Before your car leaves South Africa
Most of the delays we see start in South Africa, long before the ship. A few jobs done early, in the right order, keep the whole import moving.
The UK end of an import is our job. We clear customs, unload at our own site, test and register the car. The South African end is shared: we arrange the truck and the shipping, but some of the paperwork can only come from you, your bank or the local authorities.
This guide is the list we would hand a friend. It is grouped by when each job needs doing, and you can tick things off as you go. Your ticks stay in this browser, so you can come back to it.
Start with the jobs that take longest
Two things decide when your car can leave: the registration papers and the police clearance. Neither is hard, but both depend on other people, so start them first.
The original registration certificate needs to be in your name. If you have just bought the car, make sure the change of ownership has gone through. If the certificate has gone missing, sort out a replacement now rather than in the week of collection.
If there is finance on the car
While money is owed, the bank holds the original registration certificate. The car cannot be exported without it, so the order is simple: settle the finance, then ask the bank to release the papers to you.
Banks work at their own pace. Ask for the settlement figure early, pay it, and keep chasing the release. Leave it late and it can hold up the collection date.
Police clearance and export customs
A SAPS police clearance for the vehicle is normally needed before a car can be exported. It confirms the car is what the papers say it is and is not reported stolen. Your forwarder will confirm the exact list for your car, and we will tell you where it fits in the plan.
The export customs declaration with SARS is lodged by the clearing agent, not by you. The car's status on eNaTIS is then updated as exported through the registering authority. The forwarder will confirm the timing of that step.
If you are moving to the UK as well
If the car is coming because you are, check Transfer of Residence before anything else. It can mean no import duty and no VAT at all, which is often the single biggest number in the whole import.
The broad conditions are that you have lived outside the UK for at least 12 months, owned and used the car for at least 6 months before you move, and are moving your main home here. You apply to HMRC online with form ToR01, ideally before the car arrives. Once it is here you must not sell, lend or hire it out for 12 months.
Our Transfer of Residence checker takes a minute and tells you whether you are likely to qualify.
Your before-you-leave checklist
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Your ticks are saved in this browser only, so you can come back to it.
The week the truck comes
Collection day itself is quiet if the paperwork is done. Keep the car insured until it has gone, because until the truck arrives it is still your car on your driveway.
Take out the e-tag and anything else stuck to the windscreen that belongs to an account. Empty the boot, the glovebox and the door pockets. In a shared container your car travels alongside other people's cars, so loose belongings cannot go with it.
Put all the keys together, including the spare that lives in a kitchen drawer. A spare key is easy to forget and awkward to send on once the car has sailed.
After it has gone
Once the car is collected, cancel the tracker subscription, the insurance and the licence renewal. From the port onward the car is covered by marine insurance for the voyage.
The sea journey is usually 4 to 6 weeks. You can follow it in our customer portal, and we will be in touch before it lands to line up customs, testing and registration at our end.
Ringing us from South Africa
Our office is at Castle Donington, near Derby, so we work to UK time. South Africa is two hours ahead of the UK in winter and one hour ahead while the UK is on summer time. South Africa does not change its clocks, so the gap moves when ours do.
Johannesburg and UK time, right now
South Africa is one or two hours ahead of the UK, depending on the time of year.
From South Africa, dial +44 1332 810442. From a UK phone it is 01332 810442. Or email sales@mycarimport.co.uk and we will reply.
Questions people ask
When should I cancel my South African car insurance?
After the car has been collected, not before. Keep it insured right up to the day the truck takes it away. From then on it is covered by the transport arrangements and by marine insurance for the voyage.
My car is still on finance. Can it be shipped?
Not until the finance is settled. The bank holds the original registration certificate while there is money owing, and the car cannot be exported without it. Settle the account and ask the bank to release the papers as early as you can, because that step often takes longer than people expect.
Do I need a police clearance to export a car from South Africa?
A SAPS police clearance for the vehicle is normally needed for export. Your forwarder will confirm the exact list for your car, and we will tell you when it is needed in the timeline.
Can I leave belongings in the car?
Not in a shared container. Take out personal items before collection. If you are moving and want your car to travel with household goods, a dedicated 20ft container is the way to do it, so tell us when you ask for a quote.
What time is it in South Africa compared with the UK?
South Africa is two hours ahead of the UK in winter and one hour ahead while the UK is on summer time. South Africa does not change its clocks, so the gap moves when the UK does.