New biosecurity direction and notice format for Unaccompanied Personal Effects (UPE) entries

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

 

New biosecurity direction and notice format for

 Unaccompanied Personal Effects (UPE) entries


Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA) has received advice from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) on the publication of IAN 75-2026 covering New biosecurity direction and notice format for Unaccompanied Personal Effects (UPE) entries

The Integrated Cargo and Container Platform (ICCP) is our new, contemporary IT system to enable the management of biosecurity risk on imported goods and, over time, will replace the Agriculture Import Management System (AIMS)

 An initial pilot release is anticipated to go live on 19 May 2026. This pilot will be limited to Unaccompanied Personal Effects (UPE) entries on cargo reports from selected High-Volume Specialist Operators (HVSOs) in Melbourne and is intended to validate system functionality and operational processes. A broader rollout to other biosecurity industry participants, including brokers and private operators will occur later in the year.

Who does this notice affect?

HVSOs who lodge cargo reports indicated as being UPEs with a destination port of Melbourne and Approved Arrangements (AAs) in Melbourne that manage those UPEs. Direct engagement with the impacted HVSOs is in progress and will continue throughout the pilot.

What has changed? 

From 19 May 2026, HVSOs and AAs may see some changes to the biosecurity directions and notices issued for consignments of UPEs with a destination port of Melbourne only.

Sending of directions and notices

Using a new and modern template, the look and feel of these notices has been enhanced to better articulate the legislative basis for the direction or notice.
Key changes to the emails issued from ICCP include:
• The notice attachment is no longer a .htm attachment and will now be a pdf.
• The new subject line of the email from the department will be 'Notice type, Entry number, Importer, House Bill, Discharge port'.

For example only: Direction, PE000001, Importer name here, MB000000000000000001, AUMEL

Industry clients will observe the department name along with the commercial reference number at the start of the email subject line have been removed.

The new email address that automatically sends a direction or notice from the department ICCP system will be – biis.noreply@aff.gov.au instead of Autoentry@agriculture.gov.au. Frequent recipients of biosecurity directions may need to adjust internal systems in response to the new email and attachment format including considering any file storage implications.

Key changes to the direction or notice document:
• More informative direction and notice titles
• Clear referencing back to the powers under the Biosecurity Act 2015 that underpin the direction or notice
• Instructions for how to comply
• Explanation of the potential consequences of non-compliance with the direction

If you would like a copy of the new direction template, contact STEPS@aff.gov.au.

More information about biosecurity directions and notices will be available on our website soon. The new format of the biosecurity direction and notice templates does not change the import clearance process, the rights or obligations of the person in charge of the goods or the recipients.

Further information:

For any questions or queries about the upcoming changes, contact the department at STEPS@aff.gov.au
For any enquiries relating to HVSO UPEs with a destination port of Melbourne following implementation from 19 May 2026, industry clients can continue to contact the Client Contact Group on 1800 900 090 for support.
John Park
Head of Business Operations - FTA / APSA
 

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