Country-by-country guides covering transit times, carrier options, customs documents, duty rates, and packaging requirements. Whether you're exporting from South Africa or importing, find everything you need to ship with confidence.
These shipping guides are provided by JLog, a Cape Town-based third-party logistics company specialising in international shipping from South Africa. JLog ships to 100+ countries via FedEx, DHL, and specialist freight handlers, with in-house customs clearance and specialist handling for art, furniture, and wine.
Air freight from South Africa typically takes 3–7 business days to most destinations. Express couriers (FedEx, DHL) deliver in 2–5 days. Sea freight takes 2–6 weeks depending on the destination — for example, 14–18 days to the UK and 21–28 days to the US East Coast. Transit times vary by carrier, route, and customs processing at destination.
At minimum you need a commercial invoice, packing list, and shipper's letter of instruction. Depending on the goods, you may also need a certificate of origin, phytosanitary certificate, CITES permit (for protected species products), or ISPM-15 compliance certificate for wooden packaging. JLog prepares all documentation as part of its shipping service.
Shipping cost is based on the chargeable weight — whichever is greater between actual weight and volumetric weight. Volumetric weight is calculated as length × width × height (in cm) ÷ 5000. Additional factors include destination, service speed, insurance, customs clearance fees, and any surcharges (fuel, remote area, residential delivery).
Sea freight is significantly cheaper but slower (2–6 weeks vs 2–7 days). It is best for heavy, bulky, or non-urgent shipments — typically items over 100kg. Air freight is faster and better for time-sensitive, high-value, or lightweight goods. For mid-range shipments, the cost difference can be 4–8x between sea and air.
Yes. All JLog shipments include real-time tracking via the JLog portal. For courier shipments (FedEx, DHL, The Courier Guy), you receive a tracking number that works on the carrier's website. For sea freight, JLog provides container tracking with vessel name, ETA updates, and customs status notifications.