Permit authorising the provision of humanitarian assistance and other activities that support basic human needs in relation to Afghanistan

Permit

SAN-2025-00199

Date of Issue

5 December 2025

Period of Validity

From the Date of Issue until the earlier of:

a) 3 years from the Date of Issue; or
b) the Permit is revoked.

Authority

Regulations 18(1)(e), 18(2)(a), 18(3) and 18(4) of the Autonomous Sanctions Regulations 2011 (Cth).

Definitions

• Australian Sanctions Office Contact Point: Email to sanctions@dfat.gov.au
• Australian NGO Cooperation Program:  The program administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that accredits and provides funding to non-government organisations (NGOs), and any successor to that program
• Humanitarian Assistance: Relief efforts intended to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain human dignity during and after serious disruptions to the functioning of a community that exceed its capacity to cope using its own resources, as well as to prevent and strengthen preparedness for when such situations occur.
• Humanitarian Organisation: The Australian Red Cross Society, any Australian NGO accredited by the Australian NGO Cooperation Program, and any Australian not-for-profit entity registered under Part 2-1 of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012 (Cth) that is engaged in Humanitarian Assistance activities within Australia or internationally.
• Sub-Implementing Partners: Entities or organisations that receive all or part of their funding from a Humanitarian Organisation to deliver specific components of a broader project or grant.

Australian Sanctions Office contact point

Email to sanctions@dfat.gov.au

Permit Holders

The following classes are Permit Holders:

1. Humanitarian Organisations, employees of Humanitarian Organisations, Sub-Implementing Partners and employees of Sub-Implementing Partners;
2. The Commonwealth and employees of the Commonwealth;
3. Persons, including bodies corporate, who provide:
   1. postal, transport, courier, or delivery services; or
   2. financial services;
4. Financial institutions and their employees.

Authorised Actions

1. Permit Holders 1 and 2 are authorised to directly or indirectly make assets available to, or for the benefit of, a designated person or entity to the extent that doing so is necessary to provide or facilitate the provision of Humanitarian Assistance in Afghanistan.
   1. This authorised action does not have the effect of authorising Permit Holders 1 and 2 to hold controlled assets, and: use or deal with those controlled assets, or allow those assets to be used or dealt with, or facilitate the use of those assets or dealing with those assets.
2. Permit Holders 3 and 4 are authorised to directly or indirectly make assets available to, or for the benefit of, a designated person or entity to the extent that doing so is necessary to facilitate Authorised Action 1.
   2. This authorisation does not have the effect of authorising Permit Holders 3 and 4 to hold controlled assets, and: use or deal with those controlled assets, or allow those assets to be used or dealt with, or facilitate the use of those assets or dealing with those assets.

Note: This Permit may be amended or revoked at the discretion of the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Conditions

1. Permit Holder 1 who is a Humanitarian Organisation providing Humanitarian Assistance in Afghanistan in accordance with Authorised Action 1 must provide written notice to the Australian Sanctions Office Contact Point within 30 days of commencing the activity. Notification should include details of the Permit Holder including organisation name, address, and contact information, details of the Humanitarian Assistance being provided under this permit, and the total value of funds, economic resources, goods and services provided as part of the Humanitarian Assistance.
2. The Australian Sanctions Office may require that a Permit Holder prepare a Sanctions Compliance Report.
   3. The Permit Holder must give a Sanctions Compliance Report to the Australian Sanctions Office Contact Point no later than 21 days after the Australian Sanctions Office requests a Sanctions Compliance Report (or as otherwise agreed).
   4. The Australian Sanctions Office may request that a Permit Holder address specific issues in the Sanctions Compliance Report.
3. Permit Holder 1 who is a Humanitarian Organisation must exercise all reasonable care and undertake due diligence in respect of any employee or Sub-Implementing Partner to ensure they comply with the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011 (Cth) (including regulations made under that Act) in respect of the provision of Humanitarian Assistance in Afghanistan, in their role as an employee or Sub-Implementing Partner of the Humanitarian Organisation.

Authorised

Senator the Hon Penny Wong
Minister for Foreign Affairs

General Information about this Permit

This Permit is an authorisation granted under a sanction law. It is an offence, punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment or $825,000, to give information or a document to a Commonwealth entity in connection with the administration of a sanction law that is false or misleading or omits any matter or thing without which the information or document is misleading (section 17 of the AS Act).

Any authorisation granted under the Regulations is taken never to have been granted if information contained in, or information or a document accompanying, the application for the relevant authorisation is false or misleading in a material particular or omits any matter or thing without which the information or document is misleading in a material particular (section 15 of the AS Act).

It is an offence to contravene a sanction law, punishable for individuals by up to 10 years imprisonment, or a fine the greater of $825,000 or three times the value of the contravening transaction and for bodies corporate by a fine the greater of $3.3 million or three times the value of the contravening transaction (section 16 of the AS Act). For bodies corporate, this is a strict liability offence.