TRAVELLERS to or from
South Africa with children
on foreign passports
remain confused about
birth certificate regulations.
Contradicting information
being communicated by the
DHA and Iata’s regulation
guiding system, Timatic.
In TNW dated April 3, it
was reported that the DHA
had issued an updated
advisory saying: “Where
both parents are travelling
accompanied by one or
more of their children, such
children have to produce
valid passports and
visas, where applicable,”
(as per paragraph 3.1) –
with no mention of birth
certificates.
On April 1, an Iata
spokesperson told TNW’s
sister publication, Tourism
Update: “We were in
contact with Home Affairs
last week, and they have
confirmed that the birth
certificate is still a must
to travel to South Africa
(the only difference is that
a copy of it is sufficient)
– this information is
published as such in
Timatic.”
The wording on Timatic is
as follows:
Minors:
Minors younger than 18
years, travelling to/from
South Africa:
A. With both parents,
must hold an original or a
copy of a birth certificate or
a passport containing the
details of the parents.
Ndiphiwe Ntuli, gm
of the Board of Airline
Representatives of South
Africa told TNW that
airlines would continue
to exercise caution when
accepting passengers for
boarding. “The wording
remains that passengers
may be required to
produce these documents,
so airlines continue to
recommend carrying them,”
he says.
The differing directives
leave airline staff with
no choice other than to
request BCs for all foreign
minors entering SA.
