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  • Freight Forwarding Services Australia

    Navia is an Australian freight forwarder headquartered in Melbourne, with offices in Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth. We've been managing international freight for Australian importers and exporters for over 20 years, across every major trade lane, through every kind of disruption the market throws up.
    Sea freight, air freight, road freight, and in-house customs clearance. 99.97% of deliveries on the first day of availability. No finger-pointing and no chasing your forwarder for updates.

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    The Real Cost of the Wrong Freight Forwarder in Australia

    Choosing a freight forwarder isn't just a logistics decision, it's a choice about who's responsible when something goes wrong. And in Australian freight, things go wrong in very specific, very expensive ways.
    A shipment held at the port because the Certificate of Origin doesn't match the commercial invoice. Cargo detained by DAFF because BMSB treatment wasn't confirmed before departure from China. A container sitting on a wharf in Melbourne accruing demurrage because the pickup was organised late. An invoice landing with charges that weren't discussed when you signed up.

    These aren't rare events. They're the normal failures of freight forwarders who are good at booking space but not at managing the full picture.

    Navia's job is to manage the full picture, from your supplier's factory floor to your Australian warehouse door, and to surface problems before they cost you money.

    Air Freight
    Ocean Freight
    Land Freight
    Logistics

    Sea Freight

    The primary mode for most Australian importers. We manage FCL and LCL shipments across the major trade lanes into Australia - China, Southeast Asia, Europe, the Americas, and beyond - into Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Fremantle. Container utilisation review included. If you're leaving space on the table, we'll show you.

    Sea Freight Forwarder

    Air Freight

    When the sea freight window has closed or the cargo simply can't wait, our air freight service moves time-critical goods door-to-door fast. Full tracking, proactive exception alerts, and transparent pricing, no surprise charges when the invoice arrives.

    Air Freight Forwarder

    Road Freight

    Domestic road freight from port to warehouse, warehouse to warehouse, or wherever your cargo needs to go once it clears Australian customs. Coordinated by the same team managing your inbound freight, so there's no handover gap between your international shipment and your local delivery.

    Customs Clearance

    In-house, not outsourced to a third party. Our customs brokers hold current ABF licences and manage the full clearance process, classification, duty assessment, biosecurity compliance, and documentation. We're also an Australian Trusted Trader, which means faster clearance, lower intervention rates, and a recognised standard of compliance that most freight forwarding companies in Australia can't offer.

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    Supply Chain Review

    Included in your freight forwarding service, not a separate engagement. We look at your freight profile, your trade lanes, your container utilisation, and your routing, and we tell you where the inefficiencies are. Most of our clients find savings they didn't know were there.

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    Compliance-Confident, Australian Trusted Trader

    Australia has some of the strictest biosecurity and customs requirements in the world, and the penalties for getting it wrong land on the importer, not the forwarder. Navia manages compliance as part of every shipment - BMSB treatment where necessary, ChAFTA Certificate of Origin coordination on every China shipment, DAFF biosecurity requirements briefed to suppliers ahead of departure, and duty and GST calculated correctly from the start.

    We're also an Australian Trusted Trader, formally recognised by the Australian Border Force for our compliance standards, which means faster clearance and lower intervention rates for our clients' shipments. The details that catch importers out are the ones we're already managing before you need to ask.

    Real-Time Freight Visibility, Included for Every Australian Customer

    One of the most repeated complaints about freight forwarders in Australia is the same everywhere: you submit a booking and then go quiet until something goes wrong. You chase updates by email. You find out about delays after the vessel has already departed without your cargo.
    The NaviaHub changes that. Every Navia customer gets full access, at no extra charge.
    For Australian importers and exporters, the NaviaHub gives you:

    Learn About NaviaHub

    Live shipment tracking

    across all active freight movements: sea, air, and land

    Critical Chain alerts

    proactive flags when a shipment is at risk, with the specific reason: vessel delay, booking unconfirmed, cargo not released at origin, customs hold

    Document management

    all your shipping documents in one place, accessible to your team

    Performance reporting

    on-time delivery rates, transit times, carrier performance by trade lane

    ERP integration

    freight data flows directly into your existing systems via API, so your finance and operations teams aren't manually updating spreadsheets

    Carbon emissions reporting

    for businesses with sustainability reporting obligations

    Sustainability

    Australian Freight Forwarding Performance

    We measure and report on the metrics that actually tell you how your supply chain is performing, including on-time delivery, cost by trade lane, full cost breakdown, container utilisation, and landed cost per unit, among others.

