Sending a Car to South Africa from UK

Your car is going to reach its destination in the lowest possible rates

Sending your car to South Africa from UK is going to be a smooth experience with us. Whenever you are ready to send your car to South Africa we are going to provide a flawless experience. With our professional team and best shipping agents, the journey is going to be safe and secure for your car.

We cover many ports in South Africa and our regular service provides you with the chance to send your car whenever you want. We offer many reliable services that can fit your requirement. When your car is travelling with us we make sure that it arrives in undamaged condition and on time.

What is the complete procedure?

Whenever you decide to send your car to South Africa our experts are there to guide you through the whole process. It starts by either you drop your car or we pick it for you. Either way there are some documents that has to be completed without which the process cannot move forward. For the information of what is needed and how to obtain them our experts are there to help. You can choose either sea freight or air freight. Within these there are also choices that can help you out to spend less and avail more. Rates differ and there is also a difference in how your car is going to travel. At the ports our agents can collect it for you or you can pick it up yourself. Either way we take care of your car as it is our responsibility as long as it is with us. We can drop it at your door step with our door to door service. There is also door to port, port to port and port to door services which are offered. If confused, you can always contact us for more information.

Prior arrangements are necessary

Before sending your car do get these important documents before booking with us. These are 

important so that the procedure can flow smoothly and there is no delay at any step.First of all, an ITAC import permit and a Letter of Authority are needed. Without this letter, the clearance of your vehicle will not be completed and it has to wait at the port until the authority sees these two documents. Letter of Authority can be obtained in 5-6 days of applying to the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications. For the application the IE462 form is to be completed and the formalities needed to complete it differ for Immigrants and returning South African residents. One major condition for Import Permit is that the immigrants, as well as the residents, must prove that they have permanent residency in South Africa. Import permit form can be downloaded from

www.itac.org.za

Other documents that are needed in this regard are:

• Copy of the photo page of your passport
• Copy of vehicle license document (V5)
• And the copy of above mentioned two documents.

After your car arrives in South Africa some other formalities are to be completed. The Bill of Lading which is given to the owner after the export process from UK has started is re-confirmed. Along with this the address and other details are also confirmed again. The agents at South Africa are going to arrange for the local transportation of your car to deliver it to the given address. The import/customer clearance formalities are also managed by them. The registration process of your car will also start right after the arrival. The form ALV has to be filled for registration purpose. The duty and tax should also be paid before getting a registration. The car should also pass road worthiness test before getting the registration.

Shipping options

We offer different services for our clients to make their choice easier and affordable. Sea and air freight is offered for sending your car to South Africa from UK. In both the cases our services are going to be outstanding. Safe, secured and unharmed arrival of your vehicle is our main concern. We keep your vehicle as it is before with us at any cost.

Air Freight

When you are in hurry and need your car to be delivered to South Africa then air freight service is going to be the best. Also when an expensive car is going to be transferred then air freight is used. The reason is that air freight can provide highest level of protection possible as compared to sea freight. To secure your car on an airplane there are fabric pallets used so that the car remains in its location as much as it can. More the movement more are the chances of colliding and getting damaged.

Delivery of your car through air freight depends on the destination in South Africa. The arrival time can range from 4 days to onwards. The air freight is an expensive mean of transfer but the advantages attached with it are many. The flight is on time always apart from any special circumstances.

If you want us to pick your car from your door-step, we can arrange that through our door to door service. your car is going to be handled in the best way while traveling through our skilled agents on board. Security screening of your car is also our responsibility. We will also load your car in the aircraft and then secure it properly inside. UK exports custom clearance is also our work. You do not have to worry about anything at any point. Especially when the door to door service is used we take more load off your shoulders.

