Thai Missus Taking Dried Chilli And Noodles Into Australia

Spoonman · March 29, 2012

As per thread title, the Thai missus is coming to OZ with me and although she eats western food want to bring with a few packets of noodles and some dried chilli as well, will AQIS allow this ?

necronx99 · March 29, 2012

Declare it and you should be ok if is commercially packaged.

You can buy both here from shops almost everywhere though........

xen · March 29, 2012

Declare it and you should be ok if is commercially packaged.

You can buy both here from shops almost everywhere though........

Exactly what i was about to say. Thai groceries can be obtained in every Asian Grocery store. There are only a few Thai cosmetics that may be harder to find.

JBL · March 29, 2012

Thai/asian style supermarkets springing up in lots of places - you will be fine

If you bring food over as suggested earlier commercially packaged & declare it !!! Even if your not sure declare it makes it so much easer

David48 · March 30, 2012

Just through Aussie Customs 6 weeks ago and bought a tin of those smelly baby clam things the girls love and we collectively hate.

Declared it and no problems.

The Thai gf is arriving in a week and bringing a few select items so, if I remember, I will try and update here with what she bought through.

Oh, I just updated a thread of mine ... http://www.thaivisa....sa-application/ and the very last entry is a copy of the Incoming Passenger Card in Thai.

Might be worthwhile showing that to her so that she completes the English one correctly.

Never had a problem bringing the noodles through.

David Mault · March 30, 2012

The main thing is to declare you have food. That means any food, caned, bottles, packets. Quarantine want to inspect ALL food entering Australia. They also like to have some English writing on the goods so they can check their computer data base if required. I brought a small can of cucumber seed across a couple of weeks ago but because their was no English writing on the label for them to confirm the item they took the can off me. As I say declare all foods and let quarantine decide if they will let the item into the country.. Many times you will get them in other times not.

bdenner · March 30, 2012

Correct, declare it, the worst that can happen is it may be confiscated then she can buy it at most any Asian Supermarket over Australia.

Several years ago TW insisted on bringing several jars of the rotten fish, available from road side stalls, with us. No one was more surprised than me when the customs official let them through especially when I told him if he opened them in my presence I was out of there!

krading · March 30, 2012

A couple of years ago I tried to bring a few packets of Jok in through Adelaide airport but customs binned them because they couldn't read the thai labels. Worried they might contain egg product.

Also took the packet of thai basil seeds.

andrew55 · March 30, 2012

Also took the packet of thai basil seeds.

Seeds that may be viable are a big no-no.

JusMe · March 30, 2012

Not Australia, but Canada - rarely a problem taking anything in, just ensure it's declared.

I did have a difficulty one year when I didn't mention a big package of cashew nuts. Had to stand through a long lecture from Agriculture person. Really annoying.

Packaged stuff shouldn't be a problem, but you should be able to get that in local Asian markets.

I have taken small bags of fresh prik kee nu in my pack - never a question even though I was prepared to suggest a customs guy actually try one!

WebBangkok · March 30, 2012

Aussie customs are <deleted>, make sure if they ask you, you explain everything in detail what it is.

After a 9 hour flight during the night with no sleep, I brought Banana chips, durian chips and potato chips.

I declared and they asked what chips, I said banana and potato chips, they tried to fine me for that, after kicking up a stink I got off it. But they are picky little fuc_kers.

edwinclapham · March 30, 2012

Aussie customs are <deleted>, make sure if they ask you, you explain everything in detail what it is.

After a 9 hour flight during the night with no sleep, I brought Banana chips, durian chips and potato chips.

I declared and they asked what chips, I said banana and potato chips, they tried to fine me for that, after kicking up a stink I got off it. But they are picky little fuc_kers.

I dont find them arse holes at all. After many 24 hr journey trips back to Oz, I have only found them to be courteous , professional and helpful.They are protecting the flora/fauna/land. Sheer devastation can be caused by importation of many items wiping out an abundance of crops!

Many of the quarantine laws within Australia exist interstate and you have to ask yourself "its there for good reason"!

Many regular travellers blatantly ignore the regulations and to be fair I think Quarantine are too easy on them!

Daewoo · March 30, 2012

It's a lottery, I reckon they aren't hard enough... the shit that the Chinese try and bring in without declaring is amazing... and like most above said 99% of it is available in Australia after being imported properly...

Most commercially packaged stuff seems OK... anything else is 50/50... I reckon you will have problem with the chillies, but you can even buy good Thai chillies in Woolies now...

One point tho... waiting for an inspection, in Sydney anyway, will add 20 minutes or a lot more to your time passing through quarantine... for $2 worth of chilles and noodles that you can probably buy in Australia, you would be hearing a big 'f^ck that' from me...

Cheers,

Daewoo

jinjinswing · March 30, 2012

Yes ive seen customs at Melbourne airport target asians in particular, why bring in what you can buy cheaply at any asian supermarket.....i think its a bit silly actualy, and im happy for customs to do there job.

xen · March 31, 2012

Correct, declare it, the worst that can happen is it may be confiscated then she can buy it at most any Asian Supermarket over Australia.

Several years ago TW insisted on bringing several jars of the rotten fish, available from road side stalls, with us. No one was more surprised than me when the customs official let them through especially when I told him if he opened them in my presence I was out of there!

I wonder how the smell of that fish, particularly if the container leaked, would affect the sniffer dogs. Would it attract them or send them howling to the far corners of the terminal like it would me.

Robroy · April 1, 2012

You can email AQIS from their website & give an exact list of what you want to bring, & you will generally get a quick reply.

bkk_mike · April 1, 2012

Be sure to tick the box on the landing card saying you have food.

Wife had the 12yo Thai niece fill in the card on a flight to Brisbane to practice her English. The noodles (which would have been OK to take in) got confiscated and my wife got fined.

andrew55 · April 3, 2012

Hate to be a topic pooper but why not just check their website?

http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/travel/entering-australia/cant-take#moreinformation.

Thanks Mr Google.

tutsiwarrior · April 3, 2012

when in Abu Dhabi the missus brought in about 3 kilos of little silver dollar river fish from the local klong wrapped in newspaper...craziest thing I ever seen...toss them in whole in the wok with some oil and let them sizzle...it was hilarious and she said: 'what?...' it then was confirmed that she was nuts and she took my heart away...

a tale of love in the Middle East...

Edited April 3, 2012 by tutsiwarrior

Spoonman · April 3, 2012

No probs at all, I declared them and they did not even want to have a look.

necronx99 · April 3, 2012

No probs at all, I declared them and they did not even want to have a look.

There are lots of bad stories about Aust Customs and Quaranteen Service, I have my own.

Most of them start with somebody telling fibs on the declaration.

i always have trouble in Darwin, but never in syd or Melb.

As you learned, declare everything, even if you are not sure you have to and you will generally be ok.

David48 · May 4, 2012

Couple of weeks ago the Beau bought into Australia ...

All no problems as were declared.

edwinclapham · May 5, 2012

No probs at all, I declared them and they did not even want to have a look.

There are lots of bad stories about Aust Customs and Quaranteen Service, I have my own.

Most of them start with somebody telling fibs on the declaration.

i always have trouble in Darwin, but never in syd or Melb.

As you learned, declare everything, even if you are not sure you have to and you will generally be ok.

Invariably I stand in Quarantine with something to declare and from my experience it is the Asians who have suitcases full of non declarable foods.

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