Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

Hi all,

I appreciate if someone could help me with my query.
What is the maximum amount of cash we can bring into Aus as a family (two adults and three children) when landing for first time as permanent residents?

Cheers,

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

If you're talking about carrying cash on the plane I believe it's $10,000 Australian (per person I imagine). I doubt if the kids could do that though! It's a bit silly to carry that much cash anyway.

However if you're talking about how much you can transfer into a bank there's no limit as far as I know. The only restriction is when you are physically carrying cash in on the plane.

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

There is NO restriction on taking in Cash at the airport.

The $10,000 is the limit at which you must declare it on the boarding card, so if you take $9,999. Then you just walk through and don’t have to say anything.

If you take $30,000 cash then you declare it on your landing card.

$10,000 and over you just need to declare it.

You can take 1 million through for all you like, just as long as your declare it – if you don’t they can take it off you.

Here, from the customs website:

Currency
"There is no limit to the amount of currency you can bring in or out of Australia. However, you must declare amounts of A$10,000 or more in Australian currency or foreign equivalent. If asked by Customs you must also fill in a Bearer Negotiable Instruments (BNI) form if you're carrying promissory notes, travellers cheques, personal cheques, money orders or postal orders.”

http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=4443#items

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

If you are carrying a large amount of cash, even if it is lower than $10k, customs may still insist on counting it which might hold you up. Travelling with large sums of cash should really be a last resort.

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

Bring as much as you want, don't worry about making the declaration, making it doesn't mean you pay tax. You declare it and they wave you through. Bringing cash into the country is perfectly legal - in fact, we're all very grateful for you bringing your foreign-earned money into the Aussie economy and spending it!

It's not the same as a duty-free allowance where if you bring 2 litres of vodka, you don't pay duty on it, but if you bring 3 litres of vodka, you do (or whatever - I don't know what the actual booze limits are). What they are trying to do is penalise money launderers who try to sneak large amounts of cash into the country: if they find wads of undeclared cash, with the declaration law they don't have to prove that you're intending to do something naughty with it in order to seize it. They just have to prove that you didn't declare it.

Having said that, of course, it's better to avoid carrying cash if you don't need to, if only for the normal theft/loss risks. You know you can set up an Aussie bank account while still in the UK, right?

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

"normal" theft/loss risks :confused: ? I would not think that (theft) could happen in Australia. What if you bring money on Saturday and you stay in your hotel until Monday when you go to the bank and open a bank account and save your money. Could your money be plausibly stealed from Saturday to Monday while staying in your hotel ? That could happen in a developing country, but I guess not in Australia, could it ?

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

You're actually serious aren't you? :blink:

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

There were just under 45,000 prosecutions for theft, robbery, fraud etc in New South Wales alone in 2004, and that's probably just a drop in the ocean of actual offences. So yes, theft happens in Australia and no, I wouldn't be very enthusiastic about leaving a wad of cash in a hotel room even in a little room safe. (Particularly because once I thought I was being very smart about hiding my credit cards in a light fixture when my room didn't have a safe...and then I forgot to retrieve them when I left the hotel. I remembered just as the plane was taking off... <facepalm>).

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

A lot of Branches are open Saturday and Sunday now, so no need to wait until monday to get to the bank!

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

Yes, you're right. That's an important distinction that I forgot to mention.

I still don't consider it very safe to carry that much cash and I would definitely expect a delay going through customs.

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

I agree, I can't imagine getting to customs and trying to pull 10 grand out of your pocket. lol... Don't understand why someone would bring so much cash, with bank accounts, credit cards etc... really no need.

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

When we arrived we had two kids and $300 Canadian, plus all of our credit and bank cards from Canada. So I just don't see the need to bring that much cash. It was very poor planning on our part though!

But we did exchange the cash for Australian and used the credit cards for everything else until we got a bank account setup and our money transfered over.

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

Thank you all for the information, and I appreciate your sincere advice.

Actually I'm not from the UK, it's great idea to open an account while still offshore. Could you guide me how can I set up an Aussie bank account while still in my home country. Is it possible to do it online?
Anybody, please!

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

Which country are you in? You'd probably be better off calling whichever bank you decide to bank with over here and asking them how to go about it in the country you are in. Chances are if they don't know they'll go away and find out for you.

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

I don't know if the OP is asking the question as they are wondering if it would be a way to avoid tax, ie, if you took in A$9999 each they wouldn't need to pay tax on it?

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

This is a good point to add. Of course it'll be great if I could avoid paying taxes without breaking any law :). Because you know, I've already payed the taxes for my earned money in my home country. It's not good for me to pay it again.

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

There is no tax to avoid though.

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

Hello, could you remember a branch in Sydney that opens on Sunday. Thank you for your information.

