Trading Across Borders in
South Africa
Listed below is a detailed summary of the procedural requirements for exporting and importing a standardized cargo of goods. Documents associated with every official procedure are counted—from the contractual agreement between the 2 parties to the delivery of goods—along with the time necessary for completion.
The information appearing on this page was collected as part of the Doing Business project, which measures and compares regulations relevant to the life cycle of a small- to medium-sized domestic business in 183 economies. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in June 2011.
| Export Procedures |
Duration (days) |
US$ Cost |
| Documents preparation |
15 |
271 |
| Customs clearance and technical control |
4 |
75 |
| Ports and terminal handling |
9 |
285 |
| Inland transportation and handling |
2 |
900 |
| Totals |
30 |
1,531 |
| Import Procedures |
Duration (days) |
US$ Cost |
| Documents preparation |
14 |
385 |
| Customs clearance and technical control |
4 |
75 |
| Ports and terminal handling |
11 |
350 |
| Inland transportation and handling |
3 |
985 |
| Totals |
32 |
1,795 |
| Export documents |
| Bill of lading |
| Certificate of origin |
| Commercial Invoice |
| Customs export declaration (SAD 500) |
| Form F178 (Foreign Exchange Control Form) |
| Inspection report |
| Packing List |
| Terminal handling receipts |
| Import documents |
| Bill of lading |
| Cargo release order |
| Certificate of origin |
| Commercial invoice |
| Customs import declaration (SAD 500) |
| Inspection report |
| Packing list |
| Terminal handling receipts |