Firearms Transportation: Import and Export of Firearms and Ammunition

Depth Logistics handles the legal import and export of firearms, ammunition and accessories by air and sea, on time, on budget, safely and securely. We are ITAR compliant freight forwarders, an approved Intermediate Consignee under the Australia–US Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty and an Accredited Air Cargo Agent (AACA) with the Department of Home Affairs. We can arrange customs clearance of firearms anywhere in Australia, with support from our Depth Defence Logistics Centres in Brisbane and Darwin and our Townsville depot.

Firearms we ship

Our team has an excellent understanding of all manner of firearms, whether they are for sporting shooters, collectors, defence, police or security use:

• Pistols, rifles and shotguns
• Ammunition (shipped as dangerous goods)
• Firearm accessories
• ITAR-controlled firearms and goods

Approvals and compliance

• ITAR compliant: any ITAR-controlled firearms or goods are in expert hands. We are also EAR compliant.
• Approved Intermediate Consignee: approved by the Department of Defence to transport treaty articles under the Australia–US Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty, in accordance with section 20 of the Defence Trade Controls Regulation 2013.
• Accredited Air Cargo Agent (AACA): accredited by the Department of Home Affairs to make arrangements to transport air cargo.
• Defence Industry Security Program (DISP) member, with maritime and airport security-cleared team members.
• Dangerous goods qualified, including explosive ordnance and weapons.
• Approved carriers: we work with carriers that are approved to carry firearms, and with a network of overseas agents who are used to handling guns and accessories.

Permits you will need

Importing firearms into Australia

We can arrange customs clearance of imported firearms anywhere in Australia. Before we can clear them, we will need:

• A B709A Importation of Firearms – Police Confirmation, or
• Department of Home Affairs permission for category C and D firearms

Exporting firearms from Australia

For export, we will need either:

• A Defence Export Permit from the Department of Defence, or
• A Restricted Goods Permit from the Australian Border Force

We can advise you on the compliance requirements, including documentation and packaging. Read more about customs clearance of cargo. Within Australia, our secure hotshot freight service carries firearms and ammunition by road on a dedicated vehicle, with security-cleared drivers, GPS-tracked secure vehicles, tamper-evident packaging and chain-of-custody delivery, 24/7, Australia-wide, in line with the relevant state and territory requirements.

Firearms freight through Brisbane, Darwin and Townsville

Our Depth Defence Logistics Centres are close to the ports, airports and defence bases in each city:

• Brisbane: 8 Culya St, Pinkenba QLD 4008, in the Brisbane Airport precinct. The centre runs 24/7 and has TAPA and Defence-grade physical security and a SCEC-approved safe for high-security cargo.
• Darwin: 31 Muramats Rd, East Arm NT 0822, 4 km from the Darwin Port gate. The centre runs 24/7, with TAPA and SCEC-approved safes.
• Townsville: 16 Mackley St, Garbutt QLD 4814, our road transport depot in the RAAF Base Townsville precinct.

Our own road transport fleet, including GPS-tracked secure vans, can deliver cleared firearms anywhere in Australia.

A team that knows firearms

We act for firearms dealers and organisations that ship firearms and ammunition, and our staff are well trained in this field of logistics. Members of our team are former competitive shooters and ex-defence personnel. For firearms shipping worldwide, Depth Logistics is relied upon by industry leaders to deliver with Absolute Reliability.

Frequently asked questions