VAT103 Certificate: How to Get Your VAT Registration Certificate on eFiling

VAT103 or Notice of Registration?

They're the same document under two names. SARS's VAT 404 guide says that older versions of the Notice of Registration were known as the "VAT registration certificate" or "VAT 103", and that when SARS moved to a single registration process, the VAT103 was replaced by a standard Notice of Registration used across tax types.

The old name stuck, though. Clients and supplier forms still ask for "your VAT103" or "your VAT certificate". When they do, send them the VAT Notice of Registration. That's the current version of what they're asking for.

How to download it on eFiling

1. Log in to SARS eFiling. If the business is a company, work from the Organisations tab rather than your personal Home tab.
2. Click SARS Registered Details on the side menu.
3. Choose Notice of Registration.
4. Select VAT as the tax type.
5. Click View to open the latest notice, or Request new to have a fresh one issued. Save it as a PDF.

On an individual's profile there's a shortcut: the Notice of Registration icon at the top right of the eFiling home screen. The latest notice shows its date of issue, so you can see straight away whether you're looking at an old one.

If it isn't on eFiling

A few things can get in the way.

• Your registration hasn't been approved yet. SARS issues a VAT number straight away when it finds no risk. Otherwise it validates the application first, and you'll find a Registration Application Review Notice under your eFiling correspondence asking for documents. There's no Notice of Registration until that's done. Our step-by-step eFiling registration guide covers what happens after you submit.
• You registered without an eFiling profile. VAT 404 says the notice is sent to the email address, or posted to the postal address, on your application. Search your inbox before anything else.
• You can't find it anywhere. VAT 404 says you can call SARS for a copy. The contact centre number is 0800 00 7277.

If you need proof today and the notice is stuck, the public VAT Vendor Search will at least confirm that your registration exists (our guide to checking a VAT number shows how). VAT 404 suggests using it to check whether your registration has been processed.

Who asks for it, and why

A business that adds you as a supplier usually wants proof that you're registered before it pays your tax invoices, because it will be claiming the VAT on them. Expect the request on supplier onboarding forms and from larger clients' accounts teams.

Farmers have a specific reason to keep it handy. A vendor registered mainly for farming can buy certain farming inputs at the zero rate, but only by showing the supplier, such as a co-op, a Notice of Registration that says so. The older VAT103 carried the same statement.

Since the notice comes from SARS, it's stronger evidence than a VAT number typed onto your letterhead. Keep a recent PDF somewhere you can attach it quickly.

Once you have your VAT number

The notice usually arrives at the same time as a change in how you invoice. From your registration date, every invoice needs "Tax Invoice" at the top, your VAT number, and the VAT shown separately or as a statement that the total includes it. Invoices of R5,000 or more also need your client's name and address, and their VAT number if they're registered. The full checklist is in our SARS tax invoice requirements guide.

You'll also have your first VAT201 return to file at the end of your first tax period, which our VAT201 submission guide walks through. If you're still deciding whether to register at all, start with the VAT registration guide and its thresholds.

Doing this in Invo

When the notice arrives, add your VAT number to your business settings and turn VAT on for the lines that attract it. From then on Invo heads your documents "Tax invoice", prints both VAT numbers, and works out 15% on each line, so you don't have to rebuild your template. Your VAT201 figures build up as you invoice and record expenses (Solo plan and up). See how invoicing works and the VAT reports, or start on the free plan.

Questions people ask