Australia

You're traveling with a GoPro Hero 12 and its dive housing (total value ~600 €, or about 1,000 AUD). If the gear is new, you slightly exceed the 900 AUD duty-free allowance: tick the relevant box on the Incoming Passenger Card and declare it to an ABF officer. The 10% GST will apply to the excess value — a few tens of Australian dollars. If your GoPro is used and has been in your possession for over 12 months, it passes duty-free as personal effects: keep an old receipt or timestamped photos as proof. Main risk: failure to declare new equipment detected by scanner can lead to a fine. Tip: travel with the gear unboxed, in your dive bag, without original packaging, to clearly demonstrate personal use.

Your kit: Sony A6700, Ikelite housing, two strobes, and a macro lens (~3,500 €, or ~5,800 AUD). If the entire setup has been owned for more than 12 months, no declaration is required: it's a personal effect re-exported upon departure, with no value limit. If a part is new (for example, a housing recently purchased for 1,500 €), declare it on the Incoming Passenger Card and pay 10% GST on the value exceeding 900 AUD. Tip: keep dated invoices for each item to distinguish old from new when facing an ABF officer. Risk: a new housing still in its blister pack attracts attention during inspection. Also note Australian biosecurity: if your equipment has been used in freshwater or near reefs, clean it thoroughly — Australia is very strict about organic residues.

Full-frame kit: Canon R5, Nauticam housing, dome port, aluminum arms, two Retra strobes, macro and fisheye lenses (~15,000 €, or ~25,000 AUD). For personal use with gear owned for 12+ months: duty-free, but prepare a detailed inventory with serial numbers and invoices in case of an ABF inspection. For professional use (filming, commercial assignment): an ATA Carnet is highly recommended — obtain it from your chamber of commerce before departure; the ACCI is the guaranteeing body on the Australian side. Have the carnet endorsed upon entry and exit. Without a carnet, temporary import can be negotiated with the ABF, but it's slower and less certain. Major risk: undocumented equipment of this value can be reclassified as permanent import with 10% GST on the total (~2,500 AUD).

Does my used underwater photo equipment need to be declared upon arrival in Australia?

No, if you have owned and used it for 12 months or more, it enters duty-free as personal effects, with no value limit, provided you re-export it upon departure. Carry proof of age (dated invoices, photos, insurance history) in case the ABF asks. Only new equipment exceeding 900 AUD per adult needs to be declared.

I bought a new housing just before the trip: what do I have to pay?

If its value (combined with your other new goods) exceeds 900 AUD, declare it on the Incoming Passenger Card. You will pay 10% GST on the value exceeding the allowance. Good news: customs duties are 0% for photographic equipment (Chapter 90 of the Australian tariff). Undetected non-declaration can lead to penalties and temporary confiscation.

Is an ATA Carnet useful for an underwater photographer in Australia?

Yes, Australia accepts the ATA Carnet — it is the official recommended method for professional or high-value equipment. The ACCI is the local guaranteeing body. It avoids any GST payments and simplifies controls upon entry and exit. For an amateur diver with used equipment, it is generally not necessary.