Indian actress Navya Nair fined $1,320 for bringing jasmine garland into Australia

By Minh Nga September 24, 2025 | 02:53 pm PT

Indian actress Navya Nair while on board a plane from India to Australia, carrying a jasmine gajra garland on her hair. Photo by Instagram/@navyanair143

Indian actress Navya Nair was fined AU$2,000 (US$1,320) for failing to declare a jasmine garland on arrival in Melbourne earlier this month.

Nair departed Kochi, India, and transited through Singapore en route to Melbourne, carrying a jasmine gajra given by her father to wear in her hair, ABC News reported.

Concerned the flowers would wilt during the long trip, her father gave her a second garland when she reached Australia, which she kept in her carry-on bag.

Nair did not declare the flowers on arrival.

When officers at Melbourne Airport discovered the garland, she was issued the AU$2,000 infringement.

She later said she did not realize the floral item needed to be declared, according to the New York Post.

In an Instagram post, Nair said she was traveling to attend an Onam event in Victoria organized by the Malayalee Association of Victoria. Onam is a 10-day harvest festival from the Indian state of Kerala.

Bringing flowers into Australia is not necessarily illegal, but they must be declared. According to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, travelers may bring up to six small boxes or bunches of fresh flowers by air or sea, provided they meet biosecurity requirements.