Importing or exporting starts with two questions: who is trading, and what goods are moving? Vatco helps you identify the registration work to discuss, organise the agreed supporting information and distinguish customs registration from permits or specialist approvals that may apply to the goods.
Your requirements · A clear scope · Your next step
Identify the trading entity, goods, direction and commercial role. Customs registration and any goods-specific permit need to be considered as distinct tasks.
Bring the new specifications and explain how the goods differ. A permission for previous products or one direction of trade does not automatically cover a new consignment.
Disclose deposits, bookings, authority notices and deadlines immediately. These commitments help scope the issue but do not guarantee that a missing approval can be obtained in time.
Swipe across to compare all columns.
| Cost item | Amount or pricing basis | Inclusions and separate work |
|---|---|---|
| Vatco application assistance | Quoted for the entity, goods and application route | Specify customs registration, ITAC support or another agreed task. |
| ITAC import/export permit | R0 ITAC permit charge | ITAC’s FAQ currently says permits are free. Its September 2026 draft fee notice plans phased charges, with import and export permits following an initial APDP phase. Check the current payment instruction before applying; assistance and other regulators’ fees are separate. |
| Duties, VAT and customs liabilities | Assessed for the actual goods and transaction | These are separate from application assistance and a permit fee. |
| Testing, inspection or technical approvals | Provider or authority charges where applicable | Identify the goods-specific requirement before paying for unrelated work. |
| Freight, clearing and storage | Quotation from the responsible provider | A registration fee is not a complete landed-cost calculation. |
Vatco confirms the professional fee and included work in writing after reviewing the records and scope. Any published authority amount is dated 30 September 2026 and should be checked against the applicable payment instruction.
Start with the records relevant to your situation. We confirm the exact scope and any authority-specific attachments before submission; briefing information is not automatically a mandatory filing document.
Provide a clear commercial description, intended use and available product specifications. Explain whether the items are new, used, refurbished, samples, spare parts or another condition.
State whether you are importing, exporting or planning both, together with the origin and destination where known. Explain whether this is a first shipment or repeat trade, and whether the intended customer or supplier has supplied particular instructions.
Identify the legal entity that will contract, pay and trade. Share existing customs registration information if available, and explain the role of any clearing agent.
Tell us whether a purchase has been agreed, a deposit paid or transport booked. Share any rejection, permit request or official reference already received.
A first shipment often involves several people: the owner, supplier, clearing agent, transporter and an adviser handling registration. Write down which party is checking customs registration, which is considering product controls and which is preparing clearance documents. Without that division, each person may assume a crucial check belongs to someone else.
Used or second-hand goods deserve an explicit check against ITAC’s guidance rather than being described as ordinary new stock. Other goods may also be controlled. Share the correct condition and purpose from the beginning; relabelling an item in an enquiry does not change its regulatory treatment. Where specialist classification is needed, obtain that input from an appropriate professional.
We start with the entity, goods and trade direction. Existing registrations and authority correspondence help establish what is already in place.
The scope should name the application or administrative task, documents required and quoted assistance fee. Goods-specific permit work must be confirmed for your circumstances; specialist approvals are not automatically included.
Within the agreed work, documents are organised for review and the authorised person confirms the details. Resolve inconsistent company names, product descriptions or activity information before submission.
Read the approved registration or permit for the entity, activity and any applicable conditions. Distinguish a submission acknowledgement from an approval.
A registration already used for one product does not answer all questions about another. Keep the new product specification and ask whether different controls apply.
A new company, altered trading arrangement or different role in the transaction may require registration details to be reviewed.
Store the application, outcome and supporting product information together, separate from drafts. Record who checked each requirement and which consignment or activity the document concerns.
Send the company name, type and condition of goods, origin or destination and any existing customs reference. If an authority or clearing agent has asked for a particular document, include the exact request. That lets us discuss the relevant next step instead of quoting an undefined “import/export licence”.
The phrase is often used loosely. A SARS customs registration and a permit for controlled goods serve different purposes. Tell us what you are trading and share the request you received so the required task can be identified. One should not be promised as a replacement for the other.
The applicable controls depend on the goods and circumstances. Consult the current official guidance for the product concerned. Do not infer a permit requirement from the value of a purchase alone, or assume that a supplier’s past shipments establish the correct route for your transaction.
ITAC’s import-control guidance specifically addresses used and second-hand goods. Their condition is therefore material to the enquiry. Provide an accurate description and supporting product information early, including whether equipment is refurbished, so the permission question can be checked before the shipment is arranged.
The customs activities and any goods permissions need to be identified for the business concerned. Explain both intended directions of trade, rather than assuming that approval for one task includes every other activity. The agreed scope should specify which registration or application work is being undertaken.
Read the actual permission and its conditions. Do not assume a document obtained for one product or activity applies to another. Keep clear product records and review changes with the relevant authority or adviser before using an existing approval for a different transaction.
Check the unresolved requirements and the commercial consequences before committing. An order or shipping booking can create costs even while permissions remain outstanding. Coordinate with the supplier and clearing professional, and confirm which steps must be completed before the goods are dispatched.
Only work expressly included in the agreed scope is covered. Customs clearance, logistics, goods-specific technical approvals and transaction charges may require separate arrangements. Ask each provider to identify its responsibility and fees so a registration-assistance quote is not mistaken for the total cost of importing or exporting.
Go deeper with guidance from the relevant authorities.
Customs activities and applicable registration or licensing requirements.
Open the resource OFFICIAL RESOURCEImporter registration, authorisation and supporting documentation.
Open the resource OFFICIAL RESOURCEControlled imports and the relevant permit process.
Open the resource OFFICIAL RESOURCEExport controls and permissions for specified goods.
Open the resource OFFICIAL RESOURCEOfficial source supporting the dated cost information and its scope.
Open the resource OFFICIAL RESOURCECovering notice distinguishes future phased fees from the present permit fee position; the draft is not an implemented import/export tariff.
Open the resourceShare your requirements with Vatco.
Confirm the scope, documents and fees before proceeding.
