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SARS, ITAC, NRCS, ICASA, SAHPRA
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Yes—after we review the shipment. South Africa’s customs system does not use “IOR service” as one special licence on its own. What matters is who is named as the importer, who files the goods declaration, and whether a foreign importer needs a South African registered agent. One Union Solutions does the IOR service role itself through its own country setup, and handles the customs and regulatory path for shipments we accept. Before the goods leave, we must check the exact models, condition, ownership, value, origin, end use, parties and destination against SARS registration, ITAC controls, ICASA type approval, NRCS compulsory specifications, SAHPRA licensing and any EPR duties.
Sources: SARS importer registration · SARS registered agent
Send only the minimum information needed to identify the importer path and product risks. After qualification, One Union Solutions will ask for model-level and commercial documents through a secure second stage. Sensitive files move to that secure second stage after qualification—do not send them in the first request. After qualification, One Union Solutions should give you a secure, authenticated upload link.
Use this for the first request. Include the seller/exporter, buyer, consignee and end user; broad product category and a short description of what it does; new, used, refurbished, repaired, demo, loan or return status; origin country, dispatch country and South African destination; Incoterm, target date and approximate shipment value band; and intended use — sale, internal use, trial, replacement, repair or re-export. Exact models and functions, value basis, and any existing ICASA, NRCS, ITAC or SAHPRA proof also help at this stage where available.
Use this after qualification, through a secure upload link. Include model/SKU and serial lists, datasheets and photographs; radio bands, power, antenna, firmware and battery details; commercial invoice, packing list, transport and valuation proof; country-of-origin proof and preferential-origin documents; existing ICASA, NRCS, ITAC, SAHPRA or other certificates/permits; and end-use, end-user, controlled-goods and sanctions information.
You receive an initial decision on whether we can support the shipment; a list of missing product and transaction proof; a proposed South Africa customs/regulator path; and quote assumptions and known exclusions. Requesting an assessment does not create any promise of clearance, approval, timing, cost, or tax recovery.
These are planning rules, not blanket approvals for every shipment. Each source link opens the South African authority in charge. What follows shows the official position and what you must decide before the goods leave. There is no safe one-size answer for every IT product: ICASA scope depends on communications or radio functions and current authorisation rules, and NRCS scope depends on the exact electrical/electronic product, power details and compulsory specification. Each model and setup must be checked.
Use this when you need to decide who will act as importer. A local or foreign importer must register with SARS. A foreign importer must name a South African registered agent before registration. That path is not the same as appointing a freight forwarder or clearing agent. Decide before you book freight whether One Union’s Solutions South Africa setup should import directly, or whether another allowed path is better. Incoterms or an invoice label do not create importer registration. Official source
Use this when the importer is a foreign person or company. The registered agent is based in South Africa, takes on the named duties and liability, and is not the same as a clearing agent. Do not assume the broker, forwarder, consignee or DDP seller automatically covers the importer or agent role. Official source
Use this when you are preparing the SARS goods entry. The importer or its properly registered/licensed representative files a SARS goods declaration. SAD 500 is still a core declaration form. Lock the invoice, classification, value, origin, permits and parties before the declaration is prepared. Generic descriptions such as “IT equipment,” “spares” or “sample” can be too weak for tariff, valuation and regulator decisions—use model-level descriptions of what the product does. Official source
Use this when you need duty planning. Duty depends on tariff classification, customs value, origin and any trade-remedy or rebate rules. You need a model description and the commercial setup. A generic “IT duty rate” is not safe to rely on. Official source
Use this when you are budgeting tax at import. The standard rate is 15%. The standard formula is [(customs value + 10%) + non-rebated duties] × 15%, with a qualifying BLNS-origin exception to the 10% uplift. Plan for import VAT on its own. Do not apply 15% to invoice value only, and do not assume you will get it back automatically. This is a budgeting formula, not a promise that input tax will be recovered. Official source
Use this when goods are used, refurbished, repaired, demo, loan or returned. Used and second-hand goods are usually controlled by ITAC, with only limited exceptions. Flag these units early. Warranty, loan, demo and “not for resale” wording do not settle the permit question. Condition, tariff classification and specific permit controls must be checked. Used status must not be hidden in “warranty replacement” wording. Official source
Use this for Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth, satellite or other RF equipment. Equipment in ICASA’s scope may need type approval or another authorisation path. The certificate applicant must be a South African registered company. Check every radio interface, frequency, power, embedded module and existing approval before the goods leave. A module certificate does not always cover the finished host, antennas, firmware or configuration—check the exact marketed/imported model. Official source
Use this for mains-powered electrical or electronic products. Some products may fall under an NRCS compulsory specification and LOA process. Check the exact model, voltage, power supply, intended use and existing approval. An LOA is not an SABS Mark, and an NRCS Letter of Authority is not permission to market the product as carrying the SABS or NRCS mark. Official source
Use this when hardware has a medical purpose, IVD function, or regulated accessory. Importing or distributing medical devices can need a SAHPRA establishment licence and product-specific review. Decide the intended medical purpose and device class before treating the hardware as normal IT equipment. Official source
Use this when electrical or electronic goods are placed on the South African market. Importers who place listed equipment on the market may have EPR producer duties. Decide if the deal is a market placement, internal use, return, temporary admission or something else. Official source
A common mistake in South Africa is treating the freight forwarder, consignee or DDP seller as the importer by default. SARS keeps importer registration, registered-agent liability and clearing-agent filing as separate roles. A company can hold more than one role only when it is separately allowed and appointed for each role.
