New South African regulations for travelling with children

The Department of South African Home Affairs has announced new requirements for adults travelling with children. Following the concern about the growing issue of child trafficking, immigration laws have recently undergone an intense revision & parents travelling with children would now be requested to provide an unabridged birth certificate of all travelling children.

Parents and guardians can apply at any of their nearest home affairs offices for the unabridged birth certificates for their children even if they do not have plans to travel abroad in the near future as this is a legal requirement. The Act now requires that every child must possess his or her own passport.

Below, we have put together things that you need to know about this new regulation.

To whom does this apply?
This applies to parents of the child even when both are travelling with their child and it also applies to foreigners and South Africans alike. When children are travelling with guardians, these adults are required to produce affidavits from parents proving permission for the children to travel.  

Closing date:
As of 1 October, 2014 parents must produce an unabridged birth certificate reflecting the particulars of the child they are travelling with. Parents and guardians have until the end of September 2014 to travel with children without producing an unabridged birth certificate as required by the new immigration regulations. The new regulations came into operation on 26 May 2014 with the Immigration Amendment Acts of 2007 and 2011.

Regulation 6: (12)

The department says this regulation is for the safety of children, their protection from child trafficking, abduction and kidnapping. Please visit the Home Affairs website for the detailed regulations. For further queries, contact:
David Hlabane: 071 527 9463
Thabo Mokgola: 071 712 9710

• See also: Home Affairs just made it a lot easier to apply for a visa in SA