Removals to South Africa handled end-to-end from our Lower Dicker depot — sea-freight via Felixstowe or Southampton to Cape Town, Durban or Port Elizabeth, SARS customs paperwork, P1.160 used-effects relief, destination agents in every major city.
Removals to South Africa from our Lower Dicker depot serve a mix of returning South Africans who have spent decades in the UK, British retirees buying property in the Cape, skilled-worker emigrants on critical-skills visas, and a growing minority of remote-working families heading for Cape Town’s lifestyle and lower cost of living. South Africa is a sea-freight destination — the route is well established, containers sail from Felixstowe or Southampton to Cape Town, Durban or Port Elizabeth multiple times each month, and the destination agents we use in Cape Town and Johannesburg have decades of SARS customs experience. We are a British Association of Removers (BAR) Overseas Group member with marine transit insurance arranged through a specialist Lloyd’s-syndicate broker.
South Africa attracts three distinct types of mover. First, returning South Africans — often nurses, doctors, engineers and academics who came to the UK in the 1990s or 2000s and are now heading home, sometimes with British-born children. Second, British retirees buying Cape Town apartments or Garden Route houses for the climate, the wine country, and the favourable Rand exchange rate that makes the lifestyle affordable on a UK pension. Third, working-age skilled emigrants on critical-skills visas heading to Johannesburg or Cape Town for tech, finance or engineering roles.
South Africa is a serious move — it’s a long-distance sea-freight destination with real customs paperwork and the residency-visa requirements have tightened over the last decade. But the practical removal is straightforward. Every move starts with a free survey at your Sussex address — in person across East Sussex, Kent and West Sussex, or by video for outlying postcodes — followed by an itemised written quote within 48 hours including UK packing, road haulage to port, sea freight, SARS customs entry and delivery to your South African address.
Mark or one of our senior surveyors visits your home for a no-obligation survey. We walk every room, identify items acquired in the last six months (which may attract SARS duty), confirm your South African visa or residency status, and discuss timing. Within 48 hours you have a fixed-price written quote covering UK packing, port handling, sea freight, SARS customs entry and delivery.
South African removals use our white-glove pad-wrap protection on every piece of furniture and BAR-spec export double-wall cartons from our Lower Dicker packing shop. The Atlantic and Indian Ocean voyage runs 4 to 7 weeks — long enough that climate-tolerant packing matters. We use moisture-absorbent dunnage for containers heading to humid Durban.
For a 3-bedroom or larger house, a 40-foot sole-use container is usually the right answer. For a 2-bedroom flat or smaller, LCL groupage is far cheaper — you pay per cubic metre and share container space with other UK-SA shipments. LCL adds 2 to 3 weeks to the schedule. Air freight to South Africa is available but rarely cost-effective compared with sea.
Our containers ship through Felixstowe or Southampton depending on the sailing schedule. Routes: UK to Cape Town direct (4 to 6 weeks), UK to Durban via Cape Town transhipment (5 to 7 weeks), UK to Port Elizabeth (5 to 7 weeks). You receive a tracking number and we send fortnightly position updates.
On arrival the container is presented to SARS (South African Revenue Service). Our destination agent files the P1.160 application against your residency documents for duty rebate on used personal effects owned 6+ months. Customs inspection focuses on the inventory; provided items are correctly declared, clearance typically takes 5 to 14 working days. For inland destinations like Johannesburg or Pretoria the container is then road-hauled from the port.
Our destination agent meets the container at your South African property, coordinates access through gated-estate security where applicable, places furniture in agreed rooms, removes the pad-wrap, and reassembles beds and large items. Box-by-box unpacking is an optional add-on.
Cape Town city, Stellenbosch, Paarl, Franschhoek, the Garden Route (Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, George). Our most-frequent SA destination. Direct sea freight Felixstowe-Cape Town 4–6 weeks.
Johannesburg, Sandton, Pretoria, Centurion. Inland, served via Durban or Cape Town with onward road haulage. Total transit 6–9 weeks door-to-door. Business, finance and government-sector relocations.
Durban, Umhlanga, Ballito, Pietermaritzburg. Direct sea freight Felixstowe-Durban 5–7 weeks. Humid coastal climate — we pack with extra moisture-absorbent dunnage.
Port Elizabeth, Gqeberha, East London, Grahamstown. Less-frequent sailings; sometimes via Cape Town transhipment. 6–8 weeks.
