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SARB EXCHANGE CONTROL

How much offshore room is left?

South Africa gives a resident two separate annual channels for moving money out. This works out what a transfer would draw from each — from the limits you enter, not from a figure we have printed and hoped stayed current.

Your position

Both allowances reset on a calendar year, not the tax year.

SARB's cap as at 8 April 2026. Edit it if your bank applies a different figure.

Travel, gifts, card spend abroad and offshore transfers already made.

SARB's cap as at 8 April 2026. Edit it if your bank applies a different figure.

Amounts already sent under a tax compliance status pin.

Drawn from discretionary capacity first, then foreign investment capacity.

What that leaves

Enter the amount you want to send. The two caps are SARB's as at 8 April 2026, and both are yours to change — clear one and this stops measuring against it.

Single discretionary allowanceof R 2 000 000
Already usedR 0
This transfer drawsR 0
Left after itR 2 000 000
Foreign investment allowanceof R 10 000 000
Already usedR 0
This transfer drawsR 0
Left after itR 10 000 000

An estimate on the figures you entered — not exchange-control advice. Your bank confirms what you may send.

Where the two caps come from

Both are exchange-control settings, not arithmetic: the Reserve Bank sets them and your bank applies them. They are filled in above as SARB published them, dated, and left editable — because a cap moves by circular, and the figure your Authorised Dealer applies to you is the one that decides the transfer.

Single discretionary allowance, annual cap — R 2 000 000 per calendar year
Foreign capital allowance, annual cap — R 10 000 000 per calendar year, and it needs a SARS tax compliance status pin
South African resident individuals aged 18 and older.

As at 8 April 2026, per the circulars listed at the foot of this page. Confirm with SARB, SARS or your bank before you transfer anything.

Two channels, two sets of paperwork

Single discretionary allowance

The everyday channel: travel, gifts and donations, maintenance paid abroad, study costs, card spend on an overseas trip, and straightforward offshore transfers. It is available to a resident individual over eighteen with a valid South African identity document, and it does not need a clearance from SARS before you use it — your bank reports it against your identity number.

Annual cap: R 2 000 000 per calendar year, as at 8 April 2026. It has moved before — it doubled on that date — so the calculator above starts from this figure and lets you replace it with whatever your bank applies.

Foreign investment allowance

The larger channel, for genuine offshore investment rather than spending. It sits on top of the discretionary allowance, and it is gated: you need a tax compliance status pin from SARS covering approval for international transfer, which your bank verifies before it will release the funds. Expect to show where the money came from.

Annual cap: R 10 000 000 per calendar year, as at 8 April 2026. Amounts beyond it are possible but need the Reserve Bank’s own approval through your bank, case by case.

Questions people ask first

What is the single discretionary allowance (SDA)?

It is the allowance South African residents aged 18 and older may use to move money abroad without a SARS tax compliance status PIN. SARB's Authorised Dealer Manual sets it at an overall limit of R2 million per individual per calendar year, usable for any legal purpose abroad — travel, gifts, study, maintenance or investment. It was R1 million until 8 April 2026, when Exchange Control Circular 6/2026 raised it.

What is the foreign investment allowance (FIA)?

It is the second, larger annual allowance — R10 million per individual per calendar year — for moving capital offshore through an Authorised Dealer into a foreign currency account or an offshore investment. SARB's Authorised Dealer Manual calls it the foreign capital allowance; SARS and the industry call it the foreign investment allowance. Unlike the single discretionary allowance, it requires SARS approval first.

Do I need SARS approval to transfer money offshore?

It depends which allowance the transfer falls under. SARB's rules do not call for a SARS tax compliance status PIN to use the single discretionary allowance. The foreign capital allowance does: a TCS PIN obtained through the Approval for International Transfer application on SARS eFiling must be presented to the Authorised Dealer before the transfer, and the amount moved may not exceed the amount SARS approved. Transfers of a capital nature still call for a TCS PIN even inside the discretionary allowance.

When do the allowances reset?

Both are set per calendar year, so 1 January starts a fresh limit. SARB publishes them as annual limits per calendar year rather than as a running balance carried forward, and states that the annual limits may not be exceeded. If the timing of a transfer matters to you, confirm the treatment with your bank first.

Why do some pages still say R1 million?

The increase to R2 million took effect on 8 April 2026 through SARB Exchange Control Circulars 6/2026 and 7/2026, which amend the Authorised Dealer and ADLA manuals. Explainer pages and guidance documents published before that date — including some on SARB's own site — still print the old R1 million figure. The circular is the later source, and it is the one linked at the foot of this page.

Who administers these allowances?

The South African Reserve Bank's Financial Surveillance Department administers exchange control, and transfers run through Authorised Dealers — the banks and, within limits, licensed money-transfer providers authorised to deal in foreign exchange. SARS handles the tax compliance status approval that the foreign capital allowance requires. Questions about your own allowances belong with your bank or SARS.

What happens if I need to move more than both allowances allow?

SARB's guidelines say the Financial Surveillance Department will consider applications made through an Authorised Dealer to invest offshore in addition to the foreign capital allowance, accompanied by a SARS TCS PIN. Current transfers above the discretionary allowance are subject to verification by the Financial Surveillance Department and approved on proof of the bona fide nature and legitimacy of the transfer. That is a conversation to open with your bank.

What about residents under 18?

SARB's rules state that residents under the age of 18 may not be accorded the single discretionary allowance, but may be accorded a travel allowance not exceeding R400 000 per calendar year. That figure was raised from R200 000 by the same April 2026 circulars.

Where these figures come from

Stated as at 8 April 2026. Exchange-control limits change by circular, so check the primary documents — or ask your bank — before acting on anything here.

Send it without the branch visit.
Once your allowance is clear, 80eight moves the money — same day, at a rate you can see before you confirm.

This is an estimate built entirely from the figures you enter, not tax, exchange-control or financial advice. Allowance limits and the conditions attached to them are set by the South African Reserve Bank and applied by your bank; both should be confirmed with them before you rely on a number here.