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Importing Low Risk Wooden Articles
All articles imported into Australia containing wood are subject to quarantine and may require treatment or inspection to address the risk of introducing pests and diseases into Australia. Some manufacturing processes for timber articles address the pest and disease concern and AQIS has a system in place to assess these processes. If they meet Australia's quarantine requirements, goods manufactured through these processes may be granted LRWA status.
LRWA status is granted for two year periods. Importers should submit a new application for LRWA status prior to expiry of any LRWA approval they currently hold.
A fee will be charged for the desk audit of this process and will be based on the time taken for each individual assessment. An initial payment is required at time of lodgement and can be made by cheque, cash or credit card. As these assessments are charged on a time-based fee for service, you may be forwarded another letter to request further payment on completion of the assessment. It is important to note that the fee paid is used for the administration and assessment of the low risk status application and the outcome of the assessment will not be provided until full payment has been received.
Please refer to the Fees and Charges for Import Clearance on the AQIS website.
The applicable fee for the assessment of Low Risk Wooden Article applications is the 'Fee for service - In-Office Inspection'.
Clearance Mechanisms
Standard import conditions for manufactured wooden articles indicate these goods require treatment, or a full unpack and inspection, before they are released from quarantine control. In comparison, manufactured wooden articles with LRWA status do not need to satisfy these treatment or inspection requirements. However, a percentage of articles identified as having LRWA status are still referred to quarantine for random documentation assessment. Goods may also be subject to general surveillance inspections.
Failure to comply with the conditions applicable to LRWA status will result in the automatic suspension of LRWA status for the goods covered by the approval. All future consignments would then be subject to standard import conditions for manufactured wooden articles.
Information Required for Low Risk Wooden Article Status Assessment
All information provided to AQIS is treated as commercial-in-confidence, and is only accessible by AQIS and Biosecurity Australia staff.
LRWA status is granted to a specific product from a specific manufacturer and is applicable to Full Container Load (FCL), Less Than Container Load (LCL) and airfreight consignments. As the approval is given to specific products, a separate application must be submitted for each product.
Applicants should note that the assessment process can take up to six months to complete, depending on the complexity of the product. Applicants are encouraged to provide as much information as possible to assist in the assessment process. If insufficient information is provided, the process may be further delayed by requests for additional information and explanation, or the application may be rejected.
Download the Low Risk Wooden Article Status Application Form 
PDF [27kb] 
Word [56kb]
Applicants wishing to apply for LRWA status should send a completed application to:
Low Risk Wooden Article Assessment
Timber NCC - AQIS
PO Box 1006
Tullamarine VIC 3043
