Import and export codes
Set up the SARS customs registration your business needs before goods start moving. We prepare the application, organise the supporting documents and handle the SARS query process through to the code confirmation.
Import and export codes costs R1 990 at ProperSA. That is our fixed service fee; government and authority fees are charged at cost on top. If you give us everything we ask for and we still fail to deliver what this page promises, we refund our fee; a refusal by the authority is not refundable.
The application, the documents and the handover.
You are not just handed a form. We prepare a file that makes the next conversation with SARS or your clearing agent easier.
Right code confirmed
Importer, exporter or both, based on how you trade.
RLA application prepared
Registration, Licensing and Accreditation submission set up on eFiling.
Supporting file organised
Proofs, resolutions and ID documents checked before submission.
SARS queries handled
We work through the normal query cycle while the application is open.
Code confirmation saved
Your confirmation is ready to share with a clearing agent.
First shipment notes
Plain guidance on clearing agents, tariff codes and import VAT.
Start the registration before the shipment becomes urgent.
Order and complete your details
Use the online form to give us the company, director and trade details needed for the file.
We prepare and submit
We prepare the RLA application and supporting documents, then handle ordinary SARS questions.
Keep the confirmation ready
The customs code confirmation and first-shipment notes are placed in your client portal.
This service is SARS customs registration, not an International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) permit or customs clearance. If your goods need a permit, National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) approval or help with a customs stop, we tell you what that separate step involves.
Start my customs registrationWhat SARS will ask for
Customs registration is free at SARS. The work is assembling a file that survives verification, because an incomplete application sits in a queue rather than being refused, which is worse.
- A registered representative already active on eFiling for the entity. Nothing proceeds until SARS recognises someone as authorised to act.
- Your company registration documents and income tax number.
- A South African bank account in the exact name of the entity, with a bank certified statement or a letter on the bank’s letterhead. SARS verifies this and a mismatch fails silently.
- Proof of the physical business address, no older than three months, plus the GPS coordinates and a photo of the front of the premises. A postal address will not do; customs registration is tied to physical premises.
- Identity documents for directors, members or the sole proprietor.
- A clear description of what you will import or export, and roughly what volumes. Vagueness invites questions.
Know which registration you need. An importer or exporter code is not the same as a customs clearing agent registration, and a business that only occasionally brings goods in may be better served by a courier’s clearance than by registering at all. Registering for something you do not need creates filing duties you then have to keep up.
What we will need from you
SARS registers customs clients through Registration, Licensing and Accreditation (RLA) on eFiling. The electronic form is the DA 185 with its importer annexure 4A1 or exporter annexure 4A2, and the supporting documents are set out in SARS policy SC-CF-19 and its annexure SC-CF-19-A01 (revision of 21 September 2026). Every upload must be a PDF, certified where the rules ask for it, and uploaded within seven calendar days of submitting the application or SARS deletes the application and you start again.
- A South African bank account in the exact name of the businessSARS states that the applicant must provide a valid South African bank account. Proof is a bank certified original bank statement, a legible bank certified copy of one, or an original letter on the bank’s letterhead with the account and branch details. A printout from your banking app does not satisfy this. No account yet means no customs registration yet.
- Proof of your physical business addressA municipal account, a fixed line telephone account or a cellphone account confirming the address, not older than three months. If the account is not in the business’s name, SARS wants a commissioned affidavit explaining why. A postal address will not do.
- The GPS coordinates and a photo of the front of the premisesSARS asks for the latitude and longitude of the physical address and a photograph of the front of the premises, in JPG or PNG, at most 10 files of 5 MB each. We take the coordinates from the address you give us; you send us the photo.
- A certified copy of your CIPC registration documentsOr the founding documents of a close corporation, trust or partnership.
- Certified copies of identity documentsFor the directors, members or the sole proprietor, and for the authorised officer below.
- An authorised officer and a letter of authority or board resolutionA company must name an authorised officer with their name, identity or passport number, designation and citizenship. The letter of authority or resolution is what lets that officer, or us on your behalf, sign and submit the application.
- Your income tax reference number and a registered representative active on eFilingThe business must already be registered as a taxpayer with a registered representative recorded at SARS. That representative grants us shared access on eFiling by invitation; nobody sends us a password.
- What you will actually be moving, and how oftenThis decides whether you need an importer code, an exporter code, both, or in fact neither. A private individual bringing in goods worth less than R150 000 in a calendar year is exempt from registering.
If the applicant is a foreign entity with no established place of business in South Africa, SARS also wants a certified copy of the certificate of incorporation issued under the laws of the country where it is incorporated, and the entity must nominate a registered agent in South Africa on the DA 185.D before the registration can be approved. That agent carries full liability for the foreign principal’s dealings with customs. A South African company owned from abroad does not need an agent.
SARS charges no fee for this registration. Our R1 990 is the whole cost to you.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get an import permit in South Africa?
Most goods only need the SARS customs importer code, which this service covers. Some categories (used goods, certain foods, medicines) also need an ITAC import permit; we tell you during the questionnaire if your goods fall in one and what that extra step involves.
How much does an import export licence cost in South Africa?
SARS charges nothing for the customs client code; our fixed R1 990 covers preparing the application properly and handling SARS queries to approval. Watch out for sites charging thousands for "licences" that are just this free registration.
How long does a SARS customs code take?
SARS commits to finalising a customs registration within fifteen working days of a complete application, and simple applications often clear sooner. Missing or uncertified supporting documents are the main cause of long delays, which is exactly the part we control for you.
Can I import once off without a customs code?
A private individual who imports or exports goods with a total declared value under R150 000 in a calendar year is exempt from registering and can clear on their identity number, and low value courier imports are cleared by the courier. Anything commercial, repeated or above that value needs your own code; clearing agents will insist on it.
Do I need to be VAT registered to import?
No, but you pay import VAT either way and can only claim it back if you are VAT registered. Regular importers usually register for VAT voluntarily once volumes justify it.
Keep exploring
SARS customs registration itself carries no government fee (checked August 2026); ITAC permits, where applicable to your goods, are a separate process.