Don’t doom your Safari Holiday before it starts!

If your plans involve traveling to, from or through South Africa you’ll want to pay attention to a new immigration policy that takes effect June 1.

Beginning next Monday, minors (18 yrs and under) traveling to, transiting or leaving South Africa must present a valid, certified Birth Certificate.  Failure to do so will result in the child being denied entry to the country or being forbidden to leave South Africa.  This also applies to minors that are simply transiting through South Africa enroute to a different nation.

The new rule has a few details to it as well that covers situations where the child is traveling with only one parent, unaccompanied or with adult guardians (Courtesy of the South African High Commission):

 

Where parents are traveling with a child, such parents must produce an unabridged birth certificate of the child reflecting the particulars of the parents of the child.

 

In the case of one parent traveling 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.

 

Where a person is traveling 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 shehas 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.

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.