Importing a Classic Car to South Africa

The 40-year ITAC threshold, and two rules you must not confuse

A classic car import runs through ITAC, the International Trade Administration Commission, under the International Trade Administration Act No. 71 of 2002. Ordinary used-vehicle imports mostly cannot get a permit at all. Collector-grade vehicles differ: ITAC permits are officially available, per gov.za, for racing cars, vintage passenger vehicles, specially designed and inherited vehicles, and the collector-vehicle threshold is well corroborated at 40 years or older.

Do not confuse that 40-year threshold with the separate 'vintage vehicle' concessional licence, a domestic category fixed at cars built before 31 December 1965, verified via a SAVVA dating certificate and a car-club president's letter. One decides whether ITAC lets the car in; the other decides its domestic licence once here.

One more restriction: an ITAC-permit vehicle cannot be sold or transferred for 24 months. Racing-category imports are track-use only; vintage and collector vehicles can reportedly register for road use. A separate NRCS Letter of Authority, typically R300 to R1,800 and 4 to 21 working days, is also required. For an age-based ban instead, see our import services overview or importing a classic car to the UAE.

Durban, Cape Town, and how to ship the car

Durban is Africa's busiest port and South Africa's primary vehicle-import gateway, handling RoRo and container traffic. Cape Town takes a larger share of containerized shipments, useful for cars destined for the Western Cape.

We default to enclosed container once a car is genuinely collectible: RoRo needs a running car and exposes it to the elements, while a container does not. Our container vs RoRo shipping guide covers the tradeoff in full. Either way, a Certificate of Roadworthiness, based on a SABS test, is required before the car can register or sell locally, alongside the ITAC permit and NRCS Letter of Authority.

The import process, and the one extra step South Africa adds

South Africa's process has one stage the Gulf markets do not: the ITAC permit must clear before the car ships.

ITAC permit application

Filed under the International Trade Administration Act before the car leaves its country of origin. This step decides whether the car can come in at all.

Pre-purchase inspection abroad

An independent inspector checks matching numbers, rust, mechanical condition and service history before you commit.

Marine insurance and shipping

The car is insured for the voyage, then shipped into Durban or Cape Town, container or RoRo depending on value and condition.

Customs clearance via a licensed broker

SARS duty, VAT and any ad valorem excise are settled through a broker, alongside the NRCS Letter of Authority.

Roadworthy test and registration

A Certificate of Roadworthiness clears the car for the road, then it registers under the 40-year ITAC category or, if it separately qualifies, the pre-1966 vintage licence.

Costs: a wide range, and why we will not quote one number yet

Sources disagree here more than anywhere else we cover, so we give you the range rather than false precision. Ordinary used-vehicle duty is reported at roughly 36% for cars under 20 years old, dropping to around 20% for cars over 20. A separate claim that 40-year-plus collector vehicles pay 0% duty could not be confirmed against SARS's tariff schedule. What is confirmed is narrower: a 40-year-plus classic gains ITAC permit eligibility an ordinary used car does not get. Whether that eligibility also carries a reduced duty rate is the open question, one to confirm with SARS or a broker before committing to a landed-cost figure.

On top of duty, add 15% VAT, steady after a planned rise to 15.5% then 16% was reversed in April 2025. Above roughly R250,000 retail value, an ad valorem excise duty also applies, running from about 0.75% toward a 20 to 30% cap, per SARS's formula. Worked examples land anywhere from around 25% to 65-70% or more of the car's value: wide enough that every quote stays provisional until we have your car and its declared value. Compare against our classic cars for sale in South Africa listings. For how the 40-year line falls on specific models, see the South Africa notes on our Porsche 964, Mercedes Pagoda SL and Toyota FJ40 pages.

Timing an import for the Cape summer

Updated 8 November 2026. South Africa is in summer from November to March, which is when most owners want a collector car on the road in Cape Town or along the Garden Route. Because the ITAC permit must clear before the car ships, the calendar runs backwards from the day you want to drive it: permit first, then the pre-purchase inspection abroad, marine insurance and the sailing into Durban or Cape Town, then customs clearance through a licensed broker and the roadworthy test. None of these steps compresses because the holidays are coming.

If the car is meant for this summer, the honest answer in November is that the permit application should already be filed. If it is meant for next summer, now is a comfortable time to start. Either way, send the car, where it sits today and whether it runs, on WhatsApp, and we map the steps with dates attached.