Importers seeking advance foreign exchange payments of ZAR 100,000 and above must submit an Advance Payment Notification to SARS through eFiling before approaching an authorised dealer, in line with South African Reserve Bank regulations.
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has outlined the requirements and procedures for registered importers making qualifying advance import payments under South African Reserve Bank (SARB) regulations. Importers applying for advance foreign exchange payments of ZAR 100,000.00 and above must submit an Advance Payment Notification (APN) through SARS eFiling before requesting payment from an authorised dealer.
The APN requirement forms part of the regulatory framework governing Advance Import Payments (AIP) and applies only to importers registered with Customs.
Scope and eligibility
The APN requirement applies to advance foreign exchange payments of ZAR 100,000.00 and above. Importers must be registered with Customs before submitting an APN, and the general Customs client number (70707070) cannot be used for this purpose.
SARS said APNs can only be submitted through an Organisation Tax Practitioner’s eFiling profile, as the functionality is not available through individual portfolios.
The notification must be completed and submitted via eFiling before the importer applies to an authorised dealer to process the advance payment.
APN submission process
Importers must access the Submit New Advance Payment Notification option under the Customs menu in SARS eFiling.
The submission requires details including the Customs code, importer name and physical address, authorised dealer, foreign currency amount and currency code, estimated ZAR amount, country of export, supplier name, and the description or reason for the payment.
At least one supporting document must accompany the notification, such as a Purchase Order, Contract, Pro-forma Invoice or Commercial Invoice.
Once all mandatory information has been validated, SARS issues a unique APN reference number, which must be provided to the authorised dealer.
Amendments and validity
An APN may be amended or cancelled through eFiling if the information is incorrect or no longer current, provided the authorised dealer has not yet transferred the payment to the foreign supplier.
If the authorised dealer does not make the payment within 30 days of the APN being submitted to SARS, the notification is automatically cancelled.
Bank generated APNs
In limited circumstances, authorised dealers may issue a Bank Generated APN (BGA). This may occur where pre-payment notification was impractical, a SARS system failure prevented submission, or exchange rate movements caused a payment initially below ZAR 100,000 to exceed the threshold.
Where a BGA has been issued, the importer must still notify SARS by submitting a new APN or amending an existing notification to include the BGA reference before lodging a goods declaration.
Goods declaration requirements
Following an advance payment, importers must submit a valid goods declaration to customs within four months of the payment date. The declaration must include the APN reference number in the additional information field. After the declaration has been released, a copy must be provided to the authorised dealer as proof of release.
Correspondence and supporting documents
Where a goods declaration is not submitted within the required four-month period, SARS may open a case and request supporting documentation.
Correspondence relating to such requests is available through the SARS Correspondence section under the Returns menu in eFiling. Supporting documents must be uploaded in PDF format, be clearly named, and not exceed 5MB per file.
Importers are required to ensure all requested documents have been successfully attached before selecting Confirm to submit them to SARS for processing.
