The International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC) called for comment on its 15-page draft “Administrative Fees Guidelines,” with comments due by 05 October 2026.
Considering budgetary constraints arising from a difficult macro-fiscal environment that has limited the real growth in parliamentary appropriations, the Commission will soon be levying administrative fees to recover certain processing and administrative costs incurred in carrying out its statutory functions.
These guidelines follow the publication of the “Administrative Fees Regulations” in the Government Gazette of 28 August 2026, which provide the regulatory framework for ITAC to levy the fees.
Prior to this Government Gazette Notice, on 16 May 2025, ITAC published “draft guidelines” for public comment. Having considered these guidelines, including comments received during the initial public consultation process, ITAC identified additional amendments to the guidelines that it proposes for further consultation with interested stakeholders.
Overall, the guidelines serve as a practical reference for stakeholders to understand their obligations and the administrative mechanisms governing ITAC’s cost-recovery programme. In particular, the guidelines clarify the treatment of various types of applications, including import and export permits, rebate and drawback permits, and certificates issued under the Automotive Production and Development Programme (APDP) for which fees will be levied.
The guidelines also provide procedural guidance for applicants on payment methods, timing and proof-of-payment requirements. The guidelines also explain the circumstances under which exemptions may be granted, such as when applications serve a clear public interest or when the goods involved are household goods or personal property.
Finally, ITAC anticipates the commencement of levying fees on 01 April 2027. ITAC is adopting a ‘phased-in’ approach to the levying of fees. Initially, ITAC will commence with the levying of fees for the processing of applications for certificates issued under the APDP. The certificates at issue are the following authorisations:
- Eligible Production Certificates (EPC);
- Production Rebate Certificates (PRC); and
- Company Specific Percentage Certificates (CSP).
At a later stage, and with due notice, ITAC will levy fees for other authorisations issued by it, these being import and export control permits followed by rebate and drawback permits and certificates.
Parties submitting confidential information are requested to clearly identify such information and mark the submission accordingly as “Confidential”. In terms of ITAC’s established procedures, parties submitting confidential information must simultaneously provide a non-confidential version of the submission suitable for disclosure to interested stakeholders. The non-confidential version must contain sufficient detail to permit a reasonable understanding of the substance of the information provided. If a submission is not marked as “Confidential”, it may be treated as non-confidential.