Shipping to South Africa
Shipping to South Africa
If you are shipping cargo to South Africa by sea, you may be interested in learning some of the rules about ocean cargo shipping to South Africa. You can ship household and personal items to South Africa duty free but you will need to fill out some paperwork and forms for the South African Department of Customs. This is something in which an experienced and dependable sea shipping company like Cargo Experts can assist.
Dear CARGO EXPERTS…The local receiving company was absolutely fantastic in their efficiency and word, very nice people indeed. Thank you as well for everything you did to make this move just a bit better for me. I really do appreciate it… Many Thanks and Best Regards, Jeff M. in South Africa
For residents returning to South Africa after having been out of the country for six months or more, you are allowed to import household items to South Africa duty free when you return. All imported goods to South Africa are subject to regular customs examinations and procedures.You should also be prepared to provide your passport with your arrival date in South Africa.
There are also certain duty taxes and some restrictions on shipping certain items including alcohol, food items, and tobacco. Used household goods can be shipped to Spain for free provided you have used them for at least 6 months before shipping to Spain. In order to ship household goods to Spain without paying duty fees, it is important that you get all of your necessary paperwork in order.
If you are going to be a temporary resident of South Africa, you can import your household goods and personal items duty free if you have both a valid work permit and temporary residence permit, otherwise you will be expected to pay some duty related fees.
If you recently inherited items that you want to import to South Africa, you are allowed to import these items duty free as long as you can provide a certified copy of the last will and testament which specifies your inheritance of the items that you are interested in importing to South Africa.
Items Restricted from Cargo Shipping to South Africa
There are certain rules and restrictions about importing specific items to South Africa. For example, if you are interested in learning more about importing firearms and ammunition to South Africa, you can import these items duty free but you must have an import permit from the South African Import and Export Control prior to importing.
There is specific paperwork required for importing firearms and ammunition to South Africa. For example, you must complete form SAP311 in full and sign it. The South African customs office will keep this form and issue an SAP312. In addition, you have 60 days to license firearms and ammunition in South Africa and to have these items inspected before receiving the SAP312. Make sure your firearms and ammunition are easily identifiable in a location in your cargo shipping container that is readily accessible.
Are you interested in shipping liquor and other alcoholic beverages to South Africa? You can ship liquor and other alcoholic beverages to South Africa but you will have to pay full duty fees and taxes. You will also need to get a special removal certificate before you import liquor of any type to South Africa.
If you are using wood packaging for sea shipping to South Africa, makes sure that it is ISPM 15 certified at origin. Wood packaging includes wooden pallets, crates, wooden drums and skids. This regulation covers any wood packaging that enters the South Africa. Any sea cargo shipment going to a port in South Africa that does not have the ISPM 15 mark will not be allowed to entry. The ISPM 15 Certification is an International Phytosanitary Measure established by the International Plant Protection Convention to prevent transporting diseased and infected wooden materials that can cause environmental damage.
Interesting in Shipping a Car to South Africa?
If you are moving to South Africa or plan to live in South Africa for an extended length of time, you might want to learn more about how to ship a car to South Africa. If you are interested in shipping a vehicle to South Africa, you can do this duty free as long as you have owned your vehicle for a year or longer.
You can ship one vehicle per family to South Africa. Whoever is importing the vehicle to South Africa is required to be a permanent resident of South Africa. It is also important to note that if you are shipping a vehicle to South Africa, you will likely have to pay value added taxes (VAT) which is a percentage based on the customs value of your vehicle.
In addition, before you can ship a car to South Africa, there is some required paperwork you will need. This includes:
- Import Permit
- South African Customs Form DA304A
- Vehicle Registration Paperwork
- Purchase Invoice
- Declaration Form
- Letter from the South African Bureau of Standards or SABS
If you are a temporary resident of South Africa and you do not qualify for duty free vehicle shipping, you can make a provisional payment to the South African Customs office to pay the required duties and taxes. Some of this payment may be refundable if you ship your vehicle out of South Africa when you leave the country.
Cargo Shipping to South Africa is much easier with the help of a dependable and reliable cargo shipping company. Contact Cargo Experts for a free Freight Quote or call toll free at 1-866-994-7822 to learn more about cargo shipping to South Africa.