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Arrivals · Step 4 of 9

Baggage & Customs at CPT

Collect your bag, check your SARS confirmation, then walk through Customs.

  1. 1. Before you fly
  2. 2. Landing
  3. 3. Immigration
  4. 4. Baggage & customs
  5. 5. Arrivals hall
  6. 6. Transport
  7. 7. Car rental
  8. 8. eSIM & money
  9. 9. First 24 hours

  1. Find your carousel (stop 4)

    Check the flight-information screens for your flight number and carousel. Bathrooms are in the baggage area. If you step away briefly, keep your carousel and belongings in view.

  2. Keep your baggage tag

    Keep your baggage tag until the bag is physically in your hands.

  3. Bag not on the belt?

    Check the carousel and any directed oversize area. Use your airline’s official baggage-tracking tool or app if it has one (app features can change).

  4. Still missing? Report it before Customs

    Go to the airline baggage desk before you exit through Customs. Keep the baggage tag, boarding pass and the report number.

    Do not confuse these

    Missing checked baggage goes to the airline baggage desk. A personal item left in the terminal goes to airport Information / Lost Property.

  5. Check your SARS declaration confirmation (stop 5)

    From 1 July 2026, South Africa requires travellers entering or leaving through air, land, sea and rail ports to submit an online traveller declaration (SARS FAQ, checked October 2026).

    • Required: everyone, including children and infants. A parent or guardian can complete it for a child.
    • Timing: no more than 24 hours before departure from the country you are travelling from. With stops, no more than 24 hours before the last leg directly to South Africa. Passengers who only change planes inside the transit area are excluded.
    • How: SARS website, SATMS app or QR code. Keep the confirmation on your phone or printed, and follow it and the signs. Update it if your details change.

    Official sources: SARS Traveller Declaration (official)

  6. Walk through Customs

    Nothing to declare: use the green channel where signed. Unsure: ask, never guess. Keep receipts for goods where relevant. A false or missing declaration can lead to delays or penalties.

Not completed the declaration yet?

SARS says travellers will not be denied entry or departure solely because they have not completed a declaration in advance. Customs officials and self-service terminals can help at the port. SARS still encourages everyone to complete it before travelling.

If something goes wrong

ProblemFirst action
Missing bagAirline baggage desk before you exit through Customs; keep the report number
SARS confirmation missingCheck your phone and email, then ask Customs; officials and self-service terminals can help
Customs questionAsk Customs. Do not guess
What was checked

SARS declaration timing was checked against official pages in October 2026. Check the official page again before you travel.

What to do nextArrivals Hall & Meeting Points

Get the full Cape Town Airport Arrival Guide

A calm, step-by-step route from the aircraft door through immigration, baggage and customs into verified onward transport. Mobile-first, printable and offline-ready, with the peak-time planner, the 10-second stamp check, the 2026 declaration summary, transport and pickups, and a 60-second checklist. Keep the Customs and 2026 declaration summary with you, offline.

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October 2026 edition · 20 pages · Independent, not affiliated with ACSA

Airport procedures can change. Layouts, procedures, services, transport, fares and operating hours can change. Always follow current instructions from the airport, airline, immigration, Customs, security and transport providers. This page reflects the October 2026 edition of the guide.

Independent guide. Cape Town Flow is an independent publication, not affiliated with or endorsed by ACSA, the airport operator. The views are the author’s own.

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