Can I Bring Honey Into Australia?

Yes, you can generally bring honey into Australia for personal use — unlike New Zealand, where it is banned. Commercially packaged honey is usually allowed, but you must declare it on your Incoming Passenger Card. Honeycomb and some raw or unprocessed bee products face tighter restrictions and may be seized.

Key restrictions

Commercially packaged honey is generally allowed into Australia for personal use.

All honey and bee products must be declared on the Incoming Passenger Card.

Honeycomb and raw, unprocessed bee products face tighter restrictions and may be seized.

Different rules can apply to other bee products such as pollen, propolis, and beeswax.

Undeclared animal products risk an on-the-spot fine, and serious cases have led to visa cancellation.

Why this matters

Honey is one of the most common items travellers get wrong at the Australian border — usually because they confuse Australia's rules with New Zealand's. New Zealand bans overseas honey outright. Australia does not: commercially packaged honey for personal use is generally allowed in. But it is still a bee product, bee products can carry diseases that threaten Australian hives, and that means honey must always be declared.

The declaration is where travellers get caught. Honey tucked in a suitcase and left off the Incoming Passenger Card is an undeclared biosecurity risk item, which can trigger an on-the-spot fine. Australia has cancelled visitor visas over deliberately undeclared food and animal goods.

Restrictions

What is usually fine, once declared:

Retail jars and squeeze bottles of honey in sealed, commercially labelled packaging, carried in personal-use quantities.

What gets tighter treatment:

Honeycomb and raw or unprocessed honey, which carry a higher disease risk than filtered retail honey.
Other bee products — pollen, propolis, royal jelly, beeswax items — which are assessed under their own rules and may be restricted.
Large quantities that look commercial rather than personal.

Biosecurity officers make the final decision at the border. A declared jar that turns out to be a problem is simply confiscated, with no penalty to you. An undeclared one is treated very differently.

What the official guidance says

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry classifies honey and bee products as goods that must be declared on arrival. Commercially prepared honey is generally permitted for personal use, while honeycomb and unprocessed bee products may be directed for inspection or destruction. The Australian Border Force's traveller guidance reinforces the standing advice: declare everything of food, plant, or animal origin and let the officer decide. Rules on animal products shift with disease outbreaks overseas, so check the DAFF travelling pages close to your departure date.

Frequently asked questions

Is honey allowed into Australia but not New Zealand?

Yes, that is the key difference travellers trip over. New Zealand prohibits overseas honey entirely, while Australia generally allows commercially packaged honey for personal use as long as it is declared. Do not assume the two countries share rules.

Can I bring honeycomb into Australia?

Honeycomb and raw, unprocessed bee products are treated more strictly than retail jars of honey because they pose a higher disease risk. Declare them and expect that they may be inspected or seized.

What happens if I don't declare honey?

Honey is an animal product and must be declared. If biosecurity finds undeclared honey, you face an on-the-spot fine, and deliberate false declarations have led to visa cancellations for visitors.