On 25 January 2022, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) announced that the “Advance Import Payment Guide” had been changed to align with the wording of Rule 120.13.05. The policy has been revised to remove the reporting requirements between the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) and SARS as this requirement will be implemented with the next phase.
The ‘Scope’ of the “External Guide Submission of Advance Import Payments” reads:
(a) The purpose of this guide is to assist importers to: (i) Submit new Advance Payment Notifications (APNs) to Customs; (ii) Amend or cancel previously submitted APNs; (iii) View SARS correspondence; and (iv) Upload supporting documents.
(b) This process is applicable to advance import payments of R50 000 and above.
The ‘Summary of Main Points’ of the “Customs External Policy Submission of Advance Import Payments” reads:
(a) The importer, already registered with SARS, submits a completed Advance Payment Notification
(APN) on SARS eFiling.
(b) The importer receives an APN reference number assigned by SARS and communicates it to the
authorised dealer and inserts it on the CCD.
(c) Payments made to foreign suppliers are reported to the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) after
which the importer makes clearance.