Tag: Lovemore Ndlovu
New banking and tax rules – the impact on foreign property...
Foreign nationals who own fixed property in South Africa and derive rental income from it are increasingly facing new compliance hurdles when accessing or transferring those funds. Recent feedback from multiple South African banks indicates tighter access to non-resident bank accounts when account holders do not meet additional tax compliance requirements. As a result, foreign property owners could temporarily find themselves out of pocket under these new banking and tax rules.
SARB’s new rules – implications for transferring income abroad
At the end of October 2025, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) introduced significant changes to how cross-border income transfers are processed. These updates tighten compliance and strengthen the alignment between SARB and the South African Revenue Service (SARS). Under SARB’s new rules, no South African-sourced income may be transferred abroad until SARS verifies an individual’s non-resident tax status and overall tax compliance.
The ‘silent’ changes affecting South Africans who are emigrating
The transition from the old emigration regime to the current regime - ceasing of tax residency, came with some relief. However, there were some silent changes that went unnoticed. The most notable change has been the requirement of a SARS Tax Compliance Status (TCS PIN) for every capital transfer a Non-Resident/Non-Tax Resident makes to offshore.
