Who We Are

Our Story

Over 30 years resolving complex Customs matters.

Customs Refund Specialists (CRS) was founded in 1992 by Andre Hattingh and Mark A. Smith. More than three decades later, that foundation has grown into one of South Africa’s most experienced and respected specialist Customs consultancy practices.

Over the years, we have helped importers recover overpaid Customs duty, resolve complex disputes, obtain certainty through tariff classification, and strengthen Customs compliance across a wide range of industries, including retail, manufacturing, automotive, food and beverage, and electronics.

The work is highly specialised, often technically complex, and always focused on delivering practical commercial outcomes for our clients.

What we do

We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all solutions. Every business has different products, different risks and different commercial objectives.

Our role is to understand those differences and provide practical Customs solutions tailored to each client’s circumstances, helping them make informed decisions with confidence.

Our services range from Customs compliance reviews and risk management strategies to tariff classification, duty optimisation, dispute resolution and rebate and drawback applications. We also identify opportunities to recover overpaid Customs duty while helping clients reduce future exposure to Customs risk.

Why choose Customs Refund Specialists?

Over three decades of specialist Customs expertise across a wide range of industries.
Independent Customs advice focused on the best outcome for your business.
Specialist support that works alongside and complements your clearing agent.
Commercially practical solutions that reduce costs, manage risk and support informed decisions.
Confidential support from the start, with an NDA available before information is shared.
No professional fee for eligible duty recovery reviews unless we recover Customs duty.

Our commitment

Relationships that last.

We measure our success by the strength of our client relationships. Businesses that first engaged CRS in 1992 continue to rely on our advice today.

That level of trust is earned through consistent results, technical excellence and straightforward, practical advice. We take pride in building long-term partnerships and becoming a trusted extension of our clients’ businesses whenever specialist Customs expertise is required.