Indonesian Coffee Export to Australia: 2025 BICON Guide

A practical, step-by-step pathway to ship Indonesian green coffee to Australia in 2025 without methyl bromide. What to put on the phytosanitary certificate, which heat options BICON accepts, when you must seal the container, and the mistakes that trigger costly holds.

We cut on-arrival fumigation to zero and saved more than $10,000 in hold and storage charges in 90 days using the exact BICON pathway below. If you’re trying to get Indonesian unroasted coffee into Australia in 2025 without wrecking cup quality, this is the playbook we actually use.

The 3 pillars of a clean, no-fumigation pathway

The right BICON import permit. You must select the correct pathway in BICON for “coffee beans, unroasted” from Indonesia and lock in an approved pre-export treatment option. In our experience, the most reliable route is heat treatment rather than methyl bromide.
Treatment + paperwork that match word for word. DAFF officers are strict. Your phytosanitary certificate and treatment certificate need to mirror the permit conditions exactly. Even minor phrasing mismatches trigger holds.
Sealed logistics. After treatment, load immediately into a clean container, seal, and document the container and seal numbers on the paperwork. This single step prevents re-infestation arguments on arrival.

Week 1–2: Map your BICON conditions and paperwork

Start with BICON. Search for unroasted coffee beans from Indonesia. Confirm your importer details, packaging type, and treatment option. Then gather the core documents you’ll need for each shipment:

DAFF BICON import permit. The importer applies online and selects the pathway for unroasted coffee beans. Processing typically takes 10–20 business days. In 2025, we’re seeing permits commonly valid up to two years and usable for multiple consignments, as long as the goods and conditions match the permit.
Phytosanitary certificate from Indonesia’s NPPO (Badan Karantina Pertanian). This is the cornerstone. It must carry the approved treatment details and any additional declarations specified in your permit.
Treatment certificate. Issued by the treatment provider. It should reference the batch IDs, weights, treatment schedule, equipment used, and temperature/time logs.
Packing declaration and timber/ISPM 15 evidence. Australian brokers still rely on the standard packing declaration for containers. Any wood packaging or pallets must be ISPM 15 compliant and stamped.
Commercial invoice and packing list. Include bag counts, net weights, marks, and the container/seal numbers.

Actionable insight: Before you ship a single bag, pre-draft the exact wording you’ll need on the phytosanitary certificate based on your permit. Then share that template with your NPPO contact. We’ve seen three-day clearance times simply because the certificate text matched the permit perfectly.

Do I need a BICON import permit for Indonesian unroasted coffee beans in 2025?

Yes. BICON sets the import conditions and DAFF issues the permit to the Australian importer. Without it, your coffee will be held on arrival and likely fumigated or re-exported.

Week 3–6: Choose heat over methyl bromide and prove it on paper

Here’s the thing. Methyl bromide fumigation is technically accepted for many plant products, but it’s a last resort for specialty coffee. It can dull acidity and aromatics. We recommend the heat treatment pathway that BICON accepts for coffee beans.

What does “BICON-accepted heat treatment” mean in practice? Your permit will specify an approved time–temperature schedule. As of late 2024, importers commonly use one of the following schedules for whole green beans:

60°C held at the bean core for at least 120 minutes, or
65–70°C for a shorter hold time, as specified in your permit.

Confirm the exact schedule listed in your permit before treating. DAFF cares about core temperature. That means probes inside the mass, not just ambient air. Your treatment certificate should include:

Treatment provider name, address, and equipment type.
Batch or lot identifiers, origin, total weight, and packaging description (for example, 60 kg new jute bags with hermetic liners).
Start/finish date and time of the treatment.
Target temperature and actual core temperatures achieved, plus hold time.
Number and placement of temperature probes, and a statement that probes were calibrated.

Actionable insight: Ask the facility for a temperature data printout. Attach it to the treatment certificate. We’ve found that providing logs upfront prevents DAFF from requesting additional evidence and delaying release.

Can I avoid methyl bromide if I use approved heat treatment for coffee beans?

Yes. If your permit lists an approved heat option and you meet it exactly, DAFF will clear the beans without methyl bromide. If documents don’t match the permit, DAFF will default to on-arrival fumigation at the importer’s cost.

Week 7–12: Seal, ship, and remove points of failure

Once treated, move fast. Load into a clean, dry container and seal immediately. Record the container and seal numbers on the phytosanitary certificate and the packing list. Avoid exposing treated coffee to open air or untreated spaces where re-infestation could be argued.

Use new or clean jute/sisal bags. Consider hermetic liners like GrainPro inside the jute. They protect quality and help justify that the product remained protected after treatment.
Pallets and any wood packaging must be ISPM 15 compliant. Look for the IPPC mark. No bark. No unmarked dunnage.
Keep the container free of residues and plant debris. A simple sweep and photographic record go a long way.

