Shipping to South Africa is not an easy process and one needs to become thoroughly aware about the international shipping protocols from inside out. Moreover, the commercial cargo and household goods transfer to international ports in South Africa like Cape town, Durban, East Rand, Johannesburg and Pretoria is quite expensive than usual. There’s absolutely no doubt that international shipping ports to South Africa are just the best and adhere to all international shipping protocols. The custom rules in the international shipping ports in South Africa are also more stringent as compared to the customs rules followed in many other international shipping ports in the world. Therefore, taking the overall view of the things, when you have the plans to transfer household goods and commercial cargo to South Africa you have to make sure of the following points:
Choose the International Shipping Company That is Aware about the Shipping Protocols in South Africa – An international shipping company which is not aware about general shipping rules and regulations followed in the international ports in South Africa will not be able to offer help to their clients and customers. These rules and regulations change more frequently in accordance with the market influences and which is why shipping to South Africa becomes difficult. International freight and Cargo Company which has complete awareness of the international shipping and port practices followed at South Africa’s international airports will be in a better position to guide and help their clients and customers.
Choose the International Cargo and Freight Shipping Company That Has Awareness of South Africa’s Customs Laws – South Africa’s customs laws are rigid and at par with the international customs laws practices in various other international ports. An individual or import/export company which intends on shipping to South Africa should therefore make the selection of shipping company which has complete awareness of international customs laws practiced in South Africa. This is very important for smooth cargo and freight transfer.
Are you Aware about the Additional Costs That International Shipping Company May Charge from You? Most of the international cargo and freight shipping companies also add additional costs in their shipping prices. These additional costs largely include taxes and tariffs, fuel surcharges, port fee and many more. Make sure that you clearly discuss about these shipping costs with cargo and freight shipping company prior to making the final decision on shipping to South Africa.
Check the Container Shipping Costs Charged by the Cargo and Freight Moving Company – South Africa international ports charge huge fee for keeping the containers on the port. In addition, the international cargo and freight moving company will also charge separate container fee which is then integrated in the main cargo and freight movement bill. This will add to your overall costs and at the end you have to bear the brunt. Make sure that you check with the international cargo and freight moving company well in advance on the shipping costs.
Keep these points clear in your mind when shipping to South Africa. It is also essential that you shop and compare the services offered by international cargo and freight moving company to have precise idea on international shipping quotes.
Key Points to Consider When Shipping to South Africa
Full Container Shipping Services 20′ or 40′
Full container shipping services are used for transporting cargo and household goods. The containers are packed to full. There are 3 types of full container shipping services offered by international cargo and freight shipping company. These include:
- Live Load Full Container Services
- Drop Off Full Container Services
- Warehouse/Terminal Loading Container Services
Live Load Full Container Services – In this service, the container is dropped o the door step and there’s free loading time to load all the household goods or cargo into the container. After the loading is over, container is transported to international shipping terminal.
Drop Off Full Container Services – In this type of service, the container is dropped at the door and the customer or client has got 2-3 days to load the goods in the container, after which the container is transported to international shipping terminal.
Warehouse/Terminal Loading Container Services – In this service, the household goods/ automobile or both of them are transported to warehouse/terminal where they are packed and loaded into the container.
Shipping Household / Shipping Personal Goods
All small items are nicely draped in a clean box. The big furniture items are wrapped in blankets or the plastics. Rope the goods well so that they do not shift from place to place due to jerks during the transportation. You can do the packaging and loading either by yourself, or you may even hire the services of local packer and mover. Keep in mind to make packing list of the household goods into the container.
Shipping Household / Shipping Personal Goods with a Vehicle
All small items are nicely draped in a clean box. The big furniture items are wrapped in blankets or the plastics before loading them into the container. You need to order 40′ container for shipping the vehicle, big furniture items and other household/personal goods. For rest of your household goods, you can always pack them in 20′ container which is spacious and comfortable too. 20′ container is ideal for shipping the household as well as personal goods.
3 Methods of shipping household / shipping personal goods with a vehicle
A 20′ or 40′ container is dropped at the doorsteps using live load container shipping or drop off Shipping Method. The container is 4′ (feet) above the ground and fixed over the chassis. When loading a vehicle into container block the tires and strap the vehicle so that it doesn’t move around. The battery has to be disconnected and moreover, the gas level should be less than 1/8 a tank of gas. After the loading is over, container is transported to international shipping terminal.
A 40′ container and not 20′ shipping container is used for shipping your household goods as well as vehicle. Here the vehicle is transported to the warehouse, where it is will be loaded in the 40′ container. The gas level should be less than 1/8 a tank of gas. Mind it; you should have already loaded personal household goods into the container.
You can also transport wrapped and well packed household goods and vehicle to the nearest warehouse where they will be loaded into 20′ or 40′ container and then taken to shipping terminal. The gas level should be less than 1/8 a tank of gas
Growing Your Business With A South East Asian Headquarters Company
If you are an international business, more than likely you are conducting operations in the SE Asia region through a network of distributors in the various countries in the region, and the establishment of a Headquarters company in the region not only makes business sense, it is often a must to manage the growth of the business in the region.
Whilst the tax laws of Hong Kong, which only subject profits arising in Hong Kong to tax in Hong Kong, provided a natural advantage for a regional headquarters company to be located in Hong Kong, Singapore saw the benefits and set out to capture the regional headquarters market, and successfully attracted many international companies to its shores. Malaysia then attracted a share of the market, followed by Thailand.
By and large, the choice of jurisdiction for the location of a SE Asian Headquarters company is dictated by a jurisdiction’s environmental attributes that help to ensure success for the SE Asian business operations.
And in an effort to attract more internationals to Thailand, the Thai Government has (effective mid-November 2010) re-vamped the tax concessions under the Thai regional headquarters regime, and has placed Thailand at the forefront of the tax incentive offerings by Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.
Thailand
In August 2002, in an effort to persuade the international companies away from Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, the Thai Government introduced a Regional Operating Headquarters model (now known as ROH Model 1).
But the tax incentives offered under the ROH 1 regime weren’t enough to entice internationals to Thailand, and from mid November 2010, the Thailand Government now offers an enhanced ROH regime (known as ROH Model 2), which provides the following tax concessions:
• 0% corporate income tax on headquarters services income received from associated companies and branches outside Thailand for 10+5 years;• 10% corporate income tax on headquarters services income received from associated companies and branches inside Thailand for 10+5 years;• 0% corporate income tax on dividends received from associated companies and branches outside Thailand;• 0% withholding tax on dividends paid out of the headquarters income to shareholders in foreign countries;• 15% personal income tax on salaries paid to expatriate employees for hire of labor work in Thailand for 8 years; and• 0% personal income tax on salaries paid to expatriate employees for hire of labor work outside Thailand.
Along with the above enhanced tax incentives under ROH Model 2, the Thai Government has also streamlined the required amount of paper work that the Government agencies in Thailand formerly required for the establishment of an ROH under the Model 1 regime.
For further information and assistance in Thailand, please contact RSM Advisory