Eligibility criteria and grant amounts

Find out about EMDG eligibility for different tiers, grant amounts, what you can use the grant for and other grant conditions.

Eligibility for different tiers

You must apply for the relevant tier when you apply. Choose your tier based on your exporting status, business goals and eligibility requirements.

Grant amounts

Maximum grant amounts for each tier per financial year, 2025–26 and 2026–27, are:

  • Tier 1 – businesses ready to export. This is $20,000 up to $30,000 per financial year.
  • Tier 2 – businesses exporting within existing markets. This is $20,000 up to $50,000 per financial year.
  • Tier 3 – businesses exporting to new key markets. This is $20,000 up to $80,000 per financial year.
  • Representative bodies – that support members to achieve export success. This is up to $50,000 per financial year.

Grants are offered as matched funding. This means, to be eligible, you must show you can:

  • meet the minimum financial turnover for your tier
  • have the capacity to spend at least $20,000 of your own money on proposed eligible activities
  • match your tier’s grant amount with your own funds.

Eligible products

To be an eligible product, your product(s) must be of substantially Australian origin and be:

  • goods
  • services
  • events
  • intellectual property or know-how
  • software.

For more information about eligible products, read the EMDG guidelines on Guidelines and legislation.

Eligible expenses

You can use EMDG for expenses in one or more of the following categories:

  • maintaining a representative in a foreign country
  • short trips to a foreign country for the specific purpose of export promotion
  • engaging a consultant to do research or promotional activities
  • short trips within Australia for the specific purpose of engaging with foreign buyers. This is not for trips, however, for general industry events or network activities where no foreign buyers are present
  • foreign buyer visits
  • soliciting for business in a foreign country
  • providing free samples to potential foreign buyers
  • producing and providing promotional and advertising material specifically for international export promotion
  • intellectual property rights
  • obtaining export training if you are a Tier 1 applicant
  • delivering, or arranging to deliver, approved export training if you are a representative body.

For detailed eligibility criteria please read the EMDG guidelines on Guidelines and legislation. This includes limits on eligible expenses, ineligible expenses and other important information.