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What is registration and who must register?

Registration is how we keep track of people who import or manufacture industrial chemicals in Australia. You must register before you start introducing industrial chemicals.

What is registration?

This refers to the AICIS registration of a business that imports industrial chemicals into Australia or locally manufactures industrial chemicals (referred to as an 'introducer'). You register by completing an online form and paying a fee. 

You register your business, not your products or chemicals. 

You must register your business before you import or manufacture an industrial chemical in any given registration year. Our registration year is  1 September – 31 August.

Registration helps us to keep Australia’s chemical industry informed about their legal obligations. We use the revenue from registration to assess the risks of industrial chemicals, monitor compliance with our new laws, and support business and communication activities.

We publish a list of registered businesses on our website.

Learn more by watching our video - What is AICIS registration?

Scene 1: What is AICIS registration? 
Scene 2: Registration helps us to keep Australia's chemical industry informed about their obligations. 
Scene 3: If you import or manufacture industrial chemicals in Australia - or products that release industrial chemicals - you'll most likely need to register your business with us. 
Scene 4: You don't need to register with us if you buy or make chemicals (or products containing chemicals) for personal use. 
Scene 5: And you don't need to register with us if you make products to sell using 100% Australian-sourced ingredients ... as long as the process you use to make the products doesn't involve a chemical reaction or create more industrial chemicals as a result. 
Scene 6: You must register BEFORE you introduce an industrial chemical in any given registration year. 
Scene 7: You register your business with us, not your products or chemicals.
Scene 8: Our registration year goes from 1 September - 31 August. If you want to continue introducing industrial chemicals into Australia, you must renew your registration by 31 August every year. 
Scene 9: Your registration cost consists of a low flat fee that all introducers pay ... plus a charge that varies according to the value of industrial chemicals you introduced in the previous financial year.
Scene 10: There are 8 registration levels. Level 1 registrants pay the fee but don't pay a charge.
Scene 11: We don't offer pro rata registration. You must pay the full charge, even if you register with us part-way through the year. Your registration starts from the day you register with us and expires on 31 August each year. 
Scene 12: You can renew and register your business online on our business portal.

Download our information sheet

Our information sheet provides a basic overview of AICIS registration. Click on the image to view and download the PDF file:
 

Small image of a PDF file

 

 

Who doesn’t need to register

You are not required to register your business with us under certain limited circumstances. See Introductions that don't require categorisation or registration.

Who must register

You must register your business with us before you import or manufacture (‘introduce’) industrial chemicals for any of the following:

  • import industrial chemicals, or products that release industrial chemicals into Australia
  • import finished and packaged products that release industrial chemicals - for example, labelled cosmetic products (soap, shampoo, lotion), paint, glues, engine oil and pens
  • import industrial chemicals and reformulate in Australia
  • manufacture industrial chemicals in Australia

You must register your business even if:

  • you only use the chemicals within your business (for example, you import a coolant to use in machines inside your factory)
  • someone else is already importing or manufacturing the same or similar chemicals
  • you're a small or start-up business
  • you introduce a low volume of chemicals (for example, you import 9 grams of resin for use in plastic coatings)
  • you introduce chemicals that you believe are non-hazardous, or have documentation to show that it is not hazardous

You must register regardless of the quantity of chemicals that you import or manufacture – there is no threshold limit

Your registration is valid until 31 August each year. If you want to continue introducing industrial chemical into Australia, you must renew your registration by 31 August every year, otherwise penalties may apply.

Example of who must register with us 
Marie wants to import a large shipment of bottled rosehip-seed oil and distribute it directly to cosmetic and beauty retailers. Rosehip oil (‘rosa canina’) is listed on the Inventory and is regulated as an industrial chemical in Australia if it's used in cosmetics. Marie is importing it for commercial purposes. Marie must register her business with us.

Need help? 

Contact us to ask a question, request information or give feedback. 

Do I need to register? – decision tool to help you work out if you need to register

If your question is about soap, go to Do I need to register as a soap introducer?

If you’re introducing a cosmetic, go to ‘Is my product a cosmetic?’ to work out if you need to register.

Question 1

Will you be introducing (importing or manufacturing) industrial chemicals into Australia? 

Tip: Examples of when you need to answer yes:

  • soap made from cold- or hot-press methods
  • products that you bought from overseas that contain ingredients regulated as industrial chemicals (for example, cosmetics, cleaning products, paint, ink)
  • industrial chemicals imported for teaching or research 
  • industrial chemicals manufactured in a lab or classroom for teaching or research
  • you’re importing or manufacturing a low volume of chemicals – there is no threshold limit on volume

Examples of when you need to answer no:

Question 2

Are you introducing chemicals for a commercial purpose?

Tip: Answer yes if you introduce chemicals for the purpose of:

  • making a profit
  • promoting a business
  • carrying on an enterprise 
  • selling at local markets 
  • giving samples away for free to promote your business or product


 

Question 3

Are your chemicals used only for the following purposes?

  • pesticides
  • veterinary products
  • therapeutic goods
  • food or food additives for humans or animals

Question 4

Are all of your chemicals one or more of the following types?

  • meet the legal definition of a naturally occurring chemical. Tip: products containing 'organic' ingredients typically contain other chemicals that are not considered 'naturally occurring' – check our definition to make sure.
  • incidentally produced during manufacture of another chemical
  • an intermediate chemical when manufacturing another chemical
  • a radioactive chemical
  • imported incidentally by passengers of an aircraft/ship but taken out of the country within 25 working days of importation, used to support the aircraft’s/ship’s operation and not freight

We call these ‘excluded introductions’.

You don’t need to register with AICIS. 

This is because you’ve told us you’re not introducing (importing or manufacturing) chemicals into Australia.

You don’t need to register with AICIS.

This is because you’ve told us you’re not introducing (importing or manufacturing) chemicals into Australia for a commercial purpose.

You don’t need to register with AICIS.

This is because you’ve told us your chemical won’t have any industrial uses. You should read our guidance about what other government bodies might be able to help you.

You need to register your business with AICIS. This is because you’ve told us:

  • you're introducing chemicals in Australia
  • you're introducing chemicals for a commercial purpose
  • your chemical has industrial uses
  • your chemical isn’t an ‘excluded introduction’

You should read our guidance about introducing (importing or manufacturing) chemicals. This includes checking your chemicals in our chemical database, the Inventory, to make sure you’re following any restrictions.

If your chemical’s not on the Inventory, you’ve got to work out the risks to human health and the environment before you can introduce it. We call this process categorisation. You can read our guidance about categorisation.

You don’t need to register with AICIS.

This is because you’ve told us your chemical is an ‘excluded introduction’. You should read our guidance on this topic.

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