pre cleaning

When importing a motor vehicle into Australia, you must ensure that your vehicle is clean and free of contamination of biosecurity concern, internally and externally, before it arrives into Australia. Before release from customs control, biosecurity officers are required to inspect your vehicle for cleanliness.

When importing a vehicle from Japan, you have two options to address Australian biosecurity requirements. You may choose to have your car cleaned at the destination port or you can have your vehicle pre-cleaned in Japan.

Choosing the first option means upon arrival of your vehicle to the destination port, your vehicle will usually fail the inspection due to presence of dirt and grime on the underbody, in wheel arches, suspension components, wheels etc. which is quite normal for a car that has been used. The car will then require steam cleaning and re-inspection, thus incurring extra costs (into the hundreds of dollars) and valuable time. The second option allows pre-cleaning and pre-clearing of your vehicle in Japan so your vehicle passes the first quarantine inspection.