Independent Market Visit Program

What is an Independent Market Visit?
What Assistance is Available?
Who is Eligible?
How Do I Apply?

What is an Independent Market Visit?

An independent market visit is a service available under the NSW Government's New Export Opportunities Program.  It provides financial assistance to export-ready companies by offsetting some of the costs of visiting a new overseas market to expand sales.

A well-prepared market visit is essential to eventually making sales in a new market by helping exporters acquire first-hand knowledge of culture, customs, business practices, prices, customers and distribution systems, all of which are critical to export success.

In addition to the Department of State and Regional Development's (DSRD) program of group missions to selected overseas markets, support is available to companies to undertake an independent market visit to target particular markets, and time the visit to suit business cycles or an emerging opportunity.

The Independent Market Visit Program is designed to assist small and medium-sized companies to assess their prospects in new markets through a visit program individually tailored to their export needs and objectives.

What Assistance is Available?

Companies meeting eligibility criteria under the Independent Market Visit Program may qualify for financial assistance up to $3,000 to offset fees paid to an approved service provider for such things as in-market business matching and appointment scheduling.

Financial assistance is not provided for travel, accommodation, meals and other personal expenses.

There is a limit of two independent market visits in any 12-month period and maximum levels of financial assistance also apply, in relation to the total support from DSRD programs.

For further information and details of the eligibility criteria, contact the Department's Trade Services Branch, Small Business Development Division on phone 9338 6653, fax 9338 6970 or email first@business.nsw.gov.au.

Who is Eligible?

To be eligible for assistance to undertake an independent market visit, companies should be able to demonstrate that:

• they are a NSW business or have significant operations in NSW and that the export activity will generate business or employment growth in NSW;
• they have tradeable goods or services and are export-ready for the market to be visited;
• they have a written business or export plan;
• the market to be visited has trade potential for the products/services to be promoted;
• they are visiting a new market, ie the company is not represented in and is not already selling regularly to the market concerned;
• they have clear and realistic objectives for the visit.

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How Do I Apply?

You can contact the Department's Trade Services Branch, Small Business Development Division on phone 9338 6653, fax 9338 6970 or email first@business.nsw.gov.au.

A DSRD representative will contact you to discuss your plans and assess eligibility for assistance under the Independent Market Visit Program.

Requests for assistance with an independent market visit should be made to the Department at least two months prior to the proposed visit date.

For details of the Department's group Trade Mission program, please click here.