We have spoken often about what a great country South Africa is to enjoy a family safari or vacation. There is just so much for kids to do and learn and the thrill of encountering wildlife as a family unit can bring families together in a special way. The good news is that South Africa is also now much safer and more child friendly!
There was some concern for
a time in relation to very strict rules regarding the producing of Birth
Certificates when travelling with children. These were set up by the South
African government for the right reasons – to guard against human trafficking,
a sad reality in this and of course many other parts of the world.
Foreign Travel Regulations Now Relaxed
Since the 2nd April
this year (2019), children under 18 years of age travelling with both
biological parents who are foreign visa exempt, are no longer required to carry
a Birth Certificate. They now only need to carry a valid passport. Even for
South African children travelling abroad; if they don’t have a birth
certificate, they only need to have a passport that shows the details of one or
both parents.
A Word Of Caution
In the interests of always being transparent and assuring our visitors are kept properly informed we must also issue a word of caution.
Where both adults travelling with the child are not the biological parents, the South African Department of Home Affairs still advises you to travel with the child’s birth certificate, just in case it is asked for.
This applies where the child is travelling with only one parent or with one parent who is not their biological parent.
When a child is travelling unaccompanied, they still definitely need to carry their Birth Certificate with them.
The Good News
In accordance with the latest regulations published by the South African Department of Home Affairs these are the exemptions to all the normal documentation requirements:
- South
African children travelling on South African passports may travel to South
Africa without birth certificates. - Supporting documents are not required where
children are in direct transit at an international airport. - Children
in possession of valid South African visas are not required to produce the
documents already submitted as part of their visa applications when travelling
through a port of entry of the Republic. - A child
presenting a passport which contains the details of his or her parent or
parents is not required to produce a birth certificate/equivalent document. - In the
case of school tours, the parental consent letter may be replaced with a letter
from the school principal confirming that all consent letters are held by the
school. Upon
producing this letter, immigration officers at ports of entry and South African
missions abroad would not require any additional documents from individual
scholars such as parental consent, birth certificates, death certificates,
court orders or copies of the passports
or identity documents of the parents and of the person receiving the child in
SA. This special dispensation applies to all schools registered with the
Department of Basic Education in South Africa and its equivalent abroad.
For more information about
the newest regulations as published on the South African Department of Home
Affairs’ website, please visit: www.dha.gov.za.
Bring The Family on Safari
So it’s official, South Africa is now much more child travel friendly… so what are you waiting for? Let us at Jewel of Africa Safaris tailor make a package for you and your family that includes all the activities both you and your kids will enjoy.
Contact us to learn about the numerous destinations, safaris, guided tours and child friendly activities that are right here – just waiting to be savoured by the whole family!
