Short answer: if you’re 18 or over, you can bring one unopened packet of up to 25 cigarettes (or 25 g of other tobacco) plus one open packet into Australia duty-free. Anything more must be declared, and then duty is charged on all of your tobacco, not just the extra. Under-18s can’t bring any tobacco at all.

中文简介：入境澳洲，18 岁以上每人可以免税带一包未开封、最多 25 支的香烟（或 25 克其他烟草）加一包已开封的烟。超出就必须申报，而且是全部烟草都要交税，不只是多出的部分。2026 年 9 月起每支烟的关税是 A$1.55274，一条 200 支光关税就约 A$310，另外还有 GST。不申报可能被起诉或取消签证。未满 18 岁不能带任何烟草。

The duty-free allowance

Who Duty-free tobacco
Adults 18+ 1 unopened packet of up to 25 cigarettes, or 25 g of other tobacco, plus 1 open packet of cigarettes
Under 18 None. Under-18s can’t bring tobacco into Australia.

The allowance is the same for visitors, Australian residents and airline or ship crew. Tobacco bought at the arrivals duty-free shop counts towards it too.

If you bring more: duty on all of it

This is the rule that catches people out. Bring 26 cigarettes and you don’t pay duty on one cigarette; you pay on all 26. To bring more than the allowance you must:

  1. Tick “yes” to the tobacco question on your Incoming Passenger Card.
  2. Show the tobacco to an Australian Border Force officer, with receipts if you have them.
  3. Pay the duty and taxes before you leave the airport. The ABF takes cash, card and UnionPay.

How much duty you’ll pay

Duty on imported cigarettes matches the excise on local ones: A$1.55274 per cigarette from 1 September 2026. GST is charged on top.

Bringing Duty alone
2 packs of 20 (40 cigarettes) about A$62
A carton of 10 × 20 (200 cigarettes) about A$311
2 cartons (400 cigarettes) about A$621

Loose tobacco is charged by weight instead, at A$2,587.90 per kilogram. The officer works out the exact amount on the day.

What happens if you don’t declare

The ABF says that failing to declare tobacco above the allowance can lead to prosecution or your visa being cancelled, and the tobacco is seized. How serious it gets depends on how much you had.

Posting or ordering cigarettes from overseas

Cigarettes are a prohibited import. Without an ABF import permit you can’t send them to yourself or order them from an overseas website, and permit holders can’t use international mail for cigarettes at all. The traveller’s allowance only covers tobacco you carry in with you.

Vapes, IQOS and nicotine pouches

  • Vapes: up to 2 vapes, 20 pods or cartridges and 200 mL of e-liquid for your own use. See Can You Bring a Vape on a Plane?
  • Heated tobacco sticks (TEREA, HEETS): treated as tobacco and as a controlled import that normally needs prior permission. See IQOS in Australia, and check with the ABF before you fly with them.
  • Nicotine pouches: travellers can’t bring any into Australia since 24 July 2026.

FAQ

How many cigarettes can I bring to Australia?

One unopened packet of up to 25 plus one open packet, duty-free, if you’re 18 or over.

Can I bring a carton of cigarettes to Australia?

Yes, as long as you declare it and pay duty on the whole carton. That’s about A$311 in duty for 200 cigarettes, plus GST.

Can my partner and I combine our allowances?

Each adult has their own allowance for the tobacco they’re carrying. Don’t pack one person’s cigarettes in another person’s bag to stay under the limit.

Does the open packet have to be partly smoked?

It has to be genuinely open, the packet you’re currently using.

Wondering what cigarettes cost once you’re here? See Cigarette Prices in Australia 2026.

Sources