SARS Traveller Declaration and Duty-Free Allowance
Since 1 July 2026, everyone entering or leaving South Africa must complete a SARS traveller declaration, children included. Here’s when and how, and what you can bring back duty-free.
The declaration in short
- Who: everyone, by air, road, sea or rail. Parents declare for children. Only travellers staying in an airport transit area are exempt.
- When: no more than 24 hours before you leave the country you’re travelling from.
- Where: online, on the SATMS app, by scanning the QR code at the border, or at a kiosk.
This opens SARS’s official site (tools.sars.gov.za). Keep the confirmation on your phone or printed.
When can I declare?
Use the time you leave the country you’re travelling from.
Choose your departure date.
Duty-free calculator
Enter the value of new or used goods each person is bringing back (not counting alcohol, tobacco and perfume within the allowances below). Each person, including each child, has their own R5 000.
Coming from Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia or Eswatini? Different allowances apply: check with SARS. Values are what you paid, in rand. Customs decides the final amount.
Alcohol, tobacco and perfume allowances
Per person. People under 18 can’t claim alcohol or tobacco.
- Wine2 litres
- Spirits and other alcohol1 litre in total
- Cigarettes200
- Cigars20
- Cigarette or pipe tobacco250 g
- Perfume50 ml
- Eau de toilette250 ml
Travelling with children? See the documents checklist for children, including a consent affidavit you can print.
A guide to help you plan, not official advice. SARS Customs makes the final decision. Figures last checked against official sources on .
How it works
Declaration rules come from SARS’s FAQs on online traveller declarations from 1 July 2026. Allowances come from the SARS Duty free allowances for travellers guide (revision 8, effective 1 July 2026).
Each person can bring R5 000 of new or used goods free of duty and VAT, once every 30 days, after being away for at least 48 hours. The next R20 000 can be charged a flat 20% instead of duty and VAT. Anything above R25 000 pays the normal duty for that item plus VAT, which this calculator can’t work out because duty rates differ by item.
Figures last checked against official sources on .
Questions
Do children need a SARS traveller declaration?
Yes. Since 1 July 2026, everyone entering or leaving South Africa must be covered by a declaration, including babies and children. A parent, guardian or caregiver completes it for them.
When can I submit it?
No more than 24 hours before you leave the country you’re travelling from. If your trip has stops, it’s 24 hours before the last leg to South Africa. Keep the confirmation on your phone or print it.
What if I don’t have internet or forget?
You won’t be refused entry or departure just because you didn’t declare beforehand. Customs officers and self-service kiosks can help at the border, and paper forms are used when the system or internet is down. Declaring before you travel is quicker.
Can my family combine our duty-free allowances?
No. Each person, including each child, has their own R5 000 allowance for goods for their own use, and allowances can’t be combined or moved between people. Children can’t claim the alcohol or tobacco allowances.
How much cash can I take out of South Africa?
Up to R100 000 in rand or foreign currency without prior approval. Larger amounts must be declared, and SARS may ask where the money came from.
How do I avoid paying duty on my own laptop or camera?
Register valuable items you take with you before you leave, with Customs on SARS’s Traveller Goods Declaration (TGD1). Show it when you come home as proof the items left South Africa with you.