must be a tourist or temporary resident of Australia. Australian citizens are not eligible unless they can provide satisfactory evidence of overseas residency.

Vessel requirements

To be granted a Control Permit, the vessel must:

• have arrived from overseas and be scheduled to depart for overseas
• have arrived under its own power, not as cargo
• be visiting Australia for non-commercial purposes
• not be used for any commercial activity, such as charter, hire or lease
• not be offered for sale, sold or otherwise disposed of (including parts of the vessel).

The vessel may be privately or corporately owned. However, a Control Permit is not granted where more than 50% of the owners of the owning corporation are Australian residents, or where the vessel is owned or operated by an Australian resident (unless exceptional circumstances apply).

How long it lasts

Control Permits are issued for up to 12 months, or the length of the Master’s visa, whichever is shorter. Extensions may be granted on application, provided you still meet the eligibility requirements and hold an appropriate visa.

Conditions

• The vessel may stay in Australia for repair or refit.
• Replacement parts for a vessel on a Control Permit must be entered for home consumption, with duty and GST paid, before delivery.
• You must tell the ABF if the vessel’s circumstances change. Failing to do so can result in the permit being revoked and the vessel being treated as imported, with duty and GST payable.

Temporary Importation

Temporary importation allows a vessel to stay in Australia for up to 12 months without paying duty and GST, provided it is exported within that time.

• It is available to a tourist or temporary resident who owns the superyacht personally. A company, trust or other organisation cannot temporarily import a superyacht.
• An import entry is required. Depending on the ABF’s risk assessment, a cash security, bank guarantee or undertaking equal to the duty and GST may be required.
• Superyachts can also be temporarily imported for public exhibition (such as boat shows) or testing.
• Superyachts taking part in a nationally or internationally recognised race or event may be imported under an ATA Carnet as professional equipment. Australia does not otherwise accept ATA Carnets for vessels.
• Replacement parts for a temporarily imported superyacht can also be temporarily imported.

A temporarily imported superyacht cannot be sold, offered for sale, leased, hired, chartered, loaned or used in the domestic economy without ABF permission. Permission may mean duty and GST become payable.

Entry for Home Consumption

Entry for home consumption is the formal importation of a vessel into Australia. It is required if:

• you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident, or are migrating to Australia on a vessel bought overseas
• the vessel will work in Australia, including chartering, leasing, hiring, carrying fare-paying passengers or operating for any kind of reward (unless operating under a Temporary Coastal Trading Licence)
• the vessel will be sold or offered for sale in Australia (unless held in a licensed warehouse).

Entries generally need to be finalised by close of business on the working day after arrival. The ABF looks at all the facts and circumstances to decide whether a vessel is being imported.

Duty and GST on importation

• GST of 10% is payable on the value of the taxable importation (the customs value plus any duty, transport and insurance costs).
• Superyachts over 150 Gross Construction Tonnes (GCT) have a free rate of duty.
• Other concessions may be available under Australia’s Free Trade Agreements.
• Operators registered for GST with an ABN may be able to claim input tax credits and use the ATO’s GST deferral scheme. See Taxation.

Licensed Warehouse

A superyacht can be entered into a licensed (section 79) warehouse without paying duty or GST. Licensed warehouses only accept yachts lifted onto a hardstand or trailer. While in the warehouse, the yacht may be sold (subject to conditions) or offered for sale. It can then be entered for home consumption or exported.

Repairs, refits and dry dock

Australia is a popular refit destination, and vessels on a Control Permit may stay in Australia for repair or refit. However, a superyacht cannot keep its continuous international voyage status while in dry dock. If repairs mean the vessel cannot keep this status, it must either be exported, or entered for home consumption for repair and export.

• A security may be required for any duty. The importation is GST free.
• The vessel must be exported after repairs and testing are complete, or the security may be forfeited.
• Goods imported to repair superyachts over 150 GCT have a free rate of duty.

See Refit & Haul Out and Taxation for GST-free repairs.

More information

• ABF: Yachts and pleasure craft
• ABF: Requirements for cruise ships, large passenger vessels and superyachts
• ABF fact sheet: Bringing superyachts to Australia (PDF) (PDF)
• ABF: Ports of entry

Last reviewed October 2026. Requirements change: always confirm with the Australian Border Force or a Superyacht Australia member agent.