Navya Nair fined at Australia airport for carrying jasmine flowers: Tourists, know these rules

She was travelling to Australia to attend an Onam celebration, but little did Malayalam actress Navya Nair know that a very festive act would slap a hefty fine on her. Recently, the actress revealed that she was fined at the Melbourne International Airport for carrying jasmine flowers in her handbag. She was there to attend the Onam celebration of the Malayali Association in Victoria. Apparently, she was fined A$1980 (₹1.25 lakh) at the airport for carrying a jasmine garland that was just 15 cm long. Navya didn’t know that jasmine flowers couldn’t be carried in the baggage. She shared the incident while speaking at the Onam programme in Victoria.

The incident
Navya said that it was her father who bought the jasmine garland for her. “He cut it into two pieces and asked me to wear one from Kochi to Singapore. The garland was withered by the time I reached Singapore. He advised me to keep the other piece of garland in my handbag, as I could wear it at the Singapore airport. I kept the garland in a carry bag and placed it safely in my handbag.” Navya didn’t know that she was unintentionally breaking the law. “The authorities fined me A$1,980 for carrying 15 cm of jasmine garland. I know that I was wrong, but it was not intentional. They have asked me to pay the fine within 28 days,” Navya said.

Australia’s rules on flowers and similar items
As per the website of the Australian Border Force, ‘plants, flowers and seeds’ are labelled ‘Don’t bring’ under the list of items you can and can’t bring into the country. They can only be brought in by those who have a valid permit for the same, and belong to the list of permitted species. The country considers such plants and flowers ‘risky,’ as they can bring in diseases or carry pests to Australia’s unique environment. Even seeds can only be brought in with specific certifications, and they should be free of soil, disease symptoms, and any other parts of their parent plant, including pods, leaves, stems and more. Get details here.

On Vietjet’s website, it is also mentioned that herbs, flowers, pollens, animal-derived products like musk and various grains are also part of Australia’s ‘items not allowed to bring in.’ Get the full list here.

Years ago, cricketers Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag were fined around $100 for ‘dirty shoes’ at New Zealand’s Auckland airport.