Customs recently sent out a publication requiring every existing importer, exporter, clearing agent, and licensed user to re-register on RLA. Here are some of the most common questions that we have been asked about RLA.

What is RLA?

In 2020 Customs updated their registration software to one that can speak to the SARS eFiling system. This new software system is called the Registration Licensing and Accreditation system, or RLA system for short. The RLA software will replace Customs’ old management software.

How do I know if my existing customs code is registered on RLA or if I need to migrate it?

SARS launched RLA in April 2020. If you got your import code, export code or trade agreement registration before 2020 and have not since updated it, then it will be on Customs’ old software and needs to be migrated. If you got your customs code after April 2020 you are already on RLA and do not need to do anything.

You can check further by looking at the customs registration number on your registration certificate. Registrations done on the RLA platform issue a customs code with the letters “CU” in front of the number. Below is an example of a registration certificate issued by RLA and one from the customs original software.

Who needs to re-register?

Every existing customs user that is registered on the old software system needs to re-register on the new RLA system. If you have been a customs client before April 2020 you will be registered on the old system and need to re-register. This includes:

• All importers
• All exporters
• All users of trade agreements
• All clearing agents
• All transporters of bonded goods
• All transporters crossing borders
• All storage warehouses

Each service that you are registered for needs to be moved over one at a time. So, for example, if you are registered as an importer, an exporter, and a SADC exporter, then 3 registrations need to be migrated to RLA.

What happens if I do not re-register?

In April 2025, SARS sent out a notice of suspension to all non-compliant traders who have not yet migrated their customs codes to RLA. These customs codes will not work when clearing goods for import and export until they are migrated and reinstated on RLA. If a trader has registered for one or more trade agreements, each trade agreement also needs to be migrated to RLA in order to continue getting and using the associated certificate of origin (for example, SADC and EUR.1 certificates).

Are there any benefits to registering on the RLA platform?

Yes! RLA is a 100% online system that is linked to eFiling. Once registered on RLA any updates to your contact details (address, contact number), new registrations, or renewals can be done quickly and efficiently.

Customs requires contact details to be updated within 7 days of a change to not be liable for a penalty. Before RLA updates were processed at a Customs branch, which meant traveling, standing in queues, and manually processing paperwork. With the new RLA system, any documentation customs require can be uploaded online. RLA speaks to eFiling and can verify details by checking to see if it matches with data from SARS revenue. This saves processing time. Details that do not match with SARS revenue can be checked by internal customs staff.

Do I need to be registered on eFiling to migrate to RLA?

Yes. Since RLA speaks to eFiling and uses eFiling to verify the details captured at customs, all customs clients moving to RLA need to first be registered on eFiling. Being registered on eFiling also gives you the option to file your tax returns, make payments to SARS, request a Tax Clearance Certificate, and control who can access and work on your tax profiles (being income tax, VAT, PAYE, Customs, etc).

Do I need a registered representative on eFiling to migrate to RLA?

Yes, every eFiling user now needs to have a representative registered as their primary contact with SARS. This person will receive security communication from SARS, such as one-time pins (OTPs), and will control access to who is allowed to work on the e-filing platform. Read more on why SARS requires this and what being one entails here.

FAQ

My customs broker said codes are getting suspended, I got my code last year. Will it be suspended?

All new licences that were obtained after April 2020 are on RLA. If you are on RLA, then your code will not be suspended.

I am on RLA. Why did I get a suspension letter?

Codes on RLA are not being suspended. If you are on RLA and have a suspension letter, then that can be because:

• You or your company have more than one code, the code not on RLA was suspended. While some older entities have more than one code, Customs wants an entity to only have 1 code. Therefore, you should leave the old code suspended.
• You may have migrated your import and export code over to RLA but not all of your other customs registrations such as export trade agreements. Anything not migrated over will be suspended.
• A few of our clients have said they have received the letter but they are on RLA, we have not yet established why they got the letter but codes on RLA are still working.

How long does migration take?

Normally 2-4 days after you have submitted your information but there is a bit of a backlog at SARS so it may take a bit longer, we do not expect it to take more than 1 week at this stage. Once you have successfully migrated to RLA it will still take 24 hours for the customs software to update in order for you to be able to clear your imports/exports.

What is a merge error, and why do some entities need to fix this before they can migrate to RLA? 

Merge errors may stem from incorrect or mismatching information in one or more of the taxpayer’s tax types. A tax type is a SARS product, such as income tax, PAYE, VAT, UIF, customs agent, etc. The customs portal on eFiling receives information from the other tax types. It cannot open or work correctly if the information it receives from each tax type is not identical.

Below is a list of some of the common reasons why a merge error can occur:

• Lack of a registered SARS representative on a specific tax type or a mismatch of the SARS registered representatives’ details on the different tax types. The SARS registered representative’s contact details on all tax types must match.
• Mismatching or incorrect taxpayer information across the tax types. This includes the taxpayer’s name, registration or ID number, address, and contact information.
• Incorrect or mismatching bank details across the payer’s tax types, and inability to verify bank details.

I am on RLA, but my code is still not working. Why could that be?

Firstly, check that all of your customs registrations are on RLA. Each customs product (import, export, trade agreements, removal of goods, etc.) needs to be transferred over separately in order to activate that code. Secondly, check that the correct VAT number was used during clearing and that the VAT number is the same as the one that is recorded on eFiling.

My clearing agent told me that my code is not working because I need to link to my customs number/profile with them.

This is not true. Customs ONLY requires non-local (foreign) traders to declare their relationships with their local registered customs representative. A declaration of a relationship is only needed between the parties below.