Note: I was told some day that Australia like Japan were the safest countries on earth (in Japan housewives only bring cash to stores because crime is so rare), but I guess I was told the wrong information ... I guess crime inside the Sydney Airport is so rare, not least because there should be hundreds of cameras and security agents ... and I guess if you take a taxi in the airport then there should be a very little possibility that the taxi driver robs you (in my country every taxi that goes into the airport needs to register in a database and also what passenger it picks up ... and I guess in Australia it should be the same) ... so I guess from the Airport to the Bank you should be safe :fingerscrossed: .

I think that to open an Australian bank account in my country should be impossible, because there is not even an Australian Embassy in my country, and none of the main Australian banks operate in my country.

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

http://www.commbank.com.au/weekend/

Have you tried HSBC? They operate in most countries...they may be able to help.

BTW Someone was murdered in Sydney Airport this year!

And depending on what stats you choose to believe, Australia has one of the highest burglarly rates in the developed world (if not the highest).

Regardless of whether you can open an Australian bank account overseas...is there any reason why you cannot wait until you have arrived in Australia and opened a bank account before transferring your funds? Obviously you will need some initial cash.

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

Here ya go,

Commonwealth Bank
http://www.commbank.com.au/weekend/

ANZ
http://www.anz.com/australia/persbnk...endedHours.asp

NAB
http://www.nab.com.au/wps/wcm/connec.../about_us/3/15

WESTPAC
http://www.nowwhere.com.au/westpac/l...a/default.aspx

BANKWEST
http://www.bankwest.com.au/Find_Us/index.aspx

ST GEORGE
http://apps.nowwhere.com.au/stgeorgebank/locator/

Good luck

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

You can open a Westpac account online before you arrive in Australia. You can send money into it but you can't take it out until you arrive into Australia in person.

http://www.westpac.com.au/internet/p...igrant+banking

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

Oh, thank you very much ! :thumbup: thank you to all the persons that answered my post. I will take a closer look at that. It should work. I was not knowledgeable about sending money outside my country, but I will research that. And of course, if you don't bring much money with you then you might feel more relaxed :cool:.

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

Look here, for example: http://www.anz.com/unitedkingdom/en/...-bank-account/ or indeed the link provided by Comet.

Although it's a scheme run from the UK and oriented to the UK, I don't see any reason why they wouldn't open an account for someone in another country. You don't actually go in person to their office in the UK - you just have to go to a bank in Australia to prove your identity once you get here. Make sure you go soon after you arrive, though, because you can't start spending the money you have transferred into your account until you prove your identity.

Also, it bears repeating: you will not be taxed for bringing money into the country. There is no tax on importing money, regardless of whether it's more or less than $10,000. The Australian government loves it when people bring money here because it means you are probably going to spend it here!

(In fact, I am not familiar with any country that taxes money transfers into the country).

Ahh...I take it in that case you didn't hear about our motorcycle gang episode recently where there was a huge fight, a man was beaten to death inside the arrivals hall, it took a while for cops/security to show up and many of the security cameras weren't working?
http://www.smh.com.au/national/bikie...0323-95xc.html

Look - I am not paranoid and Sydney is a very safe big city. It's not Rio or Baghdad or Port Moresby or Johannesburg by any means. If you were bringing in a lot of money, I'm sure you'd be fine most times, probably wouldn't lose it and probably wouldn't have it stolen. I've certainly carried big wads of cash around internationally when I haven't had a choice before (and didn't really like doing it). All I am saying is that even though it's pretty safe here, if it's safer and not too expensive to send money electronically, why not just do that?

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

Well, I guess I will only get a true perception of Sydney security living in it.
But, BTW do you feel safe in Sydney ? I guess if you see policemen patrolling the streets you feel safe, Do many policemen patrol Sydney streets ? In my country there are small buildings used by police in many neighborhoods which have between 3 and 6 policemen with motorcycles prepared to help in emergencies (in my country they are called Immediate Attention Commands). Is there something similar in Sydney ?

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

You dont pay tax on money you bring into the country - you knew that right and were just testing I'm sure...;)

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

You could bring in $1,000,000 and you wouldn't need to pay tax on it.

The only tax you would be liable for is the interest you would earn once you become tax resident.

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

or Capital gains on the fx gain (unlikely at the moment I know) if you were already a resident

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

There's two ways to answer that question, really:

- firstly, it depends on whether you feel safer when you see police officers. The answer is not always yes.

- secondly, ime the safest neighbourhoods rarely see a police car because there is no need for them because there is little street crime.

Re: Maximum Amount of AUD to bring without declaration
 

Hi Pharoah

I opened an account with Commonwealth from Ireland - no problem at all
I looked at a few banks and chose an account that suits me best (also taking into consideration the ozzie bank charges).
On the commonwealth website under personal accounts there is a section for international customers.
I filled out the form, they called me back and send me some docs to complete. I completed them and got them signed along with my id etc in my local bank, sent it off and got my bank details really quickly.
I have been able to transfer money over. I won't get my passcard until I present myself in the branch though:)