Foreign-registered vehicles entering South Africa after 1 June 2026 face a new, but fairly clear process: Travellers complete a digital declaration, receive a Temporary Import Permit (TIP) and comply with customs rules linked to their visas.
Yet while the system appears straightforward on paper, confusion continues to grow around scores of foreign vehicles already inside South Africa before the new regulations take effect.
For many families, especially students and dual citizens, questions around vehicles already in the country remain unanswered.
And a SARS spokesperson’s recent answers during a television programme added to the confusion rather than providing answers.
WHY FOREIGN-REGISTERED VEHICLES ALREADY IN SA REMAIN A PROBLEM
A SABC news anchor recently posed questions about vehicles already inside South Africa before 1 June to SARS spokesperson Siphithi Sibeko. His comments, however, left such vehicle owners more frustrated because they did not address the central issue.
Instead of providing clarity, Sibeko repeatedly stated that one would assume all South Africans would drive South African-registered vehicles. He even suggested that South Africans cannot realistically own foreign vehicles.
Yet that does not reflect the reality of life across Southern Africa.
Many South Africans legally own property, businesses and vehicles in neighbouring countries. Several hold dual citizenship, while hundreds of students from neighbouring countries study in South Africa and leave their vehicles here for the duration of their studies.
One WhatsApp group, NAM REG to SA, created to discuss the issue, already has close to 400 members. Many are parents of students who travel home by air while their Namibian-registered cars remain in South Africa.
WHAT SARS STILL HAS NOT EXPLAINED ABOUT FOREIGN-REGISTERED VEHICLES
The biggest concern around foreign-registered vehicles is timing.
Drivers want to know whether vehicles already inside South Africa before 1 June must now leave the country and re-enter to obtain a TIP, and how many times they can repeat this process.
At least one senior manager (Cluster Lead) of SARS gave the assurance that the rule would not negatively affect vehicles already in South Africa before 01 June 2026.
“Foreign nationals lawfully residing in South Africa on work, study or spousal permits are not disadvantaged by these changes,” he said.
“Individuals who were already resident, employed or studying in South Africa when the requirements take effect may be requested to present proof of their legal status for verification.
“However, when the vehicle exits and later re‑enters South Africa, it is required to be registered for temporary importation at the port of entry.”
SPEAKING FROM TWO MOUTHS
The same person, however, also shortly afterwards stated the following: “From 1 June, if a car is not registered (with SARS, according to the new rule), a penalty will be imposed on drivers, which includes impounding of the vehicle.
He added a warning that South Africans who own foreign-registered cars will also have to present proof of how they acquired them.
In the meantime, such vehicle owners do not oppose the new rules; they merely want to know how to comply. “We realise that penalties for non-compliance can be serious. Yet, we cannot comply properly without clear instructions,” they say.
So far, SARS has neither provided a formal public clarification on that process nor a timeline or transition period. Owners feel the latter is necessary for both SARS and themselves to get everything in order.
Sibeko also said that SARS just wants to “digitise the process” with its Travel Management System and MobiApp.
The system allows pre-declarations before arrival at borders. However, digitisation does not solve uncertainty around vehicles already inside the country.
Neither does it prevent border control officers from making their own rules.
An officer at one border post between Namibia and South Africa already alleged that only a legal owner can obtain the TIP. This further complicates the case of students with vehicles registered to their parents.
DUAL CITIZENS FEAR A PAPERWORK LOOP
For dual citizens, the issue stretches far beyond a border crossing.
One Namibian-South African dual citizen explained her situation: importing a vehicle permanently into South Africa can take months. It requires permits from the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) and approval from the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS).
That process often involves manufacturer documents, customs paperwork and extended waiting periods. Yet once the car becomes South African-registered, the same owner may face import restrictions again when returning to Namibia for periods.
The result is a cycle many say feels impossible to manage.
Drivers are not resisting compliance. They simply want SARS to explain how to treat existing foreign-registered vehicles after 1 June.
Until then, uncertainty continues to travel alongside motorists on both sides of the border.
