There is no time limit for the unabridged birth certificate (UBC) required under new regulations for minors travelling to, through and from South Africa, the Department of Home Affairs has confirmed. There are, however, time restrictions on the additional documents that are required in instances where, for example, a minor is travelling with only one parent, or is unaccompanied by his/her parents.

The department announced last year that children under the age of 18 would be required to produce and unabridged birth certificate, or the equivalent thereof, at all ports of entry to SA.

There has been confusion after airlines and the department itself communicated that the UBC must be issued within the last three months. For example, this was also communicated by Air France when booking tickets on the airline’s website. See image below:

One frustrated parent was told by the department that the certificate was valid for three months. When he queried this, he was told it was valid for 12 months. “Every time I phone DHA I get a different response,” said Peter Shaw.

Department Spokesperson, Thabo Makgola, told Tourism Update the UBC did not become invalid after it had been issued. Furthermore, in the Act itself and the standard operating procedures, no restriction is placed on the UBC.