South
African’s Home Affairs department has announced the postponement of the planned
implementation of the requirement for children under the age of 18 to present
an unabridged birth certificate when applying for visas.
The Minister
of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba, who disclosed this in a mediap parley, also added that the written permission required for children travelling with a
parent has also been postponed till June next year.
Gigaba
explained that the requirement that people apply for visas in person will stay
in place and there is no postponement for this requirement, adding that this
requirement was not unique to South Africa and was required of visitors by
other countries.
Under the
new regulations, people travelling to South Africa 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.
The
regulations also require that people apply in person for visas to allow for
biometric intake. Minister Gigaba suggested last week that this regulation was
already in place and called on missions abroad to start implementing this
requirement. He
emphasised that, since the regulations were announced, the department had made
it clear that it was open to engagement. He thanked industry representatives
who had engaged the department on new regulations.
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