New SA Regulations for Travelling with Children

Here’s a heads-up if you’re travelling with children into or out of South Africa. There are new regulations which the Department of Home Affairs has announced will come into law on October 01, 2014. Below is advice on all you should need to know from Trace Patchin, Travel Manager at Harvey World Travel Hillcrest, and from Intergate Immigration, a South African visa application and immigration services company.

According to Patchin, the new regulations – as advised by ASAT Association of Southern African Travel Agents) and Home Affairs – will require that “all parents arriving, transiting and departing from South Africa produce an unabridged birth certificate for their children (kids up to the age of 18).

“Airlines will be forced to refuse travel to families not in possession of these documents.

“In the case where only one parent is travelling with the children, consent in the form of an affidavit from the other parent registered is required. Alternatively, either a court order granting full parental responsibilities and rights or a death certificate of the other parent must be produced.”

Here is further information from a blog post that Intergate Immigration have kindly given us permission to re-publish:

New South African regulations for traveling with children

We had numerous phone calls from concerned parents who had questions in regards of the new rules of travelling with children.

Please find the information as stated in the new South African immigration regulations:

Regulation 6:
(12)
(a) Where parents are travelling with a child, such parents must produce an unabridged birth certificate of the child reflecting the particulars of the parents of the child.

(b) In the case of one parent travelling with a child, he or she must produce an unabridged birth certificate and-
(i) consent in the form of an affidavit from the other parent registered as a parent on the birth certificate of the child authorising him or her to enter into or depart from the Republic with the child he or she is travelling with;
(ii) a court order granting full parental responsibilities and rights or legal guardianship in respect of the child, if he or she is the parent or legal guardian of the child; or
(iii) where applicable, a death certificate of the other parent registered as a parent of the child on the birth certificate;
Provided that the Director-General may, where the parents of the child are both deceased and the child is travelling with a relative or another person related to him or her or his or her parents, approve such a person to enter into or depart from the Republic with such a child.

(c) Where a person is travelling with a child who is not his or her biological child, he or she must produce-
(i) a copy of the unabridged birth certificate of the child;
(ii) an affidavit from the parents or legal guardian of the child confirming that he or she has permission to travel with the child;
(iii) copies of the identity documents or passports of the parents or legal guardian of the child; and
(iv) the contact details of the parents or legal guardian of the child, Provided that the Director-General may, where the parents of the child are both deceased and the child is travelling with a relative or another person related to him or her or his or her parents, approve such a person to enter into or depart from the Republic with such a child.

(d) Any unaccompanied minor shall produce to the immigration officer-
(i) proof of consent from one of or both his or her parents or legal guardian, as the case may be, in the form of a letter or affidavit for the child to travel into or depart from the Republic: Provided that in the case where one parent provides proof of consent, that parent must also provide a copy of a court order issued to him or her in terms of which he or she has been granted full parental responsibilities and rights in respect of
the child;
(ii) a letter from the person who is to receive the child in the Republic, containing his or her residential address and contact details in the Republic where the child will be residing;
(iii) a copy of the identity document or valid passport and visa or permanent residence permit of the person who is to receive the child in the Republic; and (iv) the contact details of the parents or legal guardian of the child.

Please see the original post from Intergate-Immigration here.

Copy and paste this url to view a PDF from the Department of Home Affairs about the new Immigration Regulations:
http://www.dha.gov.za/images/final_Immigration_Regulations_2014_1.pdf

UPDATE: This article has been updated with the Department of Home Affair’s announcement that the implementation of this law will be delayed (from 01 July) until 01 October 2014 – read more.