About applying for import or export permits for petroleum products

If you want to import or export petroleum products in South Africa, you must first obtain authorisation from the DoE to get a permit from the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC).

The importation of petroleum products is subject to import/export control and therefore a company or an individual that intends importing or exporting petroleum products into or out of South Africa requires an import or export permit.

The issuing of petroleum import and export permits is subject to requirements administered by the DoE.

To be considered for authorisation, you must contact the DoE regarding the required procedure.
Goods such as crude oil, fuel, paraffin, lubricating oils, petroleum gases, petroleum jelly, petroleum bitumen and paraffin wax are subject to import and export control measures.

What you should do

• Request the import or export permit application form from ITAC or download it from the ITAC website.
• Complete the application form and submit it to the DoE for authorisation, together with the copy of your Company VAT registration certificate.
• Once your application has been authorised, collect it from the DoE and submit it to ITAC.
• ITAC will process your application and issue you with a permit if your application is successful.

Note:  Import permits are valid for 12 months and export permits for six months.

Timeframe

The turnaround time for the issuing of import permits is three working days.

How much does it cost

ITAC does not charge any service fees but you will have to pay customs duty at SARS. Customs duty is calculated as a percentage of the value of the goods (set in the schedules to the Customs and Excise Act). For more info on SARS customs duty, visit the SARS website.

Forms to complete

(Forms are provided in PDF format. To open PDF documents, you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader 4 or higher installed on your computer.)

For export:

• Export authorization
• Application to register as an exporter or change of current information IEPS230-b

For import:

• Application to register as an importer or change of current information IE230
• Application for import permit for commercial purposes IE461

Who to contact