Can I Bring Eggs Into Australia?

No — eggs and egg products are generally prohibited from being carried into Australia, and they must be declared. This includes fresh eggs, century and salted eggs, balut, home-made egg noodles, and mooncakes with egg yolk. The risk is bird diseases like avian influenza and Newcastle disease, so expect undeclared eggs to be seized.

Key restrictions

Whole eggs and non-commercial egg products are generally prohibited from being carried into Australia.

This includes century, salted and preserved eggs, balut, home-made egg noodles, and mooncakes with egg yolk.

The risk is bird diseases — avian influenza and Newcastle disease — so rules tighten during outbreaks.

Only certain commercially manufactured, heat-treated egg products may qualify; check before you travel.

All eggs and egg products must be declared; expect undeclared ones to be seized and a fine to follow.

Why this matters

Eggs look harmless, but to Australian biosecurity they are a serious disease risk. Eggs and egg products can carry avian influenza and Newcastle disease, both of which would be devastating to Australia's poultry industry. That is why whole eggs and non-commercial egg products are generally prohibited from being carried in by travellers — and why the rules tighten further whenever a bird-flu outbreak is detected overseas.

Travellers most often get caught with this through food they do not think of as "eggs": home-made egg noodles, preserved eggs, and mooncakes with salted egg yolk. All of them count, and all must be declared.

Restrictions

Whole eggs and non-commercial egg products are generally prohibited from being carried into Australia.
This includes century eggs, salted eggs, balut, home-made egg noodles and egg pasta, and mooncakes containing egg yolk.
The driving risk is bird disease — avian influenza and Newcastle disease — which is why country eligibility and conditions change during outbreaks.
Narrow exceptions exist for certain commercially manufactured, heat-treated egg products that meet Australia's import conditions. Check the specific product before you travel.

Whatever the form, all eggs and egg products must be declared. Declaring an item that turns out to be prohibited carries no penalty; failing to declare it risks an on-the-spot fine.

What the official guidance says

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Australian Border Force classify eggs and egg products as goods that are generally not permitted in passenger baggage, because of the avian influenza and Newcastle disease risk. A small set of commercially manufactured, suitably treated products can qualify under specific import conditions, but the safe assumption for a traveller is that eggs are prohibited. Declare anything containing egg on your Incoming Passenger Card and let the biosecurity officer decide. Because the rules shift with overseas disease outbreaks, check the DAFF travelling pages close to your departure date.

Frequently asked questions

Are mooncakes with egg yolk allowed into Australia?

Treat them as prohibited. Salted egg yolk is an egg product, and mooncakes containing it fall under the egg restrictions. Declare any mooncakes on your Incoming Passenger Card and expect egg-yolk varieties to be seized.

What about preserved eggs like century or salted eggs?

They are still egg products and are generally not allowed. Century eggs, salted eggs, and balut all carry the same bird-disease risk as fresh eggs. Declare them; do not assume preserving makes them acceptable.

Can I bring commercially packaged products that contain egg?

Sometimes — but only certain commercially manufactured, heat-treated egg products meet Australia's conditions, and they must still be declared. Check the specific product before you travel rather than assuming it is fine.