Serving international removals, relocation and shipping from the UK to South Africa. Internasionale verhuising na Suid-Afrika.
Most people who ask this question do not qualify. South Africa restricts used vehicle imports to protect its domestic motor industry, and the permits go to a narrow set of categories. Establish eligibility before you price the shipping, because the shipping is the easy part.
Two separate documents are needed and both must be in hand before the vehicle ships. An import permit from the International Trade Administration Commission, applied for on form IE462, and a Letter of Authority from the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications. Neither can be obtained retrospectively with the car already at sea.
Permits go mainly to returning South African nationals and to immigrants holding permanent residence, for vehicles registered in their own names. Other narrow categories exist, including vintage vehicles, inherited vehicles and specially designed vehicles. Commercial import for resale is not among them.
International Removals Companies is a free enquiry matching service operated by DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, company 07425576. This is a matching service, not a moving company, and it performs no removals. We pass it to one vetted mover experienced on this route, not to a list.
The ITAC import permit is applied for on form IE462, with form IE463 covering special categories such as vintage vehicles. ITAC charges no fee for the application, but eligibility must be demonstrated with supporting documents specific to your category.
The NRCS Letter of Authority confirms the vehicle meets South African safety and environmental requirements. A single vehicle uses form LoA1. A non refundable fee applies and it varies with the type and age of the vehicle.
Both must exist before shipping. A car that arrives without them is a problem measured in storage charges rather than paperwork.
Vehicles fall under SARS rebate item 407.04, supported by form DA 304A. The rebate is allowed once per family in any three year period, which catches out households planning to bring two cars.
The vehicle cannot be sold or otherwise disposed of for two years after import. That restriction is longer than the six month rule on household effects and it is enforced.
Duty, VAT at 15 per cent and any ad valorem charges are assessed by SARS on arrival for anyone outside the rebate categories. That is where an import stops making financial sense for most people.
A vehicle can travel inside a container, sometimes alongside household goods, or on a roll on roll off service. Which is available depends on the sailing and on the vehicle.
Combining the car with your household shipment is usually simpler than booking two providers, since one moving company then holds both sets of paperwork and one clearance covers the lot.
None of that matters until the permits exist. Confirm eligibility first, then price the freight.
Send your UK collection address, the South African delivery address with any access notes, and a rough inventory. One vetted network firm already running this route contacts you, surveys the move and confirms the quote. Free, with no obligation.
Get your free South Africa removals quoteHousehold effects arriving on a permanent change of residence qualify for relief from duty and VAT under rebate item 407.06 of Schedule No 4 to the Customs and Excise Act. VAT stands at 15 per cent. Motor vehicles, alcoholic drinks and tobacco are excluded and fall outside the rebate entirely.
The entry is supported by form DA 304 with form P1.160 and a specified inventory. Returning South African residents must show at least six months abroad for reasons other than touring or studying. Nothing brought in under the rebate may be sold or disposed of within six months of clearance without the duty falling due.
Source: SARS Schedule No 4 to the Customs and Excise Act 91 of 1964, published version dated 12 June 2026. Confirm current requirements at sars.gov.za before shipping.
Movers in the network carry FIDI FAIM certification, independently audited by Ernst & Young. Alongside it sit BAR Overseas, IAM, EUROMOVERS and FEDEMAC memberships. We are a Working Member of AGM Group.
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Only if you fall into one of the permitted categories, and most people do not. South Africa restricts used vehicle imports to protect its domestic motor industry. Permits go mainly to returning South African nationals and to immigrants with permanent residence, for vehicles registered in their own names. Vintage, inherited and specially designed vehicles form narrow additional categories.
An ITAC import permit on form IE462, and a Letter of Authority from the NRCS on form LoA1 for a single vehicle. Both must be held before the vehicle ships. They cannot be chased retrospectively once the car is at sea, and a vehicle arriving without them sits accruing storage charges while the position is resolved.
Yes, under SARS rebate item 407.04, supported by form DA 304A, for those who qualify. It is allowed once per family in any three year period, so a household bringing two cars will pay on the second. Outside the rebate categories, duty, VAT at 15 per cent and ad valorem charges are assessed on arrival.
Not for two years. The restriction on an imported vehicle runs considerably longer than the six month rule that applies to household effects, and it is enforced. If your plan involves importing a car and moving it on, the arithmetic does not work. Factor the two years in before you commit to shipping it.
Where the sailing allows it, combining them is usually simpler. One moving company holds both sets of paperwork, one clearance covers both, and there is one point of contact rather than two. A vehicle can also travel on a roll on roll off service. Settle the permits first though, because none of this matters until eligibility is confirmed.
DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, company 07425576, ICO ZB022743. Norman House, Saint Saviours Estate, Abbey Street, London, SE1 3DH. Founded November 2010. Working Member of AGM Group since 2010.
International Removals Companies is a free enquiry matching service and does not carry out removals. Each enquiry is connected with one vetted network firm. Certification is FIDI FAIM, audited by Ernst & Young against more than two hundred criteria, alongside BAR Overseas, IAM, EUROMOVERS and FEDEMAC.
Reviewed by Darren Benjamin, Founder, International Removals Companies. Customs and registration rules change. Confirm current requirements with SARS before you ship.