Import/Export

Trade Ocean is one of the premier freight agents in South Africa and offers a range of services from air and sea freight to import and export and clearing and forwarding. Imports and exports are subject to governmental legislation and special permits or licenses are required to bring certain goods into South Africa. Our staff are well versed in South African customs procedures to provide invaluable assistance to our clients and ensure that the import/export process runs smoothly.

South Africa subscribes to the Harmonised System (HS), which is a commodities classification system that governs the import and export of goods on an international scale. The system oversees product encoding and the development of trade statistics, which allows various countries to compile appropriate import and export tariffs.

As a result of South Africa being a member of the World Trade Organisation, companies and businesses can enjoy relaxed restrictions imposed on imports and exports. There are, however, some restrictions on the import and export of certain products which, which according to the Import Control Act, require import licenses or permits. As import and export agents, Trade Ocean helps all clients obtain the relevant permits, licenses and documentation required and facilitates the processing of data through customs control.

Any agency that acts on a company's behalf has to present certain documents to customs control authorities in order to allow the import and export processes to be finalised. We ensure that all documentation is completed and signed according to regulations, and submitted through the appropriate channels to speed up the import and export process and avoid unexpected delays.

Trade Ocean has offices in Cape Town, Durban and Walvis Bay and Namibia, in order to oversee the management of the entire import and export process, on behalf of our local and international business clients.

View our list of services or contact us to find out how our specialised services can make the importing and exporting of products plain sailing for your business.