Importing Prawns into Australia from Vietnam: Cooked and Raw Rules

Australia accepts imported prawns for human consumption under biosecurity conditions set by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF). Cooked prawns must be frozen, appear fully cooked and reach a core temperature of at least 65°C. Uncooked prawns face stricter rules, including disease testing before export and again on arrival. For a Vietnamese supplier, cooked shrimp is the most direct route into the market.

Who sets the rules?

DAFF writes the import conditions and publishes them in BICON, the Australian biosecurity import conditions database. The conditions for prawns were reviewed after white spot disease was found in Queensland prawn farms in 2016. The department released the final report of that review in 2023 and began applying the updated conditions from 30 October 2023.

The rules exist to keep exotic prawn diseases out of Australian waters. Every condition below follows from that goal, which is why cooking, peeling and testing all matter.

Cooked prawns: what the conditions require

The final review report sets three conditions for cooked prawns and prawn products:

• They must be frozen.
• They must appear fully cooked.
• They must have reached a minimum core temperature of 65°C.

The competent authority of the exporting country certifies that each consignment meets these conditions. In Vietnam's case, that is the government's seafood inspection authority, which issues the health certificate for the shipment. Cooked prawns are also inspected on arrival at a rate the department sets.

For that reason, cooked vannamei is the simplest shrimp format to ship from Vietnam to Australia. A fully cooked, IQF product built to the 65°C core standard clears the biosecurity side with paperwork and inspection, without the testing cycle that raw product needs.

Uncooked prawns: tighter conditions

Raw prawns can enter Australia, but the requirements are heavier. Uncooked prawns must be:

• Frozen, with the head and shell removed (the last shell segment and tail fan may stay) and deveined.
• Tested for white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) and yellow head virus genotype 1 (YHV1) before export and again on arrival.
• Labelled on the primary packaging "For human consumption only. Not to be used as bait or feed for aquatic animals", with a batch number that matches the health certificate.

DAFF describes on-arrival sampling as seals-intact: officers take 65 prawns from 13 randomly chosen cartons in each batch and send them to an approved laboratory. The product stays under biosecurity control until the results come back. Whole uncooked prawns are only accepted from countries that have shown Australia they are free of a defined list of prawn diseases.

For an importer, each of these steps adds lead time and cost per container. That trade-off is why many Australian buyers specify cooked or value-added shrimp from Vietnam.

Breaded, marinated and dumpling products

Value-added shrimp has its own categories in the conditions:

• Breaded, battered and crumbed prawns must be par-cooked so the coating sets. Without that step they are treated as uncooked.
• Marinated raw prawns are grouped with uncooked peeled prawns and follow those rules.
• Highly processed products such as dumplings and dim sum need the head and shell removed and are assessed as their own class.

TBESFOOD's shrimp hakau and shrimp shaomai fall in the dumpling group. Check the current BICON case for the exact product before you place the order.

What to ask your Vietnamese supplier for

• A cooked product built to the 65°C core temperature, with the cooking record available on request.
• The health certificate from Vietnam's competent authority, issued for each consignment.
• A certificate of origin under AANZFTA, CPTPP or RCEP. Australia and Vietnam are parties to all three agreements, so the importer can claim preferential duty with the right form.
• Labels in English that meet Australian food labelling rules, with country of origin shown.
• Counts, glaze or 100% net weight, and packing written into the specification. Our cooked vannamei specification guide walks through each item.

How TBESFOOD supplies Australia

TBESFOOD produces cooked vannamei as cooked HOSO, CPD, CPTO and shrimp rings, alongside pangasius fillets, barramundi and squid for Australian and New Zealand buyers. The Australia and New Zealand market page lists the full range, and the cooked vannamei page has the specifications.

Frequently asked questions

Do cooked prawns need an import permit?

Requirements depend on the exact product. Check the current BICON case, or ask your customs broker, before the first shipment. The importer applies for any permit; the exporter supplies the health certificate.

Can raw vannamei from Vietnam enter Australia?

Peeled and deveined raw prawns can, subject to pre-export and on-arrival testing for WSSV and YHV1 and the labelling rules above. Whole raw prawns need Australian recognition of disease freedom in the exporting country.

Do the rules apply to prawns used as bait?

Imported prawns are for human consumption only. Labels must say they are not to be used as bait or as feed for aquatic animals.

Sources

• DAFF, final report for the prawn import risk review (ABA 2023-A06) https://agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/aba-2023-a06-final-report-for-the-prawn.pdf
• DAFF, notice on final import conditions for prawns (ABA 2023-A10) https://agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/aba-2023-A10-final-import-conditions-prawns.pdf
• DAFF, uncooked prawns import guidance https://agriculture.gov.au/import/goods/uncooked-prawns
• DAFF, biosecurity and imported prawns https://agriculture.gov.au/about/news/biosecurity-imported-prawns