SA relaxes new travel laws
Following the controversy, the new travel laws pertaining to 'unabridged' birth certificates and travel visas have been 'relaxed'
THE South African Cabinet recently approved recommendation from the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) to relax the country’s new visa regulations and requirements for ‘unabridged’ birth certificates following a decline in the international tourism industry.
The IMC suggested that the regulations allow accredited travel agents to make visa applications on behalf of their clients and that foreign tourists are no longer required to have unabridged birth certificates for minors in order to travel to and from South Africa. This means foreign nationals would only need to provide original birth certificates or certified copies during the application process. The government hopes that the decisions will ‘streamline’ visa applications and improve the country’s tourism industry.
However, an unabridged birth certificate with an affidavit from the other parent consenting to the travel plans is still a necessary requirement for South African parents planning to travel with minors.
The new visa requirements came into effect on 1 October 2014, while the unabridged certificate requirement was officially enforced in June this year in an effort to tackle child trafficking.
Parents and tourism industry experts alike foresaw the complications with regards to the new travel laws and called for the government to reconsider the proposals before they were implemented.
In June, Durban North mum, Candice McFarlane’s plans to travel out of the country with her son were shattered when she discovered that an unabridged birth certificate was no longer sufficient documentation.
