Foreign Families Turned Away from Dream Holiday to South Africa

An average of 10 families are being turned away from Heathrow Airport daily as they try to embark on a holiday to South Africa, according to a report by The Independent newspaper in the UK.

The British newspaper says that the families are being denied boarding after “falling foul of draconian new rules that demand a full birth certificate for each child”.

The main problem appears to lie with those travellers who book online and are not aware of the new rules – implemented on 1 June 2015 – and so turn up, packed and ready for their holiday to SA…without the required Unabridged Birth Certificate (UBC) for each child under 18.

Ironically for these families, if their flights were in three months’ time they would be allowed in to the country…as this law will then no longer apply to the children of foreign parents (although they will still be “strongly advised” to travel with a full birth certificate).

Cabinet approved certain changes to the new laws in October, following a decline in tourists travelling with children to South Africa. According to SA Tourism Services Association (SATSA), the number of minors travelling in and out of South Africa fell 50 percent due to UBC requirements. To encourage tourism back to SA, particularly from our biggest target markets – the USA and UK – the stringent regulations are being relaxed.

Just not yet. And unfortunately not in time for Christmas.

Home Affairs Minister Gigaba explained it will take up to three months to ensure it is done correctly, and with the proper legalities in place, because right now there is no “legal instrument as our current laws do not draw distinctions between children from different countries”.

The minister said that “in the meantime, the status quo will remain until such time that the necessary actions have been taken…” (So, until at least 31 January 2016, please follow the guidelines on this page if travelling with children.)

Until then, there are reports that some tourists are selecting other easier destinations for their holidays.

The Independent quotes David Frost, Chief Executive of SATSA, as saying: “It’s an appalling way to behave when we should be doing everything to foster tourism. With the Rand so favourable, we should have been growing at double digits, but out of the UK we have been basically flat.”

According to Frost, between 10 and 20 people are being denied access to board their long-haul flights to South Africa.

The main airlines which fly direct to SA have been doing their utmost to inform their passengers in advance of the requirements.

Until the law becomes less stringent for foreign families, if you’re an expat with friends travelling to South Africa – please let them know! (Also let them know, if a child is travelling unaccompanied by one or both parents, then a signed affidavit is required. Details here – travelling with children to South Africa.)

South African children will continue to be required to always travel in and out of SA with an Unabridged Birth Certificate (soon to be called a ‘Birth Certificate containing parental details’). Home Affairs Director-General Mkuseli Apleni said the DHA has recently relaxed the directive regarding the letter issued in lieu of the UBC. It used to be issued to those who hadn’t received their certificates within eight weeks, but it is now issued immediately upon request by clients due to the urgency of travel, irrespective of the time when an application has been lodged.