South Africans planning a road trip to a neighbouring country this spring should know a rule change already reshaping air travel now applies to land border crossings too. This includes neighbouring countries such as Mozambique, Lesotho and Eswatini.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LAND TRAVEL
South African Revenue Service’s Traveller Management System (TMS) requires every traveller (South African citizens, residents and foreign visitors alike) to declare goods, currency, and any customs-relevant items before arriving at a port of entry or exit. This replaces the old paper customs forms travellers used to fill out on arrival. This also applies across air, land, sea and rail crossings.
A common misconception is that neighbouring Southern African Customs Union (SACU) countries are exempt from this. However, the rule applies to all foreign-registered vehicles and travellers. The countries in the SACU include:
How and when to declare
Travellers need to complete their declaration up to 24 hours before departure. This can be done through the SARS website portal or the South African Traveller Management System (SATMS) mobile app. For those driving foreign-registered vehicles into South Africa, a compliant declaration results in a free digital Temporary Import Permit. This is valid for up to six months across multiple entries and exits. Parents or guardians can submit declarations on behalf of children travelling with them.
WHO IS EXEMPT?
The only real exemption applies to air or sea passengers who are simply transiting through South Africa without leaving the designated transit area at the airport or port. However, anyone actually crossing a land border, in either direction, needs to declare.
South Africa’s FICA regulations still require travellers carrying more than R100 000 in cash or negotiable instruments across any land or sea border to make a specific currency declaration.
For South Africans heading to Mozambique’s beaches, Eswatini’s cultural sites, or Lesotho’s mountain kingdom over the coming holidays, the system is designed to speed up processing once you reach the border post. This only works if the declaration has already been submitted beforehand. Arriving without one risks delays at what are often already busy border crossings during peak travel periods.
Travellers unsure how the declaration applies to their specific route are encouraged to check the SARS website directly before departure.
President Cyril Ramaphosa and Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber launched the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system at OR Tambo International Airport.
