Form · International Trade, Customs & Sanctions
Form B653: application for a refund of customs duty
Completion guide for Australian Border Force Form B653, design date 10/22, the approved application for a refund of duty or GST paid on an import, ex-warehouse or periodic declaration.
- Kind
- Form. A form to complete, or a guide to completing an official one.
- Where it applies
- Commonwealth
- AI use
- Yellow You and the tool draft together, with you directing. You check every statement you rely on.
- Law stated as at
- 22 October 2026
- Status
- Maintained. Checked on 22 October 2026 against the official form at abf.gov.au and the 2 authorities it cites, for Commonwealth.
- Version
- 1
- Source
- Link to the official form. Licence: © Commonwealth of Australia. Link only: download the current Form B653 each time; do not copy or adapt it.
Where this comes from
The official form is published by abf.gov.au; this page is a completion guide. Last checked on 2026-10-22.
When to use it
Use when the owner named on the original declaration, or an agent for that owner, seeks a refund of duty or GST already paid. Do not use it for a drawback, a tourist refund, a remission, or a return of goods that are not faulty, defective or outside the contract.
How AI may be used
AI may list the declaration, the owner and the documents the lawyer marks against Form B653; the lawyer selects the refund circumstance and makes the declaration on the form.
AI may
- Copy the declaration identifier, owner identifier and paid amounts from the entry the lawyer marks
- List invoices and shipping documents already in the file that relate to the reason the lawyer has named
- Flag a missing refund-circumstance code, a missing declaration, or a payment account that is not the owner's
AI must not
- Must not choose the refund-circumstance code
- Must not sign Form B653 or email it to nationalrefunds@abf.gov.au
- Must not say that returned goods qualify because the buyer changed their mind
The lawyer checks
- The applicant is the owner on the original declaration, or an agent for that owner
- The circumstance code is taken from Section G of the current form, read with the refund page
- Sections E and F state only the fields that change, and each updated line has a circumstance code
- A faxed, posted or hand-lodged form is signed. An email lodgement names the person, and the company and ABN where they apply, in the email
Method: how the Green, Yellow and Red levels are decided. This is guidance for planning, not legal advice.
Official form
Open the official form. Always use the current version from the issuer. Licence: © Commonwealth of Australia. Link only: download the current Form B653 each time; do not copy or adapt it..
Read the full text
The full text is available after you log in. It is free. When you log in you can:
- read the whole precedent, with its drafting notes beside it;
- copy it, or download it as a Word file or Markdown;
- add it to your firm’s knowledge base, so colleagues can find it;
- let the AI tools you connect read it from that knowledge base.
The summary, the law it rests on and the AI-use guidance above stay public. Privacy.
More in International Trade, Customs & Sanctions
- Form B102: application for an advance ruling on tariff classification
- Form B444: submission objecting to a tariff concession order
- Form B659: application for an advance ruling on origin
- Import Declaration (N10): when it is required and how it is lodged
- Form B443: application for a tariff concession order
- Self-assessed clearance declaration: cargo report, short format and long format
- Form ATRC2: application for a dumping or countervailing duty assessment
- Customs value worksheet: price paid and amounts to add
All precedents for International Trade, Customs & Sanctions · Tasks and AI use in this area