South African families looking to travel overseas are increasingly being turned away due to strict birth documentation rules.<\/p>\n
This is according to two new surveys published by Travelstart<\/a><\/strong>, which asked over 500 travellers and a number of major\u00a0travel agents, independent travel consultants and airline representatives how they were being currently affected by the legislation.<\/p>\n “In a nutshell, the regulation requires all travellers travelling with minors (under the age of 18) to produce an unabridged birth certificate, and a letter of parental consent if the child is not travelling with both parents, when departing from and arriving in South Africa,” Travelstart said.<\/p>\n However, the regulation affects all travellers, regardless of nationality, who travel to and from South Africa with children, Travelstart found.<\/p>\n The regulations were introduced by home affairs minister Malusi Gigaba in 2015 under the banner of preventing instances of child trafficking. However, by 2016, after many complaints and a huge knock to South Africa’s tourism numbers, the department said it would rework the laws.<\/p>\n According to data compiled by the DA, the rules cost South Africa as much as R7.5 billion<\/a><\/strong>, due to lost business from blocked tourists.<\/p>\n But despite the departments promise to review and amend the rules<\/a><\/strong>, nothing has changed so far, with the regulations still clearly in effect<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n This was corroborated by the Travelstart surveys, which found that 30% of respondents had been denied boarding because of the birth certificate regulation, while 67% of respondents said they needed to apply for an unabridged birth certificate to travel.<\/p>\n Furthermore, 41% of those respondents who applied for an unabridged birth certificate said that their application took more than 6 weeks to process, adding hassle, stress and cost implications to travel outside South Africa.<\/p>\n In addition, almost two thirds (67%) of surveyed agents said their clients have been affected by unabridged birth certificate regulation with foreign families travelling to South Africa (67%) and single mothers (33%) being the most negatively affected.<\/p>\n Travelstart said that most airline representatives were reluctant to comment about unabridged birth certificates stating that, ‘it is a sensitive matter and they are only applying the rule set by government.’<\/p>\n However, two well-known airlines that fly to South Africa daily from hubs overseas confirmed their passengers regularly experienced problems and pointed to a lack of training for immigration officials and confusion at certain stations being the primary cause of document issues.<\/p>\n From the airlines’ perspective most problems occur at immigration and check-in, aligning with passengers\u2019 experience, Travelstart said.<\/p>\n “In many cases, travellers and airline staff at overseas origin airports are left to fend for themselves with the onus being on the traveller to carry the correct documentation,” it said.<\/p>\n “Most airlines flying to South Africa have adopted measures to protect passengers including making information available online, during booking and educating their staff though none of these are failproof.”<\/p>\n
\n