The new immigration regulations concerning travelling with children in and out of South Africa has been a hot topic and the regular changes in regulations have left many travellers frustrated and confused. Since its introduction back in 2015 the unabridged birth certificate has been a grey area for travellers in and out of South Africa.
In a turn of events and a bid to improve visitor rates to South Africa, Home Affairs and the tourism departments are working together to relax visa regulations. Minister Derek Hanekom and Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba announced that they are setting up a dedicated team of officials to assist in easing visa requirements in South African for visitors.
Note That We No Longer Assist With Unabridged Birth Certificate Applications
We are looking at what it is we can do without compromising country security interests and without failing in our responsibility to combat human trafficking and child trafficking in particular.
— Derek Hanekom, Minister of Tourism
What is an Unabridged Birth Certificate?
An unabridged birth certificate contains the identity document number, first name and surname, date of birth, place of birth, and country of birth of not only the minor to which it belongs but for both parents or legal guardians as well. If the original unabridged birth certificate is not written in English, then a sworn English translation performed by an accredited authority in the minor’s country of origin is to be provided.
For more detail around Unabridged Birth Certificates, click here
Travelling with a minor
If you want to know more about travelling with a minor to South Arica check out our previous post – Travelling to and from South Africa with a Minor Child