Moving to South Africa: Customs and Household Goods

Moving to South Africa customs rules start with SARS rebate item 407.06: no duty or VAT on household goods if you have been out of the country for six months or longer.

UKSouth Africa

A few short questions. Nothing is sent until you check and confirm.

Do you pay duty on household goods when you move to South Africa?

Not if the SARS condition is met. The South African Revenue Service says goods “may be imported into the RSA without the payment of customs duty and VAT in terms of rebate item 407.06 of Schedule No. 4 to the Customs and Excise Act”, and then states the test: “provided that you have been out of the Republic of South Africa for a period of 6 months or longer”.

That test is about your absence, not about your arrival. A South African who has been abroad for six months or more fits it; the page names no other relief, so someone who has lived in the country recently should not assume the rebate covers them. Whether a foreign national moving in for the first time fits is not addressed in the answer we read, and that question is open.

Which documents does SARS list?

The FAQ names four. An inventory of the goods comes first, then Form P1.160, headed “Declaration in respect of unaccompanied manifested household effects”, then Form DA 304 for item 407.06, and SAD 500, the customs declaration form.

Inventory of the goods, listing what you ship.
Form P1.160: unaccompanied manifested household effects.
Form DA 304: the claim under rebate item 407.06.
SAD 500: the customs declaration.

A removal firm usually prepares the inventory and files the declaration, so ask which party does what. We did not read the forms themselves. The SARS answer is marked last updated 25 February 2021, so check that it is still current.

What must travellers declare apart from the goods?

GOV.UK says “There are strict rules about goods you can take into or out of South Africa” and that you must “declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty”. Separately, GOV.UK lists an online traveller declaration that each person must file before they travel, starting on 1 July 2026, whether they cross by air, land, sea or rail.

Cash above 25,000 rand per person must be declared on arrival, as the UK to South Africa guide explains. The goods rebate and the traveller declaration are separate steps, so one does not replace the other.

Where do the goods clear?

At the port or inland dry port where the container is released. The Durban page covers the busiest container port, and the Johannesburg page covers the City Deep dry port. Cars are different: they need an import permit, and the car guide sets out the steps.

What could we not read?

The SARS pages for rebate item 407.06 itself, the forms and the full wording of Schedule 4 were not available to us, and the FAQ answer carries a 2021 date. The vehicle rebate was not read either. So this page lists what SARS names and does not state limits, value caps or time windows. Our UK customs documentation checklist covers the British end of the paperwork, and the South Africa hub lists every guide.

Sources

FAQ: I want to import my personal effects and / or household goods, South African Revenue Service (opens in a new window) (read 5 November 2026)
South Africa travel advice: entry requirements, GOV.UK (opens in a new window) (read 5 November 2026)

Facts checked: 5 November 2026. Every page listed below was fetched by script that day and each quotation was matched word for word against the saved text. The SARS pages for item 407.06, the forms and the vehicle rebate could not be read, and the FAQ is dated 2021. Populations are the Census 2022 results of Statistics South Africa for the municipality, not for the built-up city alone. Rand amounts are South African rand. Fees, forms and lead times change, so check the city, the revenue service or the agency before you act.

How this page was made: We drafted this page with the help of AI tools, working from the official sources listed, and checked the figures and rules against the official pages named in the sources box, noting the date we read each. The customs facts come from the SARS FAQ and the GOV.UK travel advice, fetched on 5 November 2026 and matched in code. The SARS page for the rebate item and the forms could not be read.

Questions about customs when moving to South Africa

Do I pay duty on household goods moving to South Africa?

SARS says goods may enter without customs duty and VAT under rebate item 407.06 if you have been out of South Africa for six months or longer.

Which forms does SARS list for personal effects?

An inventory of the goods, Form P1.160, Form DA 304 and the SAD 500 customs declaration.

We did not read the forms themselves.

Is the SARS answer up to date?

The FAQ shows a last-updated date of 25 February 2021, so check the current SARS page before you ship.

Tell us about the shipment

Give the South African port or town, what you are shipping, how long you were abroad and the month you plan to move.

Send your move details

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