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Travelling to South Africa with children after 1st October 2014?

5 replies

AttilaTheMeerkat · 11/07/2014 16:32

Then you need to be aware of this new ruling:-

South Africa is to introduce new rules that will significantly increase paperwork requirements for those travelling to and from the country with children.

From October 1 2014, parents travelling to South Africa with a child – defined as those under 18 years – will need to produce an unabridged birth certificate that shows the names of both parents, with a sworn translation if not in English. For single parents, or those travelling alone with their child, the new regulations are likely to prove even more off-putting. They will also need to produce an affidavit in which the absent parent gives consent for the child to travel, a court order granting full parental responsibilities or legal guardianship of the child, or the death certificate of the absent parent. A further rule requires that the affidavit should be no more than three months old on the date of travel.

If under-18s are travelling with someone other than their parents, the accompanying person must also carry the child's birth certificate, alongside affidavits from the parents or legal guardians, copies of the identity documents or passports of the parents or legal guardian, and their contact details.

To be allowed to travel alone to South Africa, under-18s will need to produce not only an unabridged birth certificate, but also proof of consent from both parents, or legal guardian, their contact details, and information on who they will be staying with while in the country.

Under the new rules, all documents must be originals or approved copies. The regulations were initially going to come into force from September 1, but after an outcry from the tourism industry, and the fact that it can take two months to obtain birth certificates in South Africa, the date was delayed.

OP posts:
AWhistlingWoman · 11/07/2014 16:35

Thank you Attila I didn't know this and I'm planning on taking my three DCs to South Africa next year.

Hopefully it will be quite straightforward as DH will be travelling with us?

PeriPathetic · 11/07/2014 16:40

Whistling: no, it's actually easier IMHO if the children travel without parents! You basically have to prove they are yours and you aren't abducting them.

The ruling was supposed to come into force on 1st July but they only told people at the end of June. Pressure has forced them to change the date.

I'm flying there tomorrow, so I may have a better idea how it might work after that.

ElizabethMedora · 15/07/2014 06:43

Interested in update on this...

PeriPathetic · 15/07/2014 07:46

No issues at all on this trip. I took all paperwork just in case though. I guess it's all calmed down until October.

ElizabethMedora · 15/07/2014 09:48

Thanks for the update.

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