Use this as the client-side checklist. Give full and truthful product, party, value, origin, ownership, end-use and transaction data; hold export-side licences; approve commercial terms; do not ship before written ship approval.
Use this section to see where One Union Solutions sits in the South Africa role map, and what decisions remain with the authorities.
For a shipment we accept, One Union’s Solutions own South Africa setup is checked and appointed for the direct IOR service role. One Union Solutions assesses and provides that role, maps required customs and regulator actions, and coordinates declarations, duties/taxes and records within the accepted scope. A licensed clearing agent may prepare and file the declaration under instruction, but the broker is not treated as the legal importer just because it files the entry. Local entity names and addresses are not published on this page on purpose.
SARS, ITAC, ICASA, NRCS, SAHPRA and DFFE keep decision power over registration, inspection, permits, approvals, valuation, classification and release. SARS can verify, inspect, hold, reclassify, revalue or ask for proof. ITAC, ICASA, NRCS, SAHPRA and DFFE control their permits, approvals, licences and environmental duties. One Union Solutions can prepare and coordinate an accepted path; it cannot guarantee an authority decision or a release time.
This service helps most when the commercial receiver cannot safely act as importer, the equipment has model-level regulator triggers, or the customs path must protect a return, repair or temporary-use outcome. Product names alone are not enough. A server with an external power supply, a router with multiple radios, a medical workstation and a refurbished spare can follow different South African approval paths.
Regulator references: ICASA ·NRCS – Compulsory Specifications · ITAC · SAHPRA · DFFE EPR
Every step ends with a clear, checkable result. Freight should not move while a key role, permit, model approval, value, or procedure is still open. Five decisions must be settled before cargo moves: who is the importer; what is the procedure; which approvals apply; what goes on the declaration (tariff, origin, customs value, parties, permits, quantities and serial-level proof); and whether there is a written yes/no to ship once the path, documents, approvals and tax assumptions all match. One “IOR service” is not enough until the customs procedure matches what will happen to the goods after entry.
Use this first. The client provides shipment purpose, ownership, sale/lease/loan/return, Incoterm and end use. One Union Solutions identifies the permanent, bonded, temporary, inward/outward-processing or re-import path. The main risk is choosing a sales clearance or ordinary home-use entry for a temporary/demo or repair movement. Choose the path before the goods leave and keep serial-level proof. The output before dispatch is the path decision and any open conditions.
SARS import routes · SARS ATA policy · SARS outward processing guide · ICASA provisional approval
Use these checks before cargo is booked. Each check must end with a clear result.
Use this for the final gate before dispatch, and for what happens after the goods move.
Duty and VAT depend on the exact shipment. Do not treat them as fixed percentages.
This page uses national customs, tax and regulator sources first. Competitor pages are used only to understand what people search for and which customer decisions are missing—never as legal proof.
Prepared by: One Union Solutions Trade Compliance Editorial Team. Reviewed by: Wahid Azeem, Trade Compliance Manager. Official sources checked: 5 August 2026. Corrections: info@oneunionsolutions.com Review cycle: critical importer/tax/control claims every quarter and when something changes; product approvals every quarter or every six months; stable explanations once a year.
SARS — Importers · SARS — Registered Agent · SARS — Clearing Agents · SARS — Goods Declaration · SARS — Duties and Taxes for Importers · SARS — Valuation · ITAC — Import Control · ICASA — Type Approval · NRCS — VC 8055 · SAHPRA — Medical Devices · DFFE — EEE EPR Scheme · SARS — ATA Carnet
This page gives general import-planning information and describes One Union Solutions commercial assessment process. It is not legal, customs or tax advice. The law, tariff schedules, regulator decisions and shipment facts control. Get specialist advice where you need it.
Some of your burning questions answered.
A foreign person can register with SARS as an importer, but SARS says a foreign importer must name a registered agent based in South Africa before registration. That path is not the same as appointing a freight forwarder or clearing agent. One Union Solutions checks whether its own South Africa setup should act as importer for the deal, or whether another allowed setup is a better fit.
A South African IOR service can streamline the import process and make sure you’re in compliance. Plus, it saves you time and money by minimizing delays and penalties at customs. Businesses can read reviews, conduct online research and contact trade associations or industry associations to find a reputable IOR. One Union Solutions will help you to make your import process effortlessly and smoothly.
No. A licensed clearing agent prepares and files declarations. The importer and, for a foreign principal, the registered agent have different legal duties. A company can hold more than one role only when it is separately allowed and appointed for each role.
The standard rate is 15%. SARS publishes the formula as [(customs value + 10%) + non-rebated duties] × 15%. The 10% uplift does not apply where the required origin conditions for Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia or Eswatini are met. This is a budgeting formula, not a promise that input tax will be recovered.
ITAC says used and second-hand goods are usually under import control, with limited exceptions. Warranty, loan, demo and “not for resale” wording do not settle the permit question. The condition, tariff classification and specific permit controls must be checked.
There is no safe one-size answer. ICASA scope depends on communications or radio functions and current authorisation rules. NRCS scope depends on the exact electrical/electronic product, power details and compulsory specification. Each model and setup must be checked.
Possibly. Qualifying professional equipment, samples and exhibition items may use an ATA or another temporary-admission path, and ICASA has a provisional approval path for non-commercial trial, demonstration, research or testing. Goods for sale or repair do not automatically qualify for the same path.
Start with the seller/exporter, buyer, consignee and end user; exact models and functions; new/used/repair status; origin and dispatch country; destination and use; Incoterm; target date; value basis; and any existing ICASA, NRCS, ITAC or SAHPRA proof. Sensitive files move to a secure second stage after qualification.
