FOR YOUR BUSINESS · EXPORT AND FREIGHT

Every document a shipment needs, and what each one is actually for.

A container or a pallet does not move on the strength of the goods inside it. It moves on paper. A shipment from Johannesburg to Nairobi can need a dozen separate documents, each issued by a different body, and the freight stops the moment one is missing, wrong or signed by the wrong person. This page explains the whole set in plain English: what each document does, who issues it, and where it goes wrong. The guides linked below show real examples you can compare your own paperwork against.

3 documentstravel with every shipment: the commercial invoice, the packing list and the transport document

SARS firstyou cannot sign a SADC or EUR.1 certificate of origin until you are registered as an exporter for that agreement

16 sectionsin every safety data sheet since 2 September 2022, under the Hazardous Chemical Agents Regulations

2 signed copiesof the dangerous goods declaration go to the airline, signed by a trained person

Why there are so many documents

Each document answers one question that somebody in the chain is legally obliged to ask. Customs wants to know what the goods are and what they are worth. The destination country wants to know the goods are safe and meet its standards. The carrier wants to know what it is carrying and whether it can catch fire. The buyer’s bank wants proof that what was paid for was shipped. The person handling a drum wants to know what to do if it leaks. No single body asks all of these questions, so no single document answers them, and the exporter ends up as the one person who has to hold the full set.

The good news is that the set is predictable. Once you know which question each document answers, you know which ones your shipment needs and which ones you can ignore.

The documents, one by one

Document	The question it answers	Who issues it	When you need it
Commercial invoice	What was sold, to whom, for how much, on what delivery terms (Incoterms)	You, the seller	Every shipment. Customs on both sides value the goods from it.
Packing list	What is in each carton, pallet or container, with weights and dimensions	You	Every shipment. Inspectors check the physical cargo against it.
Bill of lading	Who owns the sea cargo and who may collect it at the port	The shipping line or its agent	Every sea shipment. It is a document of title, which is why originals matter.
Air waybill	Receipt and contract of carriage for air cargo	The airline or a freight forwarder	Every air shipment. Not a document of title.
Road consignment note	Receipt and contract for road freight, including cross-border trucking	The transporter	Every road shipment, and at every SADC border post.
Export customs declaration	Tells SARS the goods have left, at what value, under which tariff heading	Your clearing agent, on your customs client number	Every shipment. You must be a registered exporter with SARS.
Certificate of origin, non-preferential	Which country the goods come from, for import rules and statistics	A chamber of commerce	When the buyer, the buyer’s bank or the destination country asks for it.
SADC certificate of origin	Proves the goods qualify for the reduced or zero duty under the SADC trade protocol	Blank certificates issued by SARS Customs, completed per shipment, certified by a Customs officer	Exports to SADC countries where the buyer wants to pay the preferential duty.
EUR.1 movement certificate	Proves origin for the EU, UK and EFTA trade agreements	SARS Customs, on application on form SC-RO-02-A02	Exports to the EU, the UK, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland above the invoice-declaration threshold.
Certificate of conformity (CoC) or PVoC certificate	Proves the goods meet the destination country’s standards before they ship	An inspection company appointed by the destination regulator (KEBS in Kenya, TBS in Tanzania, SON in Nigeria, SASO in Saudi Arabia, BOBS in Botswana)	Regulated products going to a country with a pre-export verification programme. Without it the goods are refused or fined at the port.
Pre-shipment inspection report	An independent witness saw the goods, counted them and checked them before loading	An inspection company such as SGS, Bureau Veritas, Intertek or Cotecna	When a buyer, a letter of credit or a destination regulator requires it.
Safety data sheet (SDS)	What the chemical is, its hazards, and what to do when it spills, burns or gets on skin	The manufacturer or importer of the chemical	Every hazardous chemical placed on the market or in a workplace. Sixteen sections, no exceptions.
Shipper’s declaration for dangerous goods	Certifies that a hazardous consignment is classified, packed, marked and labelled correctly for air	You, signed by a person trained under the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations	Every air shipment of dangerous goods except the small quantities the regulations exempt.
Certificate of analysis (CoA)	This specific batch was tested and these were the results	The manufacturer’s laboratory or an independent accredited laboratory	Chemicals, food ingredients, pharmaceuticals, minerals and anything sold to a specification.
Phytosanitary certificate	Plants, seeds, fruit, timber and grain are free of pests and disease	Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development	Every export of plant material. The importing country’s plant health authority demands it.
Veterinary health certificate	Animal products come from healthy, inspected sources	State veterinarian, Department of Agriculture	Meat, dairy, hides, wool, live animals.
Fumigation certificate	Wooden packaging and pallets were treated against pests	A registered fumigation contractor	Any shipment on wooden pallets or in wooden crates, under the ISPM 15 rule most countries apply.
Insurance certificate	The cargo is insured, for how much and from where to where	Your insurer or broker	When you sell on CIF or CIP terms, or the letter of credit asks.
Export permit	Government allows these particular goods to leave	ITAC, and for some goods other departments	Controlled goods only: scrap metal, certain chemicals, minerals, second-hand goods and a list published by ITAC.

