Dear Rodney
Please see below the information that we received today.
Kind Regards
Sylvia van den Berg
Leisure Consultant
share call: 0860 438 292
Tel: +27 21 527 6300
Direct fax: 086 654 8381
e-mail: sylvia@gatewaytours.co.za
The New Immigration Regulation dictates that as from 01 October 2014 children under the age of 18 years, require UNABRIDGED BIRTH CERTIFICATES, along with their passports, when travelling. Should you be travelling with/making a reservation for children, please ensure that you apply for these certificates timeously.
From: Nodine White [mailto:nodine@gatewaytours.co.za]
Sent: 17 September 2014 09:27 AM
To: angelique; corrie; Giselle Lannas; 'Lyn Albrecht'; Nicky Murphy; peter dorgan; sarah carter; Sylvia van den Berg
Subject: Regulations for child travellers postponed - TWN
Regulations for child travellers postponed
17 Wed, Sep 2014
The requirement that children under the age of 18 travelling to, from and through SA produce an unabridged birth certificate has been postponed until June 1, 2015. Similarly, the additional requirement for written permission in instances where children travel unaccompanied by parents, travelling with only one parent has been postponed.
This was announced by Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba, at a media briefing on Tuesday.
Furthermore, Gigaba stated: “For foreigners’ purposes, an unabridged birth certificate is merely a birth certificate from the responsible authority in their country, which lists the particulars of the child’s parents. In the instance where this information is contained on the child’s passport, this too shall be accepted.”
The immigration regulations were announced in May as part of the new Immigration Amendment Act, which came into effect on May 26. Subsequent to industry lobbying, the requirements for children travelling under the age of 18 were postponed till October 1. Implementation of these regulations has now been further delayed.
Under the new regulations, people travelling to SA on a visa are required to apply for the visa in person. Parents travelling with children under the age of 18 are required to produce an unabridged birth certificate for each child. In the case where only one parent is travelling with the child(ren), consent in the form of an affidavit from the other parent registered is required. Alternatively, either a court order granting full parental responsibilities and rights or a death certificate of the other parent must be produced.
Gigaba said that, given the challenges identified by stakeholders and in light of the upcoming peak travel periods for families, a postponement of the regulations would assist travellers and the sectors as a whole. He added that during the period of the postponement, Deputy Director General for Immigration Services, Jackie Mckay, had been directed to work intensively with industry stakeholders to ensure accurate information was available to all prospective travellers accompanying children around the world.
According to Gigaba, other regulations published as part of the Act would remain in effect. This includes the requirement that people apply for visas in person to enable the capturing of biometrics. Gigaba emphasised that this requirement was not unique to SA and was required from visitors by other countries. “Most elements of the regulations are working well,” he said.
“Since the announcement of the new regulations, we have consistently maintained that we welcome constructive engagement from stakeholders on the implementation of these regulations,” said Gigaba. “We thank those stakeholders who have engaged us actively and constructively.” Gigaba added that the information provided by stakeholders assisted the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to service nationals, visitors and various stakeholders more efficiently.
Gigaba said that different stakeholders had drawn the department’s attention to challenges around the requirements for child travellers. “Stakeholders have alerted us to two main challenges,” he said. “Firstly, of ensuring accurate and timely communication to missions abroad, travel operators and prospective travellers around the world about the new requirements.” According to Gigaba, the second challenge identified was that parents and people authorised to travel with children needed time to obtain the required documentation.
Gigaba said furthermore that, subsequent to the meeting between DHA and the Department of Tourism, as well as Minister of Tourism Derek Hanekom, the department had met with various stakeholders and last week announced the formation of a joint task team, which would enable ongoing engagement. “We are enormously pleased with the establishment of this task team and trust that its industry representatives will bring invaluable perspectives and information on the tourism and travel sector and help us improve communication with their clients and the sector as a whole.”
Gigaba’s announcement follows a meeting on Friday between the minister and industry associations.
Industry associations – including SATSA, Barsa, Asata and Iata – have spent the past two months actively lobbying for a postponement of the new regulations to allow time for them to be effectively communicated and systematically implemented. The postponement has been welcomed by industry associations.
SATSA CEO David Frost described the postponement as a small but significant win and welcomed the establishment of the task team. “I will be part of the task team and will carry the SATSA perspective strongly in the process,” said Frost. He also thanked Minister Hanekom for the role he has played to date.
“We are grateful to have had the opportunity to address our concerns with Minister Gigaba regarding the impact of these new immigration regulations and pleased that these concerns have been heard and reacted to in this way,” said ASATA CEO Otto de Vries.
Nodine White
Product Manager
Share call: 0860 438 292
tel: +27 21 527 6300
fax: +27 21 551 6389
email: nodine@gatewaytours.co.za
web:www.gatewaytours.co.za
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