Import to South Africa from the UK

South African Customs Information

Sending goods from the UK to South Africa will entail customs clearance by the South African customs authority. Most of our shipments are sent DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid) meaning that any associated taxes and duties must be paid by the receiver. In order to ensure the quickest customs clearance possible, you must accompany all shipments with four copies of a customs invoice. We encourage all customers to make this as detailed as possible. Shipping with us means you can opt to enter the details about the contents and value of your parcel into our system during the booking process so that we can automatically create a customs invoice for you. Alternatively, if you would prefer to produce your own customs invoices, you are welcome to do so.

It’s also important that you ensure you send no items that are hazardous, dangerous or prohibited and that you comply with the restrictions of the South African Revenue Service which you can read about here.

Importing documents to South Africa

If you’d like to import documents to South Africa then our UPS Envelope service is speedy, reliable and cost-effective. You can save up to 50% on the equivalent parcel delivery rates to South Africa with this service. In order to qualify, your documents must be placed into a branded UPS envelope which measures approximately 325x240mm and which we can send out to your collection point in advance. To get a quote, or to find out more, please click here.

Transit Times to South Africa

Transit times to South Africa depend on multiple factors including the service and carrier you select and the precise location of your collection and delivery addresses. Generally speaking, you can typically expect a two day transit time to Pretoria or three day transit time to Durban on a DHL Express Worldwide service, and deliveries to more remote areas, and economy rather than express servies, tend to take more time. You can calculate an estimated transit time for your import by entering your collection and delivery address details into the carrier-specific transit time calculator tools on our Transit Times page. Don’t forget that transit times are not inclusive of local holidays or the time taken for your goods to clear customs.

Send a parcel from South Africa to the UK

As well as discounted parcel delivery services from the UK to South Africa, we also offer competitive prices for parcel deliveries from South Africa to the UK. Please click here for more information or to get a quote, enter your parcel details into the quote form above. Don't forget to indicate that your delivery is from South Africa to the UK and not the other way around!

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