There is no direct telephone number for the customs office at Cape Town International Airport, and that is deliberate. SARS states it plainly on its own customs offices page: all telephone calls to Customs offices are routed automatically to the SARS Contact Centre. So any number you find advertised as a direct line to airport customs is not one SARS publishes.
The number that reaches customs
- SARS Contact Centre: 0800 00 7277
- WhatsApp: 0800 11 7277
Three customs offices at the airport
SARS lists Cape Town International Airport three times, as three separate customs offices with different functions. Knowing which one your matter belongs to shortens the call.
- Cape Town International Airport, the main customs office
- Cape Town International Airport: Arrival Terminal, which handles travellers and accompanied baggage
- Cape Town International Airport: Cargo Office, which handles air freight consignments
A traveller stopped at the red channel, a parcel held on an air waybill and a commercial import entry are three different processes handled by different offices at the same airport. Say which one applies when you call.
If goods have been detained or stopped
You should have been given a notice with a case or reference number on it. That reference is what makes the call useful; without it the contact centre cannot locate the detention. Ask what the specific reason is, what documents are required and by when, and get the answer in writing. Detained goods attract storage costs while the matter is unresolved, so the clock is against you from the moment of the stop.
Bringing goods in through the airport
- Travellers have a duty-free allowance and a separate limit above which a flat rate applies; declare rather than guess, because an undeclared item found is treated differently from a declared one
- Commercial imports need a customs client number, and an individual importing occasionally may still need to register
- A courier or clearing agent acts on your behalf but the liability for the declaration remains yours
Complaints and escalation
- Raise it through the contact centre on 0800 00 7277 and insist on a case number
- SARS runs an internal complaints process, and the Office of the Tax Ombud handles unresolved service complaints against SARS
- Never pay cash to anyone at an airport to release goods; a legitimate customs charge is assessed on a document and paid to SARS, not to a person