Nauru customs rules & duty-free allowances
Nauru is one of the hardest countries in the Pacific to reach and one of the easiest to fall foul of at the border: a single weekly flight from Brisbane means every bag is known before it lands, and biosecurity officers treat undeclared food as the number one offence. The island has no duty-free shop, no red/green channel and no appeal desk at the airport — declare it or pay.
Duty-free allowances
Prohibited — banned from import
- Narcotics and psychotropic drugs, including cannabis and CBD products in any form
- Fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs, honey and other undeclared animal or plant products
- Firearms, ammunition, explosives and imitation weapons without a Nauru Police Force permit
- Pornographic material, including on phones and laptops — devices are inspected
- Counterfeit goods and pirated media
- Unlicensed telecommunications and radio transmitting equipment
Restricted — allowed with a permit or declaration
- Prescription medicines — allowed for personal use with a prescription or doctor's letter; controlled drugs need a Health Department permit
- Pets and live animals — require an import permit and quarantine arrangement before travel
- Drones — require permission from the Nauru Civil Aviation Authority before arrival
- Satellite phones and two-way radios — require a licence from the Nauru Telecommunications Office
- Alcohol and tobacco above the duty-free allowance — allowed but must be declared and duty paid
Arriving: red vs green channel
Every arriving passenger fills in a Nauru Customs, Immigration and Biosecurity declaration card, handed out on the Nauru Airlines flight and collected at the terminal — bring a pen. There is no automated red/green channel. Hand the card to the officer and declare verbally if you are carrying food, plants, tobacco, alcohol or AUD 10,000 or more in cash. If you have nothing to declare, say so clearly and keep your bags ready for a possible x-ray or hand search; Nauru searches a high proportion of arrivals.
Bringing medication
Bring personal prescription medicine in its original pharmacy packaging with the prescription or a doctor's letter showing your name, the drug and the dose. Nauru has no pharmacy stocking most Western brands, so bring enough for your whole stay. Narcotics, cannabis in any form (including CBD oil), amphetamine-type stimulants and anabolic steroids are controlled or prohibited — declare anything in these classes before you reach the officer, as import without a permit from the Nauru Department of Health is a criminal offence.
Food, plants & animal products
Nauru is a biosecurity-sensitive island and fresh food is the number one seizure item. All fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, eggs, honey, seeds, nuts, soil, plants, cuttings and wooden items must be declared. Fresh fruit and vegetables, home-cooked or vacuum-sealed meat, and any plant material are normally confiscated and destroyed. Commercially packaged, shelf-stable snacks are usually allowed if declared, but do not assume — declare it and let the officer decide.
Rules worth knowing
One flight a week, one chance to declare
Nauru is served by a single weekly Nauru Airlines service from Brisbane. There is no duty-free shop in the arrival hall and no way to buy your way out of a problem — if you exceed an allowance, you pay duty on the spot in cash (AUD) or the goods are held.
Biosecurity fines are immediate
An undeclared apple or a packet of ham can trigger an on-the-spot fine of several hundred Australian dollars and confiscation. Declaring the item costs you nothing if it is allowed; not declaring it costs you money.
Phones and laptops can be searched
Nauru customs officers may examine electronic devices for prohibited material. Refusing to unlock a device can result in it being seized or you being refused entry.
Residents returning home face lower allowances
The figures on this page are for non-resident visitors. Nauru residents returning from overseas are generally limited to a smaller personal concession, so do not assume a visitor's allowance applies to a Nauruan passport holder.