If you live abroad and you’re planning a trip home, there’s an important change you need to know about before you fly. From 1 July 2026, the rules changed for anyone travelling to or from South Africa. The South African Revenue Service (SARS) announced that the Customs Online Traveller Declaration is now mandatory. All travellers crossing South Africa’s air, land, sea, and rail borders must complete the declaration.
If you’re an expat, this update matters more to you than to a first-time tourist. The duty-free allowance rules, currency declaration thresholds, and how often you visit all play a role in your experience. Here’s what’s changed and what it means for your next trip home.
Why this matters specifically for South African expats
A few parts of the new rules are worth flagging if you live outside South Africa and travel back regularly:
- The declaration applies to you, not just visitors. SARS specifically states that all travellers must submit a declaration.
- Duty-free allowances reset only once every 30 days. If you fly home several times a year to see family, this cap and the goods thresholds that trigger duty and VAT could be relevant.
- The 48-hour rule can catch short trips. If you fly in for a quick visit and stay less than 48 hours, the duty-free allowance doesn’t apply to you. Travellers returning to South Africa after being away for less than 48 hours cannot claim the general duty-free allowance.
- Cash and currency rules matter if you’re supporting family, settling an estate, or moving money. Expats sometimes handle larger sums of money due to factors like school fees, inheritances, and property payments. So, it’s important to know the currency declaration limit before you travel.
- SARS has described the new system as a “whole-of-government approach” to data integration. It aims to strengthen inter-agency risk management and improve monitoring of cross-border activity.
With that context, here’s a full breakdown of how the system works.
What is it?
The declaration is a digital system that lets travellers declare goods, including currency, before entering or leaving the country. It replaces the old paper-based declaration process with a digital one. It is now available at every South African port of entry.
The system started as a pilot in 2022 at three major airports (King Shaka International, Cape Town International, and OR Tambo International). It has since been rolled out across all ports of entry, regardless of how you’re travelling.
Read more: Let’s talk about the overseas travel allowance in South Africa
Who needs to use it?
It applies to everyone entering or leaving South Africa, including South African citizens and residents. If you’re travelling with children or infants, you’ll need to complete a declaration on their behalf too. If you’re travelling with family or friends, each person needs their own individual declaration.
Is it compulsory?
Yes, as of 1 July 2026. The system was piloted on a voluntary basis from 2022, starting at select airports before expanding to land and seaports. That pilot phase is now over. If you haven’t submitted a declaration, you won’t be turned away. SARS officials and self-service terminals will be on hand at ports to help those who haven’t submitted a declaration.
There is an exception. If you travel by air or sea and are only transiting through South Africa without leaving the designated transit area, you don’t need to complete the declaration.
How do you access it?
There are three ways to complete a traveller declaration:
- Online, via the Traveller Management System on the SARS website.
- Via the app, by downloading the South African Traveller Management System (SATMS) app from the Google, Huawei, or Apple app store.
- Via the SARS MobiApp, also available on Google, Huawei, and Apple app stores.
When must you submit it?
You must submit your online declaration no more than 24 hours before departure from the country you’re travelling from. If your trip to South Africa includes stops, submit your declaration no more than 24 hours before your final departure.
If you’re travelling by train, submit your declaration online before reaching the first or last station in South Africa. If you can’t do this due to a system failure or lack of internet, you can complete the declaration at the railway station instead.
What information do you need?
Before you start, have the following on hand:
- Passport details
- Travel details
- Contact details
- Details of any travel companions
- Entity details, if you’re travelling for business
You don’t need to declare ordinary personal effects for your own use. But you do need to declare goods, currency, or other items that exceed your traveller allowance or otherwise require customs attention.
Read more: What do I have to declare at South African customs?
A recent update: foreign-registered vehicles
There are also new rules for declaring foreign-registered vehicles. This came into effect on 1 June 2026. These vehicles must also be declared in SARS’ Traveller Management System (TMS). More information is available on SARS’s website.
Duty-free allowances
South Africa’s duty-free allowances still apply under the new system:
- Goods up to R5,000 per person can be imported without paying duty or VAT.
- Additional goods up to R20,000 may be allowed, but may attract duty and VAT.
- If the total value of your goods exceeds R25,000, normal customs duties and VAT apply.
This allowance can only be used once per person in any 30-day period. It doesn’t apply if you’re returning to South Africa after being away for less than 48 hours. Allowances are personal. They apply per traveller and can’t be combined or transferred between travellers.
Declaring cash and currency
If you’re carrying currency or bearer negotiable instruments (financial documents that can be cashed by whoever holds them, such as traveller’s cheques or bearer bank drafts) above the applicable legal threshold, you must declare them. According to the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), that threshold is R100,000, or the equivalent in foreign currency, from 1 July 2026. The system may ask for further details, such as the type of currency or instrument, the amount, its Rand value, and the source of the funds.
Travelling for business
Business travellers also need to complete a traveller declaration. When filling in the form, indicate that you’re travelling in a business capacity and provide the required travel and goods details. If you’re carrying commercial goods (items brought in or taken out for trade, sale, or business), additional customs requirements may apply. Goods may also be seen as commercial if their nature, quantity, or volume shows they’re for business use, not personal.
Read more: Leaving South Africa? Here is how to use the traveller declaration form
Temporary imports, exports, and the carnet system
Goods for temporary importation, exportation, re-importation, or re-exportation must be declared. This includes foreign-registered vehicles travelling by road. Depending on what you’re bringing in, the system may ask for item descriptions, serial numbers, and values. Customs may ask for supporting documents or additional processing at the port.
The online traveller declaration doesn’t replace the international carnet process. Vehicles travelling under a carnet will still be processed separately. This happens through the existing manual customs declaration. Therefore, they don’t need to be declared on the online platform. But if you’re the driver of a carnet vehicle and you’re carrying other goods not covered by the carnet, you still need to declare those separately.
Claiming a VAT refund
You can still claim a VAT refund under the new system. Declare the relevant goods through the traveller declaration system. Then present yourself to customs at the port for the required verification. Once that’s done, you can proceed to the VAT Refund Administrator office, where available, to finalise your claim.
Updating your declaration or using a non-designated place
If any information you submitted changes before customs processing, update your declaration.
If you plan to enter or leave South Africa at a non-designated place (one without customs), you must still submit your declaration online first.
You should state that you plan to use that location. SARS will then confirm whether you can proceed there or whether you need to report to the nearest designated port of entry or exit instead.
What if you can’t submit online, or you don’t declare at all?
If you can’t submit electronically due to a system failure, no internet access, or another valid reason, there’s an alternative. You can be assisted at the port by an officer or a self-service terminal where available. A paper declaration may still be used in these limited cases.
Declaring properly and truthfully is a legal requirement. Not declaring goods, currency, or other important items, or giving false information, can cause delays. It may also lead to the detention or loss of goods, penalties, or other actions under customs laws.
Planning a trip home?
If you’re an expat heading back to South Africa, the practical takeaway is simple: submit your declaration online within 24 hours of departure and keep your duty-free allowance and currency thresholds in mind if you’re bringing gifts or cash for family.
Check SARS’ Frequently Asked Questions page before you fly. If you get stuck, you can email SARS’s traveller declaration team at travellerescalations@sars.gov.za. Or go to a service counter or self-service kiosk at the airport.
Moving money between South Africa and your new country? FinGlobal handles international money transfers, including inheritance, death claims, tax emigration, and trust distributions for South African expats.
If you’re an expat who hasn’t formally updated your tax status with SARS, contact us. FinGlobal offers tax emigration services, as well as help accessing retirement annuities from abroad.