Biosecurity and ISPM 15

What the rule is and who it applies to

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry sets import conditions for each kind of goods in BICON, its import conditions database. The conditions for the goods and for the container and packaging both apply. The importer pays for any inspection, treatment, export or destruction.

What applies to a fit-out

• Tiles and stone: no permit, but the goods must be free of insects, seeds, bark, soil and other contamination, stated on a declaration or the invoice, in new and clean packaging.
• Timber products: a list of low-risk wooden products needs only a declaration. It includes ready-to-install engineered and laminate flooring, plywood, veneer, MDF and reconstituted wood items with no solid timber, and cabinetry handles.
• Cabinetry or furniture with solid timber parts is not on that list and needs treatment before export or on arrival.
• Timber packaging such as pallets and crates must be ISPM 15 treated and marked, treated before export with a certificate, or treated on arrival. Packaging made only of plywood or other processed wood is not counted as timber packaging.

Stink bug season

Brown marmorated stink bug measures apply to sea cargo shipped between 1 September and 30 April. For the 2026-27 season China is an emerging risk country, not a target risk country, so goods from China face random inspection rather than mandatory treatment, and furniture and plastics are added to the random inspection list.

The catch is where goods were made. Tiles or hardware made in a target risk country, such as Italy, Spain or Germany, need full measures even if shipped from China, and a mixed container can be managed at the highest risk level.

How to check it yourself

• Search BICON for the commodity and read every condition, including the non-commodity ones for containers and packaging.
• Check the ISPM 15 stamp on every pallet and crate: the IPPC symbol, CN for China, the producer number and the treatment code, HT for heat treatment or MB for methyl bromide.
• For a full container, get a packing declaration from the packer on letterhead, linked to the container or bill number, signed by a named person, with the cleanliness statement.
• Check the shipped-on-board date on the bill of lading against the stink bug season.

What evidence Elje holds per item

• The BICON case for each line on the order.
• Photos of the ISPM 15 stamps at loading, taken at inspection.
• The packing declaration and, where needed, the treatment certificate, sent to the broker before the ship arrives.
• The country of manufacture of every line, so a target risk item is not hidden in a China container.

The common traps with China-made product

• Untreated or unstamped pallets, which are treated or destroyed on arrival at your cost.
• Solid timber cabinetry declared as low-risk MDF.
• A packing declaration with a company stamp but no signature, or an annual declaration with no link to the consignment.
• Soil, seeds or insects in stone crates.
• A shared container held because of someone else's goods.

Questions