Cross-border road transport permit
A load to Maputo, a taxi route to Maseru or a tour group into Namibia needs a permit from the Cross-Border Road Transport Agency before the vehicle reaches the border. The agency charges per vehicle, per country and per period, does not refund a refused application, and advertises long term permits before it issues them. We choose the right permit, check the vehicle and operator file, and lodge it on the agency’s Cross-Easy system. Fixed price, in writing.
Independent paperwork service. ProperSA is an independent private company, not the Cross-Border Road Transport Agency. An operator can apply on the agency’s Cross-Easy system or at its Centurion office directly, paying only the gazetted fees. Our fee pays for getting the class, duration and countries right, checking the file so it is not refused, and following the application through.
What is included
- The permit worked out for your operation: goods Class 1 or Class 2 by combined mass, taxi, bus, tourist or organised group, and 14 day, 3 month, 12 month or 5 year
- The countries you pick up or set down in listed correctly, because the agency charges application and issue fees for each one
- The operator and vehicle file checked against the agency’s requirements: company documents, vehicle registration and licence, roadworthy certificate, the domestic operating licence for passenger services, tax compliance status and the driver’s professional driving permit where asked
- The application captured and lodged on Cross-Easy, or at the agency’s Eco Park office in Centurion where the system will not take it, with the exact gazetted fee told to you before you pay the agency
- For a new long term permit, the 14 day temporary permit lodged alongside so the vehicle can move while the permanent one is advertised
- The permit delivered to your portal with the expiry date and, on a 5 year permit, the annual compliance fee date diarised
What the agency charges, from 1 April 2026
The fees below are the agency’s own, per vehicle per country, as gazetted in Government Notice 3807 in Government Gazette 54229 of 27 February 2026. They are paid to the agency, not to us, and are not refunded if an application is refused.
| Permit | 14 day | 3 months | 12 months | 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freight Class 1, up to 20 000 kg | R1 907 | R2 867 | R6 983 | R9 439 |
| Freight Class 2, over 20 000 kg | R2 264 | R3 553 | R9 041 | R12 320 |
| Taxi, minibus up to 35 seats | R466 | R699 | R2 785 | R5 981 |
| Bus, over 35 seats | R493 | R754 | R3 100 | R6 846 |
| Tourist, minibus up to 35 seats | R480 | R988 | R3 004 | R6 269 |
Five year permits carry an annual compliance fee on top. The full table, including cabotage and amendment fees, is in our cross-border permits guide. The agency publishes a new schedule each April; we confirm the current figure before you pay.
How ordering works
- Order online and answer the questionnaire on the vehicle, the route and what you carry.
- We confirm the permit type, the countries and the exact agency fee, check your documents, and tell you what is missing within 2 business days.
- You pay the agency’s fee, we lodge the application and follow it to issue. The permit lands in your portal.
Not sure which permit you need? Ask us first and you get a written answer within one business day.
What we will need from you
- Company registration documents, or your identity document if you operate in your own name, and your tax compliance status PIN.
- The vehicle’s registration certificate, current licence disc and roadworthy certificate, and for a combination the trailer’s too, because the combined mass decides Class 1 or Class 2.
- For taxi, bus and tourist services, the provincial operating licence for the South African leg. The agency will not issue a passenger permit without it.
- The route: every country in which the vehicle picks up or sets down, and whether it only transits any of them.
- The driver’s professional driving permit where the agency asks for it.
- How long you need the permit and whether the first load can wait for a permanent permit to be advertised.
Frequently asked questions
Who needs a cross-border permit?
Any operator carrying goods or passengers across a South African border for reward where the vehicle or combination is over 3 500 kg. That covers trucks into SADC countries, taxis and buses on cross-border routes and tour vehicles. The permit is issued by the Cross-Border Road Transport Agency under the Cross-Border Road Transport Act 4 of 1998, and it sits alongside your domestic operating licence and the driver’s professional driving permit, not instead of them.
What does the agency charge?
Fees are per vehicle, per country and per period, and are gazetted each year. From 1 April 2026 a Class 1 freight permit under 20 000 kg costs R1 907 for 14 days, R2 867 for 3 months, R6 983 for 12 months or R9 439 for 5 years, and a taxi permit runs from R466 for 14 days to R5 981 for 5 years. Our guide has the full table. Those fees go to the agency at cost and are separate from our R1 490.
How long does it take?
Temporary 14 day permits and renewals are issued on the spot once the application is accepted. A new long term permit is advertised by the agency before it is issued, which takes weeks. If the load cannot wait, we lodge the temporary permit and the long one together.
Can you get the permit if my operating licence is not in order?
Not for passenger services. The agency wants the provincial operating licence behind a taxi, bus or tourist permit, and a freight operator needs a roadworthy vehicle with a valid licence disc and registration. We check all of it before anything is lodged, because the agency does not refund fees on refusal.
Keep exploring
- Cross-border permits guide with the full fee table
- Operating licence application, R990, for the South African leg
- Tax clearance PIN, R450, which the agency asks for
- SADC certificates of origin, if you export what you carry
This is an administrative service performed with the operator’s authority on the agency’s application system. Whether a permit is granted, and how long an advertised permit takes, is the agency’s decision and outside our control. Fees are the agency’s gazetted figures at the date of writing and change each April.