🇦🇺 Get your Australian ABN
Whether you need an ABN to import into Australia depends on who is importing and how the goods are sold.
You need an ABN if:
- You are importing goods to resell, or the goods are not sold directly to the end customer.
- You sell directly to Australian customers and your annual sales there are above AUD 75,000.
Open to overseas companies: you do not need an Australian office or address to hold an ABN. Your ABN can also be registered for GST, and it is then your GST number too.
What an ABN is
AAustralian
BBusiness
NNumber
What ABN stands for
An ID for your business
It goes on the import declaration, so Australian customs know which business is importing.
Importer
Your company
ABN51 824 753 556
Who holds it
Your company
One number for every shipment. It does not expire.
Customs declaration
ABN51 824 753 556
Who uses it
Your carrier
Enters it on every customs declaration.
🇦🇺
Issued
ATO
Who issues it
Australian Taxation Office
Customs check it on every shipment you import into Australia.
Book a time with our import team
Pick a time and a specialist will call you. It takes about 15 minutes.
Tomorrow 09:00Tomorrow 13:00Tomorrow 17:30
See all timesQuestions people ask
It depends. You need one if you are importing to resell, if the goods are not sold directly to the end customer, or if you sell directly to Australian customers and your annual sales there are above AUD 75,000. Otherwise a Customs Client ID (CCID) may be enough.
A CCID is a number customs gives to private individuals and organisations that do not have an ABN. It is enough for import declarations if you are a private individual, or a small business selling directly to Australian customers below AUD 75,000 a year. Your carrier will usually set one up on arrival. If you are importing to resell, or your direct sales go above that limit, you need an ABN instead.
Not to hold an ABN. GST is Australia’s version of VAT, at 10%. If you register, your ABN is also your GST number, and you can claim back the GST you pay on imports through your quarterly return. Whether it is worth it depends on your sales, so ask a specialist if you are not sure.
Your entity's details, its main activity, your certificate of incorporation, and proof of identity - foreign companies provide a passport alongside the authorised person's details.
The ATO doesn't charge to register for an ABN. Our fee covers preparing and filing the application, the additional non-resident checks it goes through, and confirming the number before we hand it over.
The ATO's non-resident checks run two to four weeks rather than days, because it's verifying a foreign entity has no equivalent local registration to fall back on. Filings are usually submitted by the next working day; the wait afterwards is theirs.
No. Foreign companies can register for an ABN directly - you provide a passport and certificate of incorporation instead of an Australian address.
Register for your Australian ABN
Usually takes about 2–5 minutes.