Dear Valued Client
We are writing to make you aware of a new SARS requirement that took effect on 1 July 2026, which may affect you and your family when travelling internationally.
What has changed
All travellers entering or leaving South Africa — by air, land, sea or rail — are now required to submit an online Traveller Declaration before travelling. This applies to South African citizens, residents and foreign travellers alike, and every traveller must be covered, including children and infants. A parent, legal guardian or caretaker may complete and submit the declaration on behalf of a minor, or on behalf of anyone unable to do so themselves due to age, illness or disability.
When it must be submitted
The declaration must be submitted no more than 24 hours before your departure from the country you are travelling from. Where you are travelling to South Africa on a journey with stops, it must be submitted within 24 hours before departure on the final leg directly into the country. In other words, it cannot be done well in advance — it needs to be completed in the day before you fly, sail or drive.
How to submit
Declarations are made through the SARS South African Traveller Management System (SATMS), accessible via the SARS website, the SATMS mobile app, or a QR code, with self-service kiosks available at selected ports. You will generally need your passport or travel document details, travel and contact details, details of any travelling companions, and information on any goods, currency or bearer negotiable instruments that must be declared. Note that the cross-border cash declaration threshold is now R100,000, above which currency or bearer negotiable instruments must be declared (and prior SARB authorisation obtained). Ordinary personal effects for your own use do not need to be declared, unless they exceed traveller allowances or otherwise require Customs attention.
Exemptions and exceptions
There is one full exemption: air or sea passengers who are merely transiting through South Africa and who do not leave the designated international transit area do not need to submit a declaration.
Separately, a limited paper-based exception is available in certain circumstances — for example, a SARS system failure, no internet connectivity at the port, or where a traveller has reasonable grounds for being unable to submit electronically, as well as some rail travel and remote border crossings. It is important to understand that this is not an exemption from declaring: the traveller must still declare, but may do so on the paper forms (TD-01 and TGD1) rather than online. Everyone else is expected to submit online.
A practical note
Travellers will not be refused entry or exit solely for not having completed the declaration beforehand — officials and self-service terminals can assist at ports — but SARS clearly intends for it to be completed in advance, and doing so should make your border crossing smoother. Providing false information or failing to declare where required is a contravention of customs legislation and can lead to delays, penalties or forfeiture of goods.
How we can help
We appreciate that this is an additional administrative step, often needed at short notice before travel. Our office is happy to assist you and your family members with completing and submitting these declarations, or to guide you through the process so you can manage it yourself with confidence. Please don’t hesitate to reach out ahead of any upcoming trip.
THE FULL SARS GUIDANCE IS AVAILABLE HERE:
https://www.sars.gov.za/travellerdeclaration/faqs-for-the-required-online-traveller-declarations-from-1-july-2026/
Kind regards
The Nwanda team
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