As of December 1, families are no longer required to carry birth certificates for children when entering the country.
Speaking to TTG at WTM London last month, South Africa’s tourism minister Derek Hanekom acknowledged the visa requirements, introduced in 2015 to combat human trafficking, had made travelling with children to South Africa “onerous” and had negatively impacted visitors.
He said he expected a formal advisory notice confirming the change in legislation to be issued “in the next couple of weeks”, which duly arrived last week ahead of peak season in South Africa.
The move has been welcomed by tour operator Acacia Africa, whose director Vivian McCarthy said the move was a “timely change” that would “boost sales” in the region.
The 2015 law required adults travelling with children under the age of 18 to carry their full birth certificate, including the names of both parents.
Where one was not, or could not be present, the other was required to carry written consent from the child’s second birth parent.
