Prohibited goods

The moment you enter South Africa, customs officials will be nearby and ready to inspect your luggage. If you are not certain as to what to do when you cross paths with them, don’t worry, our customs guide will help put you at ease.

Note: This information serves as a guide only. It remains subject to change without notice. If you are in any doubt as to whether the goods you intend to bring into South Africa are restricted, contact your nearest South African embassy.

Travellers with goods to declare must complete a Traveller Card and make a verbal declaration of their goods to a Customs Officer, who will then generate a Traveller Declaration.

Baggage may be examined by Customs officers to detect dutiable, restricted or prohibited goods and you may be questioned. Should travellers be found to be carrying undeclared, restricted or prohibited goods they could be fined or face prosecution.

 

Prohibited and restricted goods (A full list of Prohibited and Restricted goods is available on the SARS website)

It is illegal to bring in the following prohibited goods to South Africa:

Narcotics

Firearms, weapons and ammunition

Poison and other toxic substances

Cigarettes with a mass of more than 2kg per 1 000

Counterfeit goods: goods which contain unlawful copies of trademarks or trade descriptions.

Copyright breaches: unlawful reproductions of copyrighted works.

Prison-made goods: anything produced or manufactured in prison.

 

Goods you have to declare

Certain goods may only be imported if you are in possession of the necessary authority/permit and these have to be declared on arrival. These include:

Currency: South African bank notes in excess of R25 000, gold coins, coin and stamp collections and unprocessed gold.

Endangered plants and animals

Food, plants, animals and biological goods

Medicines: Travellers are allowed to bring in no more than three months’ supply of pharmaceutical drugs and medicines for their personal use. All other pharmaceutical drugs and medicines have to be declared and have to be accompanied by a letter or certified prescription from a registered physician.
 

Duty-free Limits

You can bring the following maximum amounts of each specific item into South Africa without paying customs duty or VAT (Value Added Tax):

Cigarettes: 200 per person

Cigars: 20 per person

Rolling or pipe tobacco: 250g per person

Perfume: 50ml per person

Eau de toilette: 250ml per person

Wine: 2 litres per person

Spirits and other alcoholic drinks: 1 litre in total per person

If the above limits exceeded, visitors are required to pay customs duty and VAT on the extra goods.

 

Counterfeit goods  

The following actions or goods are prohibited and will be included in ascertaining whether actions/goods are complying with the requirements contemplated in the Counterfeit Goods Act, 1997 or not: 

Being in possession of or having control over counterfeit goods for the purpose of dealing therein;

Manufacturing, producing or making of counterfeit goods, including the keeping, storing or packing thereof, other than for private and domestic use;

Counterfeit goods being exposed for sale or being sold, hired out, bartered or exchanged;

Counterfeit goods being exhibited in public for purposes of trade;

Counterfeit goods being distributed for trade or other purposes;

Counterfeit goods being imported into or through or exported from South Africa; or

The act of dealing in counterfeit or suspected counterfeit goods.

 

Travellers in transit – Travellers in transit to countries outside the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland, who have been booked from an airport outside the common customs area, will not be required to comply with Customs formalities in South Africa.

Travellers arriving in South Africa and taking a connecting flight to another SACU member country will be required to complete all Customs formalities upon arrival. Baggage belonging to passengers in transit will automatically be transferred from the international flight at the airport of transit in South Africa.

These passengers may not leave the transit area of the airport between flights. Should you travel to your final destination by road, Customs formalities must be complied with at the port of arrival in South Africa.

 

Refund of tax on visitors’ purchases – VAT at a rate of 15% is levied on the purchase of most goods in South Africa. Tourists and foreign visitors to South Africa may apply for a refund of the VAT paid at departure points.

The tax invoices for the purchases and the goods must be presented for inspection to the VAT Refund Administrator. No refund will be made if the claim is not lodged before departure.