Info on South Africa
International Telephone
calls | Water
| Health Care
| Immunisations |
Customs |
Tax |
Airports |
Visa Requirements |
Business / Store Hours |
Electricity | Standard
Time | Currency
and Exchange Rates |
Climate | Tipping
| safety| Further
Info
Climate
A summer-rainfall area, Gauteng has hot summers and cold winters
with frost. April is the beginning of autumn in the province, and usually
starts becoming chilly, especially at night. It is advisable to bring a jersey
or light jacket. The days can be sunny and clear, and it is unlikely to rain.
Currency and
Exchange Rates
The South African monetary unit is the Rand, denoted by the symbol
R. Bank notes are issued in denominations of R10, R20, R50, R100 and R200.
There are also 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cent coins and R1, R2 and R5 coins.
Major credit cards, charge cards as well as travellers' cheques in
major currencies are generally accepted in larger hotels, restaurants and
shops. Travellers' cheques and foreign currency notes of all major currencies
may be exchanged at commercial banks, most hotels and foreign exchange
counters.
Information on exchange rates for more than 20 countries is
available at www.southafrica.co.za/forex/
Automatic Teller Machines and Banking
South Africa is acknowledge as having on of the most sophisticated
financial services information technology infrastructures in the world. Banking
hours are from 09h 00 to 15h30 on weekdays and 09h00 to 11h00 on Saturdays.
ATMs are in generous supply and can be found at most shopping malls as well as
24-hour petrol stations and in some hotel lobbies. Most ATMs accept a variety
of international banking cards.
Banking services at O.R. Tambo International Airport are open two
hours before and two hours after the arrival and departure of international
flights, 24 hours a day.
Standard Time
South African standard time is two hours in advance of Greenwich
Mean Time (GMT + 2). There are no time differences within the country.
Electricity
South African electricity operates on 220/230 volts AC at 50 cycles per second.
Three pronged plugs are used throughout the country, so take an adapter. Most
hotel rooms have 110 volt outlets for electric shavers and small appliances.
Business and
Store Hours
Offices and businesses are generally open from 08h30 to 17h00 from Monday to
Friday, with extended times over the weekends. Information on shopping hours
will be available at the hotel.
Visa Requirements
Please note that unless you are traveling from a visa exempt country you will
not be permitted to enter South Africa at OR Tambo International, Cape Town
International or Durban International Airports, without a valid visa for South
Africa.
Please ensure that you have a valid visa to prevent any problems at
South African immigration control.
Entry requirements:
-
A valid acceptable passport/travel document good for a sufficient
period to cover the intended stay.
-
A valid visa, if required.
-
Sufficient funds.
-
A return / onward ticket.
-
Yellow fever certificates are required if the journey starts or
entails passing through the yellow fever belt of Africa or South America.
For a list of South African foreign embassies in other countries
please click
http://www.dfa.gov.za/foreign/sa_abroad/index.htm or find out
more about visa requirements from the South African Department of Foreign
Affairs at
www.dfa.gov.za/foreign/forrep/for a.htm.
Airports
South Africa has airports in all of the major cities. The three main airports
are
-
OR Tambo International Airport (formerly Johannesburg
International Airport), the closest to the Sandton Convention Centre,
-
Cape Town International Airport and
-
Durban International Airport.
Daily operating schedules and other airline information can be
obtained on the airport authorities website www.airports.co.za
including information regarding commercial amenities offered and time
schedules of arrivals and departures. The website also has information on other
international and regional airports.
Tax / VAT Refunds
As a visitor to South Africa, you can spend as little as R 250.00 on goods
intended for export, and claim a VAT refund. The user-friendly procedure allows
you to claim your money before you even leave South African territory.
Non-residents on a temporary visit to South Africa are eligible to
claim a VAT refund in respect of movable goods exported through a designated
point of departure within 90 days from the date of purchase.
Original tax invoices, foreign passport, plus all the items on
which a refund is claimed, must be presented at the VAT refund administration
office or an appointed RSA customs and excise official on departure, and the
total VAT on these items will be refunded.
Visitors will be requested to fill out a VAT Refund Control Form
(VAT 255). Where a visitor does not export all the goods specified on a
particular tax invoice, only the value of the goods and the tax paid on such
goods exported must be declared on this form.
| For Additional Information: |
| Contact:
|
VAT Refund Administrator (Pty) Ltd
|
| Postal Address:
|
P.O. Box 107; Johannesburg International Airport
|
| Postal code:
|
1627
|
| Telephone:
|
+27 (0)11 394 - 1117
|
| Facsimile:
|
+27 (0)11 394 - 1430
|
| E-Mail:
|
info@taxrefunds.co.za
|
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Customs
Duty-free Allowances:
The following goods may be included in passenger's baggage either by residents
or non-residents, but not exceeding the following limits: Wine 2 litres per
person, Spirits and other alcoholic beverages 1 litre per person, Cigarettes
200 cigarettes per person, Cigars 20 cigars per person, Cigarette or pipe
tobacco 250g per person, Perfume 50 ml per person, Toilet water (Eau de
Toilette) 250 ml per person, 0ther new or used goods with a total value not
exceeding R3 000, 00 per person.
Allowances may not be pooled or transferred to other persons.
Green Channel:
On arrival take the Green Channel if you have no commercial or restricted goods
and/or have goods within the duty-free allowance.
Customs Charges:
Pay duty (an average of 20%) on items over allowed limit before leaving customs
hall.
Immunisations
Yellow Fever:
Usually no international immunisation is needed when entering South Africa.
However a Yellow Fever vaccination certificate from travellers over one year of
age entering South Africa within six days of leaving an infected country is
required. Visitors who travel through or disembark in these areas are required
to be inoculated against the disease before visiting South Africa.
(For information on Yellow Fever areas in South America and Africa
look at the
maps on the website)
Malaria.
The conference site, Gauteng province, is Malaria free, and if you are planning
to travel outside the province, to be sure to be aware of Malaria areas in the
country. No official conference events are planned to take place in Malaria
zones. If you plan further travels in a Malaria zone, consult your travel
doctor to prescribe the most appropriate anti-Malaria agent for your purposes.
(Look at the
map for Malaria risk areas outside of Johannesburg).
Health Care
As with all international travel, it is strongly advised that delegates are
covered by international health insurance for the duration of the conference.
Water
Johannesburg's water supply is of a very high quality and may be drunk directly
from the tap. However, bottled water is available in almost all stores and
hotels.
International
Telephone Calls
If you wish to make an overseas call, consult the hotel front desk or
conference information desk. However, bear in mind that the dialing code out of
South Africa is 09. Mobile telephone providers are available at OR Tambo
Airport and services include phone hire, airtime and other mobile telephone
services.
Tipping
Tipping is customary in South Africa. A guideline for visitors is the
following: Porters R10 to R15 per item at the airports and hotels. Taxis are
10%. All other services are generally between 10% and 15%.
Safety and security guidelines
As is the case with all populous international business, holiday and sporting
destinations worldwide, it will be necessary to take a number of basic safety
precautions during your stay in Johannesburg. Very clear precautions as well as
emergency telephone numbers will be given to all delegates on arrival, in their
conference packs.
Further
Information
Go to the International Marketing Council website at
http://www.imc.org.za/ and the SA Tourism website at
http://www.southafrica.net/.
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