Can I courier medicines to Australia from India? — No, and here is why

Rules & rates last verified: 15 August 2026 · by Mrs. Madhu Satija, Managing Director, CargoCharges

We do not ship medicines from India to Australia — no carrier we work with (DHL, FedEx, UPS or Aramex) accepts medicine parcels for Australia, and we decline these bookings every day. Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) treats imported medicines as therapeutic goods requiring import authorisation, and courier shipments without it are seized and destroyed at the border.

Why we refuse this shipment

Australian biosecurity and TGA rules require import approval for nearly all medicines — personal courier parcels do not qualify.
Carriers themselves refuse the commodity for this lane: our carrier agreements list medicines to Australia and New Zealand as a prohibited booking.
Seized parcels are destroyed, not returned — the sender loses both the medicines and the freight cost, which is why we refuse rather than "try".

What you can do instead

The receiver in Australia can ask their GP to prescribe a local equivalent — most Indian generics have Australian-registered equivalents.
The TGA Personal Importation Scheme allows a resident to import a 3-month supply themselves in limited cases — the RECEIVER must arrange this directly with TGA rules; it cannot be done via our courier.
We CAN ship to Australia: documents, clothes, dry packaged non-food goods, books, most gifts — see the full Australia rules below.

📞 Unsure about your specific items? Send us the list on WhatsApp +91 97186 61166 — we confirm shippability before you pack, free.

Medicines to Australia — FAQs

Can I send Ayurvedic or herbal medicines to Australia?

No. Australia treats Ayurvedic and herbal preparations as therapeutic goods or biosecurity-risk material — the same carrier ban applies. We decline these bookings the same as allopathic medicines.

What happens if medicines are hidden inside another parcel to Australia?

Australian Border Force X-rays inbound courier freight. Mis-declared parcels are seized and destroyed, the receiver can be fined, and the sender account is flagged by the carrier. We never accept mis-declared shipments.

Which countries CAN I courier medicines to from India?

USA (90-day personal supply with prescription), UK, Canada, UAE and most Gulf countries accept personal medicine shipments with documents. See our medicines-to-USA page for the full USA process, or ask us for your destination.

Medicines to USA Medicines to UAE Medicines to UK Medicines to Canada Food Items to Australia Documents to Australia All rates to Australia

Mrs. Madhu Satija — Managing Director, CargoCharges. 25+ years in international logistics; these rules reflect what our carriers and customs partners enforce on real shipments, updated as carrier policy changes.