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How can a business retrieve its Customs client code through SOQS?
How can an importer request its Customs client code through SOQS?
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Direct answer
SARS provides a Request my Customs Code option through the Customs and Excise SARS Online Query System, commonly called SOQS. This is an identity-validation request, separate from the RLA supporting-document upload process. Use the current Customs Code request option, complete its mandatory identification fields, complete CAPTCHA and select the email or SMS communication channel through which SARS will send the code.
Retrieving a code is not a reason to guess at identifying details or send credentials to another person. SARS says Customs codes are confidential. Use the current SARS channel and keep the code secure. If the business instead needs an RLA document upload, a fresh registration, a licence or a status update, select that separate service rather than treating Request my Customs Code as a universal solution.
What this means in practice
The Customs Code request is a defined SOQS workflow. SARS's current guide says it uses mandatory fields for identification, including title, initials, name, surname, trading name, case number, ID type and ID number. The user then selects Next, completes CAPTCHA and, after successful validation, selects a communication channel for the code. SARS illustrates email and SMS communications for this purpose.
Do not merge that process with the RLA supporting-document workflow. RLA uploads are a separate SOQS function: the guide describes a designated person capturing RLA identification information, matching it to SARS records, completing CAPTCHA and uploading documents requested by RLA. The Customs Code section does not tell a user to attach supporting documents or treat an upload confirmation as the code-retrieval result.
SARS's current SOQS guidance and external guide control the available options and onscreen fields. System labels can change. Follow the current prompts, and do not rely on a dated screenshot or a social-media instruction that uses a different request type.
Step-by-step
- Identify the exact legal entity.
Prepare the requestor's title, initials, name, surname, trading name, case number, ID type and ID number exactly as the current SOQS screen requires. Confirm that the identifying information matches the relevant SARS records before starting.
- Decide what the business needs.
A Customs Code request is different from a new importer registration, an RLA application status request, RLA supporting-document submission or a request to update particulars. Read the current option carefully. If the code is missing from internal records but the entity has a registration, use the code service rather than recreating an application.
- Use the identity-validation flow.
Complete the mandatory identification fields in Request my Customs Code. Select Next and complete the CAPTCHA before submission. If the entered information does not validate against SARS records, correct the underlying detail through the appropriate process instead of repeating inconsistent requests.
- Select the delivery channel and protect the code.
After successful validation, select the available communication channel for delivery of the code. SARS shows email and SMS as the communication methods. Keep the received Customs code confidential and do not put it in a shared spreadsheet or send it through an unprotected chat.
- Use a separate route only if SARS needs RLA documents.
Do not attempt to attach documents to a Customs Code request merely because an RLA matter is also pending. The RLA Supporting Documentation function has its own identification fields, CAPTCHA, RLA application number and upload process. Use that function only for an RLA document request and keep its case or application records separate.
- Keep only the minimum secure internal record.
Record the date, person who made the request and the secure delivery channel selected. Do not record the Customs code itself in a broadly accessible log. If a separate RLA document upload is made, record its application or case details separately and retain the upload confirmation there.
Documents and records to keep
Keep the requestor identification details, trading name, case number, delivery channel selection and any secure record that the code was received. Keep the Customs code confidential. For an RLA upload, retain the RLA application or case details, the specific requested documents and the upload confirmation in a separate file.
If an adviser or broker supports the query, keep the authority and scope of work. Do not place passwords, one-time codes or unrelated sensitive credentials in the evidence file. A record of who is authorised is sufficient and safer.
Important limits and exceptions
This article does not guarantee delivery of a Customs code or provide a substitute for the current SOQS screen sequence. The Customs Code workflow is not a document-upload process. A Customs Code request does not prove a company is registered for every Customs activity or approved for a particular licence.
Avoid creating a duplicate registration because a historical code is not immediately visible. First establish the existing entity facts and use the code, RLA status or RLA upload service that fits the problem. Where details differ, resolve the discrepancy rather than submitting several inconsistent requests.
When to get tailored advice
Get help if the identity fields do not match SARS records, the entity has changed name, cannot identify the requestor, cannot access historic records or needs both a Customs Code and an RLA document process. Advice is also appropriate where a Customs declaration is urgent and the registration question could delay a shipment.
TaxProof can help prepare the entity record sheet and controlled upload pack. We cannot access a client's SARS profile, guarantee a response time or bypass SARS security controls.