Driving a Lesotho or Botswana car in SA? You'll need a free SARS permit

If you drive a car registered in Lesotho, Botswana, eSwatini, Namibia or any other country into South Africa, you must declare it to SARS every time you cross and carry a Temporary Import Permit. The permit is free, lasts six months and covers as many crossings as you like in that time (SARS).

The rule has applied since 1 June 2026, but it is back in the news: nearly 2 900 motorists have signed up for a planned class action that argues SARS is misreading the law (The Citizen, via Moneyweb).

Who has to declare a foreign-registered car?

Everyone entering or leaving South Africa in a foreign-registered vehicle. SARS says there is no exemption for the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) countries, so Lesotho, Botswana, eSwatini and Namibia plates are included (SARS FAQ).

SARS says the rule is based on section 15 of the Customs and Excise Act, which requires travellers to declare all goods, vehicles included, when they enter or leave (SARS).

South African rental and leasing companies, including members of the vehicle rental association Savrala, are temporarily exempt from declaring their vehicles at the border (SARS traveller policy).

How do you declare it?

You can declare before you reach the border, which SARS says makes the crossing faster (SARS FAQ). The options are:

• the Customs Online Traveller Declaration page on the SARS website
• the free SATMS (South African Traveller Management System) app on Google, Apple or Huawei stores
• the SARS MobiApp, if you are a registered eFiling user
• a QR code on banners and pamphlets at ports of entry

You will need your passport or travel document, driver details, how long you plan to stay, the registration number, the country of registration and the VIN. After pre-declaring you get a reference number to show at the border (SARS).

If you can't do it online, SARS officials, service counters and self-service kiosks at the border will help. At smaller border posts without SARS staff, Border Management Authority officers handle it, but SARS says the electronic declaration is still required there (SARS FAQ).

What documents should be in the car?

Source: SARS FAQ and SARS traveller policy. Customs can also ask for a refundable cash deposit on expensive goods until they leave the country again (SARS traveller policy).

How long is the permit valid and what does it cost?

Six months, and it costs nothing. Commissioner Johnstone Makhubu said: "There is no charge for submitting a traveller declaration or for issuing a temporary import permit" (SARS).

The same permit works for repeat trips for work, study, business or medical care, as long as you renew it before it expires (SARS). SARS had issued more than 38 900 permits by 31 May 2026, the day before the rule kicked in (SARS).

What happens if you don't declare?

SARS says you could face delays, an inspection or enforcement action under the Customs and Excise Act (SARS FAQ). Makhubu warned that owners who don't declare, or give false or incomplete information, "expose themselves to enforcement consequences" (SARS).

What about foreign cars that never leave South Africa?

They are not covered yet. The first phase only deals with vehicles crossing the border. Foreign-registered cars that were already in the country before 1 June 2026 and aren't being used for travel will be dealt with in a later phase, and SARS says it will give details when that starts (SARS FAQ).

What is the class action about?

MC Radebe Attorneys is organising the case for a group called Lesotho Import Cars Warriors, which has 2 888 members, according to attorney Mkhosi Radebe (The Citizen, via Moneyweb). Many of the cars involved are second-hand imports, mostly from Japan, shipped through Durban to Lesotho, where duties are paid.

Radebe argues that article 19 of the SACU agreement generally bars further duties when goods move between member states, so making SACU-registered cars get import permits creates an unlawful two-tier system (The Citizen, via Moneyweb).

SARS disagrees. It says the SACU agreement covers commercial goods, not second-hand vehicles driven by travellers (SARS FAQ), and told Moneyweb that South African residents may not unlawfully use cars registered and owned in another country on local roads (The Citizen, via Moneyweb). No court has ruled on the class action, so the declaration rule still applies.

Where can you get help?

Call the SARS Contact Centre on 0800 00 7277 (weekdays 08:00 to 16:00, Wednesdays 09:00 to 16:00), use the Contact Us page on the SARS website, or ask Lwazi, the SARS virtual assistant. At the border, ask SARS officials or BMA officers (SARS FAQ).