Moving Company from Dubai to South Africa: Johannesburg, Durban and Pretoria

International movers to South Africa for UAE households

Seemleius is a moving company for households going from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to South Africa, whether to Johannesburg, Durban or Pretoria. Much of the work happens before anything reaches South Africa: the survey, export packing, customs paperwork and loading all take place in your UAE home. We handle that end with trained crews, and our destination partner handles the South African end.

We are based in Dubai Investment Park, and one coordinator runs your move from the survey to the last box unpacked.

Whether you are a South African returning home after years in the Gulf or moving to South Africa for the first time, the customs entry decides whether your goods arrive free of duty and VAT. We prepare the paperwork with you, starting at the survey.

South Africa removals from Dubai: what is included

Your fixed, itemised quote shows every part of the move:

• A free in-home or video survey in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah.
• Export packing by trained crews, crating for art, glass and other fragile pieces, and furniture dismantling and reassembly.
• Export documents prepared in Dubai, plus the inventory and the DA 304 and P1.160 forms prepared for you to check and sign.
• Sea freight in a full or shared container, depending on volume, and air freight for the essentials you need first.
• Customs clearance in South Africa with our destination partner.
• Delivery to your new home, placement room by room and unpacking.
• Transit insurance available (terms confirmed with your quote).
• Storage in Dubai, short or long term, if you need it: see household goods storage.

South African customs: rebate item 407.06

People changing their residence to South Africa, and their families, can bring household furniture and effects in without paying customs duty or VAT under rebate item 407.06 of Schedule 4 to the Customs and Excise Act. Returning residents qualify after six months or more abroad. The rebate also covers work equipment for your trade or profession, but not industrial, commercial or agricultural plant.

The customs entry needs four documents:

• DA 304, the declaration by a natural person on change of residence to the Republic. It requires an inventory of all your household goods and asks for your permit number or, if you are a returning resident, how long you have been away. You declare that you owned the goods before leaving for South Africa and undertake to pay duty on anything sold within six months.
• P1.160, the declaration for unaccompanied manifested effects, on which you mark any restricted items in the shipment.
• An inventory of the goods, which we draw up as we pack.
• The SAD 500 customs declaration for the entry itself.

We prepare the inventory and the forms and send them to you to check. You sign the declarations and give us your permit number or your dates abroad. Goods entered under the rebate must not be disposed of within six months of the date of entry. Motor vehicles, alcoholic drinks and tobacco are excluded from the rebate.

A Department of Agriculture permit is needed for meat, dairy, honey, eggs and other animal products, live animals, fresh produce, seeds and wood. The P1.160 list also covers plants and bulbs, fruit, beeswax, used beehive equipment, firearms and ammunition, radio transmitters, films and video tapes. Firearms need permits and herbal products need a Department of Health permit, while narcotics, military weapons, explosives, fireworks and counterfeit goods are prohibited. Your coordinator flags anything in your home that falls into these groups at the survey.

Shipping to Durban and South Africa's other ports

Since 28 February 2026 the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed to commercial shipping. Containers from the UAE currently go by road to a port outside the strait, such as Khor Fakkan or Fujairah on the east coast or Sohar in Oman, and sailing schedules are longer and less predictable than before, so we confirm the routing and dates at your survey.

Durban is South Africa's main container port: Durban Container Terminal handles 65% of the country's container volumes and is a hub for Middle East cargo. Transnet's other commercial ports include Cape Town, Ngqura and Port Elizabeth, and the arrival port is chosen to suit your new address and the sailings available.

Any quote from moving companies in South Africa or the UAE should say how the container will be routed in 2026 and who clears it on arrival. With us, our destination partner clears your goods and your coordinator keeps you updated until delivery.

How your move to South Africa runs

• Survey: your coordinator visits your home, agrees what goes by sea, what goes by air and what stays, and notes anything that needs a permit.
• Quote: a fixed, itemised quote with the current routing.
• Paperwork: the inventory, DA 304 and P1.160 are prepared for you to sign.
• Packing day: trained crews pack, crate and load, dismantling furniture where needed.
• Departure: export documents are completed in Dubai and the container goes by road to the departure port.
• Arrival and clearance: our destination partner lodges the entry and clears the goods under the rebate.
• Delivery: the partner crew delivers, reassembles furniture and unpacks.

Moving services in Durban, Johannesburg and Pretoria

Our destination partner delivers to the main South African cities, so there's no moving company in Durban or Johannesburg to hire separately, and your Seemleius coordinator stays your contact until the last box is unpacked.

• Johannesburg and Sandton: houses, estates and apartment blocks. Your coordinator confirms estate or building access, parking for the truck and any lift booking before delivery day.
• Pretoria: the same destination partner, the same plan and the same inventory as for Johannesburg.
• Durban: the country's main container port is here, and we deliver to homes across the city.
• Cape Town: see our page on removals to Cape Town.

Pets and vehicles

Pets travel as a separate service: see pet relocation. A car is not part of the household rebate. It needs its own DA 304A under rebate item 407.04 and an import permit from ITAC, and a left-hand-drive car cannot be registered in South Africa unless it was registered there before 23 July 2004. If your car qualifies, ask about vehicle shipping.

Book your free in-home survey

The survey is 100% free and there is no obligation. A coordinator visits your home in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, goes through every room, explains the DA 304 and P1.160, and sends you a fixed, itemised quote.

Book with the quote form on this page or our quote page, or call or WhatsApp +971 56 899 2011. Tell us your moving date and your South African city, and we will plan the move from there.