SARS EDI Transactions: CUSDEC (CUSTOMS DECLARATION)
A CUSDEC (Customs Declaration) message must be received by customs for each declaration. This information will be received centrally at the SARS EDI facility at HeadOffice. Once received, the data is automatically translated to ensure the information received conforms to the UN/EDIFACT syntax rules. Once this is established, a CONTRL (Syntax and Service Report) message is sent to the sender of the CUSDEC message, detailing the conformance, or non-conformance of the received CUSDEC message.
In the case of non-conformance, the exact error is highlighted. The CONTRL message must be used by the recipient in order to match the information contained therein to the original CUSDEC message. Should an error be reported the recipient is expected to rectify and re-transmit the CUSDEC message.
Once the CUSDEC message has passed translation successfully, it is mapped to the SARS internal file format and passed on to the import system for processing. Once processed, a CUSRES message will be sent back, denoting the status of the declaration.
The CUSDEC message for export declarations follows the similar rules as that of imports described above, although processed by different computer systems.
To learn more about EDI transactions and become a certified EDI Professional, please visit our course schedule page.