Insights & Knowledge HubCustoms

Importing into South Africa: Registration and What to Prepare

Who has to register with SARS to import into South Africa, what a foreign importer must put in place first, and the documents to have ready before the goods move.

TCSA Editorial18 October 2026 South Africa, SARS, importer registration, SAD 500, customs

Importing into South Africa: Registration and What to Prepare

Any person importing goods into South Africa must be registered as an importer with the South African Revenue Service (SARS), whether that person is resident in the country or not. Registration is the first step in the process, and it is the step most often discovered late, after the goods have already arrived.

Who has to register, and who does not

A local importer registers in its own name. A foreign importer, whether an individual or a company outside South Africa, must register as an importer and nominate a registered agent located in South Africa. SARS does not complete a foreign importer's registration until an approved registered agent has been nominated. The nominated agent assumes full liability for the foreign principal's acts in relation to customs business, so choosing one is a commercial decision as much as a customs one.

One exception is worth knowing. A foreign entity clearing cargo for international transit through South Africa is not required to register with Customs. That distinction matters when goods are passing through the country to a destination beyond it, and it is why a movement onward into the region is treated as a different enquiry from an import for use in South Africa.

The declaration, and who files it

Goods are declared on the SAD 500 customs declaration form. A registered importer that submits its own declarations must also register as an EDI user. An importer that appoints a licensed customs clearing agent or a registered agent does not need to register as an EDI user, because the agent submits on its behalf.

What to have ready before the goods move

The importer's registration status and, for a foreign importer, the nominated registered agent.
The commercial invoice, packing list and transport document.
The commodity and its tariff classification.
The origin of the goods, and the basis on which any preferential treatment is claimed.
The port of entry and the expected date of arrival.

If the goods have already arrived, say so in your enquiry. What can still be arranged changes once the consignment is on the quay, and the sequence of the work is different from a shipment that has not yet left origin.

How TCSA handles the enquiry

TCSA reviews the requirement and confirms what is possible, who would carry it out and at what rate before anything is commissioned. Coverage for South Africa is confirmed with your enquiry rather than assumed. Nothing on this page is a ruling on your consignment; the requirements themselves are set by SARS and by the customs authority that administers the route.

South AfricaSARSimporter registrationSAD 500customs

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