South Africa Relaxes Strict Visa Law On Traveling With Under 18’s

In 2015 a law was implemented by the South African Government, stating that all minors (any child under the age of 18 years) will be required to produce, in addition to their passport, an Unabridged Birth Certificate (showing the particulars of both parents) when exiting and entering South African ports of entry. This was done in an attempt to stop human trafficking.

The Department of Home Affairs recently relaxed some of these strict visa requirements for foreign minors, announcing that they no longer need to present an Unabridged Birth Certificate when entering the ports of the Republic of South Africa.

Here’s what you need to know:

Foreign Child: Visa Exempt

If you are a passport holder of a country that is exempt from a South African visa (e.g. US Citizens are visa-exempt for 90 days), only a valid passport will be needed upon entry.

Foreign Child: Visa Required

If you are traveling with a passport that requires a South African visa, no extra documentation will be needed upon entry (you would have already supplied these during the visa application process).

For more information on visa requirements please visit the Home Affairs website.

South African Child

Extra documentation is still needed for South African minors traveling to or from South Africa, depending on who they are traveling with. For more information, please visit this page.