Since leaving the European Union, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has officiated a new UK trade agreement with South Africa and other members called the SACUM-UK EPA.
This Economic Partnership Agreement is between the SACU Member States (Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa), Mozambique, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The SACUM-UK EPA entered into force on the 1st of January 2021 as a means of offering undisrupted trade between members after the UK broke away from the European Union and, consequently, the SADC-EU Economic Partnership Agreement at the end of 2020.
Preferential duty benefits of the SACUM-UK trade agreement
The SACUM-UK EPA establishes a free trade area between the SACU Member States and Mozambique (SACUM), and the UK. This agreement replicates the preferential tariff treatment of the SADC-EU EPA, which has been running since 2016, except for the volume limitations on Tariff Rate Quotas which have been updated.
Imports from the UK therefore still receive the preferential rates listed in the EU column of the South African Tariff Book. Exports to the UK also receive the same benefits they would have under the SADC-EU EPA pre-Brexit.
How to claim preferential import duty rates with the SACUM-UK trade agreement
To receive import duty benefits on your export in the UK, the supplier (exporter) must be registered as a SACUM-UK exporter. Once registered, exporters can apply for an EUR.1 certificate of origin that is specifically linked to this trade agreement. The EUR.1 certificate verifies that the goods exported are of South African origin and qualify for the reduced import duty tariffs that are part of this agreement.
Supplying a valid EUR.1 certificate means your goods incur zero or reduced import duties in the UK, making your business more competitive.
