AUApproved before shipment
Registering a new food trailer in Australia
Australia requires import approval before the unit is shipped, entry on the Register of Approved Vehicles before it is supplied, and separately certified gas and electrical equipment. Concessional entry is capped at four low-ATM trailers per twelve months.
Approved before shipment
Approval must be obtained before the unit is shipped. We do not ship until it is.
Requirements
What the authority requires
| Requirement | Evidence | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Under section 22 of the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 it is an offence to import a road vehicle without approval, and the Australian Border Force will not release an unapproved vehicle from customs control. Assessment takes up to 60 business days. | verified | 2026-09-04 |
| Every trailer must be on the Register of Approved Vehicles before it is first provided to an Australian consumer. | verified | 2026-09-04 |
| Concessional RAV entry is capped at four low-ATM trailers, 4.5 t or less, per twelve months. Single-vehicle import applications are themselves capped at four trailers per application. Beyond four per twelve months a vehicle type approval is required. | verified | 2026-09-04 |
| Importers as well as manufacturers may hold a type approval, so the route is open to a non-manufacturer. The department must be satisfied the applicant has control of or access to design, componentry and manufacturing-process information, and can arrange for an inspector to inspect the premises where the vehicle or its componentry are manufactured. | verified | 2026-09-04 |
| It is an offence in every state and territory to sell or offer a Type A gas appliance not certified by an authorised Conformity Assessment Body. Certification must exist at the time of manufacture and cannot be added later. CE and CSA certification are explicitly not sufficient. | verified | 2026-09-04 |
| Under the Electrical Equipment Safety System the first importer is the Responsible Supplier and must be an Australian or New Zealand legal entity with an ABN or NZ IRD number. An overseas company cannot register. | verified | 2026-09-04 |
Sources
- Importing a road vehicle to Australia
- Concessional RAV entry approvals
- Low-ATM trailers
- Energy Safe Victoria, gas appliances sold online
Primary sources only. Where a summary here and the source differ, the source is right.
For your order
How we handle it
Well documented. Gas and electrical equipment has to be certified for Australia at manufacture, and the first importer of electrical equipment has to be an Australian or New Zealand entity. The concessional route is limited to four units a year.
Confirmed for your configuration
- The type-approval pathway and inspection-access arrangements for your order
- Certified gas and electrical equipment for your specification
- Import approval timing before shipment