South Africa’s DA 304 Form for Household Goods
South Africa lets people changing their residence bring household goods in without paying duty or VAT. The price of that break is a single signed declaration, and a promise you can be held to for six months. Most of what goes wrong with South African shipments traces back to one of those two things.
As an FMC-licensed door-to-door moving company with almost 20 years of experience, we prepare this paperwork with clients before anything is packed. Here is what the South African Revenue Service (SARS) form asks, and what it means for your move.
The DA 304 Declaration
The core document is SARS Form DA 304, the declaration for household effects on a change of residence. It applies to a natural person moving to South Africa, whether permanently or temporarily, and it is filed under Item 407.06 of Schedule No. 4 of the Customs and Excise Act. It covers household furniture, personal effects, and professional equipment such as a tradesperson’s tools, but not industrial, commercial, or agricultural plant.
You sign it, and two people must witness your signature. You also supply your passport number and nationality and an inventory of every household item in the shipment.
What You Are Declaring
By signing, you state that the goods are your own property, that you owned them before leaving for South Africa, and that none of them is intended for sale or disposal. The form is blunt about the consequence. If any item is sold or otherwise disposed of within six months of customs entry, duty becomes payable on it.
That matters more than people expect. Downsizing, selling a duplicate sofa after unpacking, or passing a television to a relative can all count as disposal. If you suspect you will not keep something, leave it behind.
What Is Not Covered
- Motor vehicles
- Alcoholic beverages
- Tobacco goods
The relief is for household and personal goods. Guidance from the South African embassy also describes a reasonable-quantity limit of two each of items such as computers, televisions, and hi-fi equipment, and allows one boat and one caravan per family. Treat those numbers as a starting point and confirm them with your coordinator, because duplicates are where shipments draw questions.
Declaring Restricted Items
Alongside the DA 304, unaccompanied effects are declared on a form listing items that must be called out separately on the bill of entry. The list includes television sets, plants, bulbs and seeds, uncooked meat, honey, live animals, firearms and ammunition, films and recorded videotapes, and alcohol, along with motor vehicles and motorcycles. If you own any of these, tell us early. A television is easy to overlook, since it gets packed like any other appliance.
Returning South Africans
South African citizens coming home face an extra test. Embassy guidance says returning residents must have been abroad for six months or longer for a purpose other than touring, living in unfurnished or semi-furnished accommodation, and must satisfy the Controller of Customs and Excise of that absence. The DA 304 asks for your absence period, your permit details, and your arrival date from your passport. Bring the documents that prove where you lived, such as a lease, because a statement alone may not be enough.
Bringing a Car
Cars move under a different form, DA 304A, filed under Item 407.04. It requires documentary proof of purchase, registration in your name, and delivery dates, and it comes with its own conditions. The vehicle cannot be sold, lent, leased, pledged, or otherwise disposed of within two years of entry under rebate of duty, and duty is due if the vehicle is away from its usual place of use for more than three months. We ship vehicles only when they are containerized with household goods, and we do not handle vehicle-only shipments. Our car shipping page explains the general process.
Who Should Arrive First
South African guidance says household goods should preferably arrive after the owner. If they land first, they are held in storage on your account until you clear them. Plan your shipping date around your arrival date and your immigration permit, not the other way round, so your goods are not waiting at the port while your paperwork catches up.
A Practical Order of Operations
Done in this sequence, the paperwork rarely holds up the container:
- Confirm your immigration permit and your arrival date.
- Build the inventory as you pack, and set aside anything that is restricted or that you may sell.
- Sign the DA 304 with two witnesses and give it to your clearing agent.
- Time the shipment so your goods arrive after you do.
Timing
Plan on about 6 to 12 weeks for an exclusive container from the US to South Africa, and longer for a shared one. Those are planning ranges, not guarantees, because vessel schedules and port handling move the dates. For how customs relief compares across other destinations, see our customs relief rules by country.
Questions We Hear
Does this apply if I am moving temporarily?
The form covers a change of residence to South Africa, permanent or temporary. Your immigration permit and the dates on it will be part of what Customs looks at.
Can I sell something after I unpack?
Not without consequences. Selling or disposing of an item within six months of customs entry makes duty payable on it.
Do I need an inventory?
Yes. The form requires an inventory of all household goods, and a specific one clears faster than a general one.
Who signs the form?
You do, with two witnesses. A clearing agent can prepare it, but the declaration is yours.
Moving to South Africa? Send us your permit details, your planned arrival date, and a rough room-by-room list, and we will build the DA 304 paperwork around it. Or call 877-339-0267.
