SA Immigration – An Important Reminder

Do you have guests planning to travel with children to or through South Africa? Over the past few years, the immigration rules for minors entering South Africa have left many scratching their heads with uncertainty with regard to documentation requirements.

Our partners at New Frontiers in South Africa would like to be certain everyone planning travel is prepared for an adventure of a lifetime and not disappointment.

This is an important reminder that the Immigration rules for Minors are still in effect in South Africa. Although changes have been proposed, these have not yet been gazetted. As such, the original requirements for Unabridged Birth Certificates (UBC’s) are very much still in place.

New Frontiers have notified us that they have had a spate of pax being denied boarding or entry, so please ensure that you are still advising clients that the rules are strictly in place.
The official list of requirements can be found on the following link: http://www.newfrontierstours.com/downloads/SAImmigration2016.pdf

Pax in transit: We are often asked about pax in direct transit. UBC’s are not required for transit pax, but baggage must then be checked through to final destination as they will not be able to pass through Immigration to re-check baggage. There is a transit hotel at Johannesburg O.R Tambo (The Protea O.R Tambo Transit Hotel) for clients who have a longer lay over and don’t want to exit the airport. You will see the note regarding transit pax under point 6d (General Notes). As there is often confusion between the airlines and Immigration about the exact requirements, we recommend that pax travel with a copy of the Department of Home Affairs document stating that no supporting documentation is required if they are in transit.