28 November 2023 – Since 3 December 2021, it has been mandatory for all importers to apply for an Advance Payment Notification (APN) number from SARS for each advance import payment with a value of R50 000,00 (Fifty Thousand Rands) and above, and where the balance of payment (BOP) category code is 101.
With effect from 1 December 2023, authorised dealers (banks) are obligated to record, validate and report the APN provided by a trader/importer to the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) when such payment is concluded. This means that authorised dealers will only make Advance Import Payments on confirmation of a valid SARS APN. For more information, see the updated FAQs published on the APN webpage.
