Entry procedures for South Africa 

 

Registration

​

BOATS SHOULD REGISTER THOUGH www.osasa.org.za AT LEAST 10 DAYS BEFORE ARRIVAL IN ORDER FOR YOUR DETAILS TO BE PROCESSED TIMEOUSLY FOR ENTRY. Failure to register your PAN will mean the port authorities will not have received DoT authorisation for you to enter, and they then have the right to refuse your entry until you comply. See SAMSA Directive MN4-22

 

Entry To South Africa From Offshore and/or a Foreign Country is a stepped process:

1. Online Registration; done through OSASA and entry authorised by DoT

2. Health: a health pratique from the relevant Port Health office, obtained through OSASA

3. Immigration: passports must be presented to Immigration officials and stamped with an entry visa

4. Customs:

a) online completion of the personal forms for each individual aboard Customs Online Traveller Declaration | South African Revenue Service (sars.gov.za)                

b) DA1 form for the boat completed and stamped by Customs form DA1

 

OSASA manages these processes on behalf of DoT in order to preserve self-regulation for the cruising community. Avoiding compliance could rebound on us all; the Government requires that yacht movements are monitored and with compliance from all, we at present are able to keep the bureaucracy to a minimum.

 

Ports Of Entry/Departure

These are the only official Ports of Entry at which leisure vessels may enter or depart from South Africa. Procedures may be slightly different at each port, so please check the information for each port on the OSASA website at SA Ports of Entry.

 

• Port of Richards Bay

• Port of Durban

• Port of East London

• Port of Gqeberha/Port Elizabeth

• Port of Mossel Bay

• Port of Cape Town

• Port of Saldanha Bay

 

Note that once a vessel has been cleared out for departure from a port in South Africa, it may not call at any other South African port without completing formal arrival procedures once again.