The South Africa Income Service (SARS) launched the brand new South African Traveller Declaration System throughout an informative webinar on 17 November 2022.
The webinar additionally supplied readability on their new web-based utility, together with the up to date processes, necessities and different related data.
The brand new South African Traveller Declaration System kinds a part of the South African Traveller Administration System (SATMS) designed to modernise customs procedures.
SARS’ imaginative and prescient is to ‘implement a Sensible Trendy and Threat Primarily based Traveller Administration System, that promotes South African socio-economic development and creates a seamless course of to facilitate reputable commerce at ports of entry.’
SATMS can be carried out on a voluntary foundation at King Shaka Worldwide Airport on 29 November 2022. Throughout this pilot part, insights and suggestions can be gathered from private and non-private stakeholders, earlier than full-scale rolling out to different airports from 1 April 2023.
The system complies with home legislation and can make it simpler for travellers to declare items and money forward of their arrival or departure to/from South Africa.
The brand new South African On-line Journey Declaration System goals to convey SARS consistent with worldwide requirements whereas sustaining the integrity of the home economic system and contributing to the nation’s total monetary system.
The system plans to create a seamless expertise for reputable merchants and travellers at ports of entry whereas utilizing detection capabilities to answer any dangers rapidly.
Envisaged advantages
Comfort: Travellers can full the web declaration on their platform apps earlier than they arrive or depart.
Operational Effectivity (Time and Value): Swift and seamless passage by airports.
Threat Mitigation: Strengthen Customs controls and coordinate cross-border enforcement.
Knowledge/Info Safety: Shall be dealt with securely to make sure the integrity of data.
Partnerships: Public and Personal partnerships to affect change/enhancements to the brand new course of, making it simple and easy for travellers to adjust to their authorized obligations.
Additional developments to enhance journey embrace:
· Collaborating with airways to get extra passenger information to spice up danger profiling.
· Utilizing trendy scanning tools to automate, handle and monitor commerce and journey by our borders.
· Implementing instruments just like the Single Window System. It will enable authorities departments to simplify the submission of declarations whereas enhancing data trade between authorities companies and decreasing commerce and journey prices.
· Enhancing cooperation with different nations. This allows the automated trade of data to assist the integrity of disclosures, leading to sooner reputable motion.
The way it works
· The system collects your journey data earlier than issuing a cross through e-mail. This requires all South Africans and residents leaving or getting into South Africa by air to finish the declaration. As soon as accomplished and submitted, travellers will obtain a cross earlier than boarding.
· The brand new system will make it simpler for travellers to maneuver swiftly on arrival and hastens boarding occasions for passengers leaving.
· For travellers who don’t wish to use the web portal through their cellular gadgets, a paper kind and self-service counters can be out there at terminals. Customs officers may even have hand-held gadgets to help travellers.
Info required to submit the web declaration
· Passport particulars
· Traveller particulars
· Contact particulars
· Journey companions’ passport numbers
· Entity/Enterprise particulars when travelling on a enterprise journey
· Items together with forex when getting into or leaving the nation
For extra data, please go to www.sars.gov.za or the devoted SATMS webpage at www.sars.gov.za/travellerdeclaration For queries and escalations, ship an e-mail to TravellerEscalations@sars.gov.za You’ll be able to watch the recording of the webinar on YouTube