Sea Freight

When you are not in a hurry and also want to spend a bit less then sea freight is your choice. Sea freight does take more time to receive your vehicle in South Africa. The estimated transit time is between 24 to 30 days. This can alter according to the destined port. There are different ways a car or any other vehicle can be transferred to South Africa from UK. these include Ro Ro shipping, container shipping, R-Rak car shipping and shared container shipping. All these have their advantages and each one is designed to keep the car safe from damage throughout the journey.

RoRo shipping

Ro Ro shipping is the easiest way for shipping a vehicle. The first Ro means roll on and the other one means roll off. Simply put the car is driven in the huge ship while loading and driven off while unloading. There are no other procedures here. The ship is constructed with heavy duty material and there is no way the cars inside can get damaged due to outside activity. There are several decks which allows speedy off-loading of the cars simultaneously. These also allows to sort out cars matching size or value or whatever the preference is.

Container shipping

In the container shipping the vehicle I inside a 20ft or 40ft container. The size of the container can be chosen complying the size of the vehicle. The vehicle inside the container is fastened with pallets to keep the car at its place. Choosing container shipping previous one has its advantages. When you are going to book the whole container it can carry your other items. But these should be securely packed so that on the course of journey the items do not collide each other and damage the car. The 40ft container is big enough to carry two cars. So if you are sending two cars this can save you money. Also it is your choice which way you are satisfied to let your car travel. In case of 20ft container it can easily carry one car of any type or size.

R-Rak car shipping

These raks are very useful to save space and fill in more cars in one container. These R-Raks are used by many companies now a day to transport their brand new cars. These raks provide space saving. Allows two cars to be loaded at the same space one over another. This is a tried and tested and secure way of shipping vehicles in bulk. The efficiency and cost of this method is also excellent.

Shared container

As the name suggests the sender can share space with others. This means that the space covered by the car is yours and the rest is for other customer. This is also a money saver method of sending your car to South Africa from UK. You just have to pay for the space the car covers. Shared container is packed with goods from different people or from the same client. The delivery location or port are the same. There will be no opening and closing of container again and again which will save your car from outside harm.

Ports in South Africa

The country has a good network of inland or dry ports. These ports serve as connection of sea ports with other parts of the country. Through these ports the containers are send to their destination via truck or rail. City Deep, Belcon, Deal Party, Pretcon, Bayhead, and Bloemfontein are the six dry ports in South Africa. They serve very important purpose. Without these the container transfer is impossible to related areas.

There are seven sea ports in South Africa that handle major trade for the country. These include, Port of Durban the busiest port. Port of Richards Bay, Port Elizabeth, Port of Cape Town, Port of Saldanha, Port of Coega and Port of East London as other sea ports in South Africa. These ports handle different types of cargo and made with proper ability of present needs.

Taxes charged

When importing a car in South Africa from UK there are taxes and duty that has to be paid to get your car from the port or to be delivered direct to your home. In any case there is discrimination in the charges. African resident or immigrant are exempt from VAT and duty. But this eligibility is not without restrictions.

The person should be owner of the vehicle for at least 12 months or more not less.

The person should be changing permanent residency to South Africa

After the import has taken place the person is not allowed to sell, hire, exchange, or dispose of the car within the period of 2 years.

For the people who do not meet these restrictions, the duty and taxes are charged according to different conditions.

• 36% for vehicle 20-year-old
• More than 20-year-old is subject to 20% rate
• Standard rate for VAT is 15% plus a 10% more of the value of goods plus customs
• Ad valorem rate ranging between 0.75% to 20% can also be applied
• These are the ways duty and taxes are calculated and charged at South African imports.

Allowed period for tourists’ car to remain in South Africa

Tourism is one of the main industry in the economic growth of a country. South Africa always welcome tourists around the world. The question is that can tourists bring their cars in South Africa? The answer is yes they can. Racing cars, vintage passenger vehicles, specially designed vehicles and inherited vehicles are welcomed in South Africa. But there is a restriction of time period. These cars with foreign licensing can remain in South Africa for only three months. Temporary Import permits and passport and proof of residency in the foreign country can be asked for.