The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has told travellers to submit their Traveller Declaration free of charge through its own channels, and not to pay independent websites that offer to do it for them. In a statement issued on Thursday 12 November 2026, SARS said these third-party providers are not affiliated with it and that their charges are not SARS fees, according to the government news agency SAnews. For businesses that send staff across borders, it is a cost and a compliance point worth passing on today.
SARS says the declaration is free and the extras are optional
As SAnews reports the statement, SARS is aware that independent providers charge travellers to help them complete the Traveller Declaration. SARS says travellers can submit it directly through three official routes: the Traveller Management System on the SARS website, the South African Traveller Management System (SATMS) app, or the Traveller Declaration function on the SARS MobiApp. It also stresses that third-party assistance is optional. SARS has not said how many travellers have paid such providers, and it has not named any of them.
The SARS Customs Online Traveller Declaration page lists the same three routes under “What you need to know”. Our reading is that anyone who has paid a service fee to a site that is not on that list has paid for convenience, not for a legal requirement.
Since 1 July 2026 the declaration has generally been required online
The same SARS page says that from 1 July 2026, travellers entering or leaving South Africa must submit their declaration online before they travel, unless they qualify for one of the limited paper-based exceptions. The declaration is part of the Customs process. It covers goods, currency, bearer negotiable instruments (traveller’s cheques, bearer cheques, money orders and bearer bonds) and other relevant items in the traveller’s possession.
SARS says the online system is now in place at all South African air, land and sea ports. It was piloted at King Shaka International, Cape Town International and OR Tambo International airports in 2022. SARS also held a stakeholder webinar on the system on 14 October 2026 and has published FAQs for the requirement and, separately, for foreign registered vehicles used by travellers, which came into effect on 1 June 2026.
The paper card is the fallback, not the default
SARS’s external guide SC-PA-01-09, effective 1 July 2026, explains when the paper Traveller Card (form TD-01) must be used, in particular when the online system is unavailable. For the paper form, the guide says to use a black or blue pen, write in English capital letters and sign it. Parents or guardians must help minors complete it, and each traveller must have their passport, travel documents and any permits available for inspection. If you are unsure what to declare, the guide says to ask a Customs officer.
Why it matters beyond holidaymakers
SARS’s travellers page says anyone carrying goods intended for trade purposes must use the red channel and declare them, and that goods carried on behalf of another person must be declared too, so such travellers cannot use the green channel. It also says that failure to declare goods as required is an offence that results in detention and forfeiture of the goods not declared and of accompanying goods, and an administrative penalty and, depending on the seriousness, criminal prosecution.
For a company, that gives three practical reasons to check what staff are doing:
- Cost. A small fee per trip from a look-alike site adds up across a travelling team, and the SARS route costs nothing.
- Data. Passport details, travel dates and itinerary go into the declaration. Staff should know which site they are using before they enter them, and our POPIA response plan shows what is at stake if that data leaks.
- Compliance. Samples, equipment and goods for clients are the usual trouble spots. They belong in the red channel declaration, not in a hope that nobody asks.
What we could not confirm
We have read the SAnews account of the statement and the SARS pages above. We could not find the statement itself on a SARS page at the time of writing, so the wording attributed to SARS is as SAnews reports it. SARS has not published the names of the providers it is concerned about, the fees they charge or any action it plans to take. It also has not said whether a declaration submitted through a third-party site is valid. SARS’s own page describes the official routes, and anyone who has already submitted through another site should check with SARS directly.
What to do this week
If your staff travel, send them the three official routes and ask them to complete the declaration before they leave. Add a line to your travel policy saying that the declaration is free, which sites are approved and that goods for trade or for clients must be declared. For wider duties that apply to a business, see our compliance guide and our tax filing guide, and for another recent SARS deadline see what late filers face in penalties.
The official information and the free service are at the SARS Traveller Declaration page. This is general information and not legal or customs advice.
