39,000 cars have already registered for South Africa’s new vehicle laws

Nearly 39,000 foreign vehicles have already been registered on the South African Revenue Service’s (SARS) new digital Traveller Declaration System.

On 1 June 2026, SARS introduced new regulations for foreign-registered vehicles, requiring owners to log their models prior to entering or leaving South Africa.

“From today, 1 June 2026, all travellers crossing South Africa’s borders must submit an online customs declaration and declare any foreign-registered vehicles they bring into the country,” the revenue service said on Monday.

“This launch of the South African Revenue Service’s (SARS) new digital Traveller Declaration System, together with stepped-up education of customs rules at every port of entry, marks a major step in modernising border controls, streamlining legitimate trade and travel, and curbing non-compliance.”

The new requirements are grounded in Section 15 of the Customs and Excise Act, 1964, which obliges travellers to declare all goods, including vehicles, when entering or leaving the country.

SARS Commissioner, Dr Johnstone Makhubu, and his senior team were on Monday on the ground at key border posts including Skilpadshek and Kopfontein Border in the North West, and Maseru Bridge and Ficksburg Bridge ports of entry in Bloemfontein to monitor implementation, support front-line officers and provide clarity to travellers as the system goes live.

The service noted that a total of 38,900 temporary import permits were issued by 31 May 2026, just before the new requirements officially came into effect.

Dr Makhubu emphasized that the new vehicle requirements are a fair and legal measure to safeguard South Africa’s borders against undeclared goods.

“The obligation to declare goods and vehicles at our borders is firmly rooted in South African law, which clearly states that everyone must declare everything they bring into or take out of the country.”

“As SARS, in collaboration with other state law enforcement agencies [we] have a duty to enforce that law consistently and fairly while making it easy for honest travellers to comply,” said the Commissioner.

He noted that even vehicles from neighbouring Southern African Customs Union (SACU) countries must be declared adding that SACU arrangements facilitate trade, but they do not remove customs control.

“A vehicle registered outside South Africa remains a foreign vehicle under our law and must be declared as such. This approach ensures equal treatment and predictability at all our borders and conforms to our strategic intent of fostering voluntary compliance,” he explained.

How the new laws work

As of 1 June 2026, all foreign-registered vehicles entering South Africa must be declared to Customs and issued with a temporary import permit (TIP).

This includes vehicles registered in SACU member states.

TIPs are valid for six months and can be used for multiple entries and exits without needing to apply for a new permit for every trip.

“There is no charge for submitting a traveller declaration or for issuing a temporary import permit. Complying with the law shouldn’t impose a financial burden; we have designed these systems to be accessible to all travellers,” said the Commissioner.

Travellers are required to submit a digital declaration of their goods (including vehicles) before travel.

This can be done via the SARS website or the SARS MobiApp on a smartphone. Applicants will then receive a personal reference number to present at the border.

The requirements were introduced to help clamp down on grey imports – an industry term referring to vehicles brought into South Africa through unauthorised channels.

These cars cost the country billions of rands per year in lost import duties, VAT, and other taxes.

They also pose a major threat to the nation’s auto industry, undermining local manufacturers and bypassing official dealership networks.

The National Automobile Dealers’ Association (NADA) estimates that roughly 50,000 illegal vehicles are added to South Africa’s roads every year despite regulations meant to limit their entry.

In 2025, grey imports cost the country an estimated R8 billion – a 110% increase from R3.8 billion in 2020.

“Over the past five years alone, half a million vehicles bearing foreign registration plates have been recorded operating locally,” NADA said.

“These figures are particularly alarming given that the official vehicle parc in South Africa totals approximately 13 million vehicles.”