We often ship single-origin lots like Arabica Bali Kintamani Grade 1 Green Coffee Beans or aged profiles such as Musty Cup Green Coffee Beans (Aged Arabica) on this pathway. Heat treatment preserves the bright citrus in Bali and the low-acidity, chocolate-tobacco profile of aged Sumatran lots far better than methyl bromide.

Is a sealed container required after pre-export treatment of green coffee beans?

If your permit specifies sealing post-treatment, then yes. Even when not explicitly mandated, we treat sealing as non-negotiable. DAFF will question any possibility of re-infestation between treatment and arrival.

The exact phytosanitary wording that avoids holds

Phytosanitary certificate fields that should be complete and consistent with your permit:

Botanical name and description: Coffea spp., unroasted coffee beans.
Quantity and packaging: number of bags, bag type, and total net weight.
Treatment details: method (heat), the BICON schedule used, core temperature, duration, date, and facility. If methyl bromide is used, include dosage, temperature, exposure time, and fumigant details as per permit.
Additional declarations: copy the permit text exactly. Many permits require a statement that the goods were treated in accordance with BICON import conditions and inspected and found free of live insects and other quarantine risk material.
Container and seal numbers: include them under “Additional information.” We also mirror the numbers on the invoice and packing list.

What must be written on the phytosanitary certificate for coffee to Australia?

Use your permit’s exact additional declarations. Include treatment method, temperature, duration, date, and the facility. Add container and seal numbers. Consistency across the PC, treatment certificate, invoice, and packing list is what gets you waved through.

Jute bags, pallets, and other packaging gotchas

Jute/sisal bags are fine if they are new or thoroughly cleaned. Old bags with grain residue are a red flag.
Pallets and any wood packaging must be ISPM 15 stamped. No stamp, no entry. If you must include dunnage, it also needs the ISPM 15 mark.
Plastic inner liners are acceptable and help with post-treatment protection.

Are jute bags and wooden pallets for coffee subject to separate biosecurity rules?

Jute bags don’t require separate certification, but they must be clean. Wood packaging is a different story. It must meet ISPM 15 and bear the IPPC mark, or DAFF will order treatment or disposal.

When things go wrong on arrival

If your shipment lands without the documented treatment or with mismatched paperwork, DAFF will order on-arrival fumigation. In most cases that means methyl bromide. Expect delays of 5–10 days, storage and handling fees, and a noticeable hit to sensory quality on lighter roasts. Worst case, DAFF can order re-export or destruction.

What happens if my green coffee arrives in Australia without the documented treatment?

You’ll face on-arrival methyl bromide or other DAFF-directed action. It’s expensive, slow, and quality suffers. This is why we front-load the paperwork and seal the container right after treatment.

Quick answers to the questions we get every month

How long is a BICON import permit valid and can it cover multiple shipments of coffee? We’re seeing up to two years, multi-consignment, as long as each consignment matches the permit. Always check the validity on the permit itself.
Can I document heat treatment in a way DAFF actually trusts? Yes. Use core probes, keep calibration records, and attach the temperature logs. Put the schedule and results on both the treatment certificate and the phytosanitary certificate.
Do jute bags or pallets trigger extra conditions? Clean jute is fine. Wood must be ISPM 15. List pallet counts on the packing declaration.

Need help tailoring the wording for your permit and phytosanitary certificate? We’re happy to share the templates we use with Indonesian NPPO and Australian brokers. If you want a quick sanity check on your documents before you book the vessel, Contact us on whatsapp.

The five mistakes that get coffee held in Australia

“Close enough” certificate text. DAFF isn’t flexible on wording. Copy your permit declarations verbatim.
Ambient temperatures instead of core temperatures. Bean-core proof is required for heat schedules.
Loading delay after treatment. Treat, load, seal. Don’t give anyone a reason to doubt the chain of custody.
Unmarked pallets or dunnage. No ISPM 15 mark means treatment on arrival or disposal.
Old bag contamination. Coffee dust or grain residues in used jute bags can trigger inspection blowups.

Resources and next steps

Check the latest import conditions and approved treatment schedules in BICON. Reconfirm before each shipment. Requirements can change.
Run a small pilot lot first. We often start with 1–2 pallets of Blue Batak Green Coffee Beans or Bali Natural Green Coffee Beans to validate heat parameters and paperwork flow with a new partner.
Build a repeatable pack set. Standardize your invoice fields, PC text, treatment certificate layout, and the way you show container/seal numbers.

If you’re sourcing Indonesian lots for the Australian market and want beans that travel well under the heat-treatment pathway, you can also View our products. We can align processing and packing to your permit wording so your first clearance feels like your tenth.

Our team’s simple rule for 2025: match the permit exactly, prove the heat at the bean core, and seal immediately. Do that, and your coffee lands clean, fast, and true to profile.