    These are tracked and reported in the NaviaHub, available to every customer and updated continuously. If your current freight forwarder in Australia can't show you equivalent measured figures, that's a useful data point when you're reviewing your options.

    Ready to Work With an Australian Freight Forwarder That Manages the Full Picture?

    Sea freight, air freight, road freight, in-house customs clearance, and real-time visibility across all of it. If you're reviewing your freight forwarding arrangements or starting from scratch, our Australian team is ready to talk.

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    What does a freight forwarder in Australia actually do?

    A freight forwarder arranges the international movement of cargo on behalf of importers and exporters. In the Australian context, that means booking space with shipping lines or airlines, coordinating pickup from your overseas supplier, managing all export documentation, arranging customs clearance with the Australian Border Force, handling biosecurity compliance with DAFF, and organising domestic delivery to your warehouse or distribution centre. A good Australian freight forwarder also advises on ChAFTA duty savings, BMSB compliance, and supply chain optimisation, and manages exceptions proactively when things don't go to plan.

    What is an Australian Trusted Trader and why does it matter?

    Australian Trusted Trader (ATT) is a voluntary programme administered by the Australian Border Force that recognises businesses with a demonstrated record of customs compliance. Freight forwarders with ATT status - like Navia - benefit from streamlined customs processing, lower intervention rates, and priority clearance pathways. For importers, using an ATT-accredited forwarder means faster clearance and less risk of holds or inspections causing costly delays.

    What is BMSB and how does it affect my shipment?

    The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) is a biosecurity pest that Australia's DAFF treats with extreme seriousness. During BMSB season (1 September to 30 April), high-risk goods must be treated before they leave the country of origin. If your goods arrive in Australia during BMSB season without treatment, they cannot be treated here, they face re-export or destruction. Navia confirms BMSB treatment requirements and plans for treatment either onshore before customs release or at origin on every applicable shipment.

    How do ChAFTA duty savings work?

    Under the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, most goods imported from China are eligible for a 0% duty rate, but only with a valid Certificate of Origin (COO) that matches your commercial invoice HS codes exactly. ChAFTA benefits are not applied automatically. Navia's customs brokers manage COO coordination and verification as part of every China-origin shipment, so you're not leaving duty savings on the table due to a documentation mismatch.

    What's the difference between a freight forwarder and a customs broker in Australia?

    A customs broker is specifically licensed by the Australian Border Force to lodge customs entries and manage import declarations. A freight forwarder arranges the transport itself. Many importers work with both separately, which creates coordination gaps and split accountability. Navia provides both in-house - one team, one point of contact, one set of documentation managed end to end.

    How long does sea freight from China to Australia take?

    Sea freight from Chinese ports to Australia typically takes 12 to 30 days port-to-port, depending on origin port (Shanghai, Ningbo, Guangzhou) and destination (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Fremantle). Door-to-door timing adds the lead time at origin and customs clearance at destination, typically 24 to 48 hours for a clean clearance, longer if biosecurity inspection or document issues arise. Navia provides realistic transit estimates for your specific trade lane when you request a quote.

    What happens if my shipment is held by customs or DAFF?

    Navia's team monitors every shipment through the customs and biosecurity process. If a hold is applied, we contact you immediately with the reason and the steps to resolve it, whether that's a document amendment, a biosecurity inspection, or a treatment requirement. We manage the resolution process directly with ABF and DAFF so you don't have to navigate government agencies yourself.

    Does Navia offer freight forwarding for smaller importers?

    Yes. While many of our customers move significant container volumes, we also work with smaller importers who need a freight forwarder that manages the detail - documentation, biosecurity compliance, customs clearance, tracking - not just the transport booking. The NaviaHub gives you the same visibility regardless of your volume.

    Is Navia an Australian Trusted Trader?

    Yes. Navia is accredited under the Australian Trusted Trader programme, the Australian Border Force's supply chain security and trade facilitation scheme. Accreditation recognises businesses with secure, compliant international supply chains, and can mean streamlined border clearance, priority treatment of consignments, and other trade facilitation benefits for the cargo we manage on your behalf.