Three things every exporter needs before any of this

A SARS customs client number as an exporter. Registration through the Registration, Licensing and Accreditation system on eFiling. A clearing agent cannot register you; it has to be your company. The importer and exporter code service does it for R1 990.
Registration for each trade agreement you want to use. Being a registered exporter is not the same as being registered for SADC, or for the EU agreement. Each is a separate registration with Customs, and until it is done no certificate of origin can be issued to you.
A written Incoterm on every quote and invoice. EXW, FOB, CIF and DAP each put a different set of the documents above on your desk or the buyer’s. Half of all export paperwork disputes are two parties who assumed different terms.

Where the money is lost

A container at Mombasa without the KEBS certificate of conformity. Kenya charges a penalty on the value of the goods for destination inspection, if it allows it at all, and the container pays storage every day the argument runs.
A SADC certificate signed by a company that is not registered for SADC. The buyer pays full duty at the border and deducts it from your invoice.
A dangerous goods consignment refused at the airline’s cargo shed because the declaration is unsigned, the packing instruction is wrong or the person who signed is not trained. The flight leaves without it.
A drum with no safety data sheet, which a Department of Employment and Labour inspector can order out of the workplace, and which no freight forwarder will accept for a hazardous shipment.
An original bill of lading couriered to the wrong person, or lost. Whoever holds the original owns the cargo. Replacing one takes a bank guarantee and weeks.

The guides, with examples

Export documents, with examplesBill of lading, air waybill, SADC and EUR.1 certificates of origin, certificates of conformity for Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Botswana, pre-shipment inspection, certificate of analysis. Dangerous goods and safety data sheetsA compliant 16-section safety data sheet and a completed IATA shipper’s declaration, both shown in full, with the South African rules behind them. Forklift licencesWhat the law actually requires of an operator and an employer under the Driven Machinery Regulations, and what a “forklift licence” really is. Import permits and customs stopsITAC permits, NRCS letters of authority and held shipments, at fixed prices.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need all of these for one shipment?

No. Every shipment needs the commercial invoice, the packing list, the transport document and the export declaration. The rest depend on what the goods are and where they are going. Machinery to Botswana needs a BOBS certificate if it is a regulated product; a pallet of wine to Germany needs an EUR.1 or an invoice declaration; a drum of solvent by air needs the safety data sheet and the dangerous goods declaration.

Who actually fills in the certificate of origin?

You do, or your clearing agent under your written authority. The blank SADC or EUR.1 form comes from SARS Customs, you complete it for the consignment, and a Customs officer certifies it. The exporter remains responsible for proving the goods qualify, which is why Customs can ask for supplier declarations and manufacturing records years later.

What is the difference between a certificate of conformity and a certificate of analysis?

A certificate of conformity says the product type meets a standard, and for PVoC countries it is issued by an inspection company the destination regulator appointed. A certificate of analysis says this particular batch was tested and gives the numbers. Confusingly, some manufacturers also issue a “certificate of conformance” declaring their own product meets its specification; that is a supplier’s statement, not a regulator’s certificate.

Can my freight forwarder do all of this?

A forwarder can prepare the transport document, book the inspection and lodge the export declaration. A forwarder cannot register you as an exporter with SARS, cannot sign the dangerous goods declaration unless its staff are trained and it accepts that responsibility, and cannot make goods originate in South Africa if they do not.

Keep exploring

Export documents with examples Dangerous goods and SDS Forklift licences Importer and exporter code Cross-border transport permits Transport operators hub

Sources: SARS Customs external policy SC-RO-02, Administration of Trade Agreements, revision 5, effective 11 December 2025; SARS Rules of Origin page; the Regulations for Hazardous Chemical Agents, 2021 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, read with SANS 10234; the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations; the published pre-export verification programmes of KEBS, TBS, SON, SASO and BOBS. Destination-country rules change often; confirm with the appointed inspection company before you ship. This is information, not legal advice.