Inland destinations served via Durban or Cape Town port. Long road haul (1,000+ km from coast). Typical 7–9 weeks door-to-door.
Many South African residential developments operate strict access controls. We coordinate body-corporate access permits and delivery windows in advance.
South African Revenue Service customs is methodical — the rules are clear, the paperwork is well-defined, and provided everything is in order, clearance happens within a fortnight. The two key items:
Items acquired in the last six months may attract duty plus 15% VAT. Wine, alcohol and tobacco have their own rules and limits. Firearms require a separate import permit. Food, plants and seeds are not shipped.
Cars to South Africa run under the Letter of Authority (LOA) scheme administered by the NRCS. UK right-hand-drive vehicles are compatible with South African roads which simplifies things, but the LOA application requires technical documentation and the duty can be significant on newer vehicles. We work with specialist vehicle shippers who handle the LOA paperwork; we coordinate so vehicle and household arrive within a similar window.
Wine and spirits are limited under personal-import allowances; permanent residents can apply for additional allowances after move. Antiques over 100 years old may need a UK cultural export licence depending on value. Pianos travel inside the same container with our piano-moving crews using moisture-absorbent dunnage. Firearms require a Section 16 import permit issued by SAPS — we recommend leaving them in the UK or working with a specialist firearms-import agent.
Most South African removals follow this rhythm:
If destination dates slip we store at our Lower Dicker depot in steel strong rooms until you’re ready to ship.
South African removals are unforgiving of vague paperwork. The P1.160 either matches your residency permit category or SARS holds the container until it does. The inventory either matches what’s in the container or you pay storage at the port. The destination agent either knows their way around SARS at Cape Town or Durban or your delivery slips by another fortnight.
We’ve been doing South African moves since 2017 from our Sussex depot. About 10% of our annual international workload is South Africa, and we work with the same destination agents in Cape Town and Johannesburg that we’ve worked with for years — the people who know the SARS officers, the body-corporate access requirements at the major gated estates, and the road-haul drivers who run the Cape-to-Joburg route reliably.
Read what customers say on our reviews page, browse the gallery for photos of recent moves, or call Mark on 01323 848 008. We’ll give you honest answers about visa requirements, SARS paperwork, and realistic timelines for your specific destination city.
Door-to-door, allow 10 to 14 weeks. Sea freight from Felixstowe or Southampton to Cape Town is typically 4 to 6 weeks; to Durban 5 to 7 weeks; to Port Elizabeth similar. Add 2 to 4 weeks for SARS customs clearance and onward road haulage to inland destinations (Johannesburg, Pretoria, Bloemfontein add 2 to 4 days driving from the port). LCL shared shipments add another 2 to 3 weeks for consolidation.
Generally yes. South Africa allows duty-free import of used personal and household effects under SARS Form P1.160 (Application for Rebate of Duty on Personal Effects), provided you have owned and used the goods for at least six months and you are entering South Africa to take up residence. Items acquired in the last six months may attract duty plus 15% VAT. Wine, alcohol, tobacco and certain electronics have their own rules.
Yes. SARS customs require proof of your right to live in South Africa — typically a permanent residency permit, a critical-skills work visa, or a relative’s permit (for spouses or partners of SA citizens). Visitor visas don’t qualify for the P1.160 duty rebate. We can hold the container in bonded storage at Cape Town or Durban for a few weeks while a visa application completes, but the goods cannot clear customs without the residency documentation.
Sometimes — under the Letter of Authority (LOA) scheme administered by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications. UK right-hand-drive cars are compatible with South African roads which simplifies the process, but the LOA application requires technical documentation and the duty can be significant on newer vehicles. Most movers use a specialist car-shipping partner who handles the LOA paperwork; we coordinate so vehicle and household arrive within a similar window.
A 20-foot sole-use container Sussex to Cape Town or Durban is typically £5,200 to £7,800 all-in; a 40-foot £7,000 to £11,500. LCL shared shipments work out at £170 to £240 per cubic metre. All sea quotes include UK packing, road haulage to Felixstowe or Southampton, sea freight, SARS customs entry, port handling and delivery to your South African address.
Door-to-door delivery into your South African property as standard. Our destination agent’s crew places furniture in agreed rooms and removes the pad-wrap. For gated estates and security complexes we coordinate access with the body corporate in advance. Box-by-box unpacking is an optional add-on.
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