The Department of Home Affairs has allegedly again stopped the relaxation of rules governing family travel to South Africa.

After heading a joint effort with the private sector to reframe its travel advisory so that it was in line with its own regulations gazetted last November, the department has once again contradicted itself and re-introduced the need for minors to carry at least a copy of a birth certificate.

The background to the problem is that airlines are fined as much as $6 500 each time an inadequately documented traveller arrives in a country on their aircraft. Most rely on their airline association Iata to electronically make available documentary requirements they need to check before allowing a passenger to board. The system used by airlines and many travel agents is maintained by Iata and is called Timatic.

On March 24, Tourism Update reported an updated advisory by the DHA, which referenced the new regulations and which says that, in the case of foreign children travelling with parents with the same name, they only need a passport and a visa, if applicable. The mention of birth certificates was dropped in line with the new regulations.

TU had contacted Iata, querying whether the association – which informs the airline industry and is responsible for the directive to update Timatic – had received communication from the DHA about the dropping of the BC requirement.

On April 1, an Iata spokesperson told TU: “We were in contact with the Ministry of Home Affairs last week, and they have confirmed that the birth certificate is still a must to travel to South Africa (the only difference is that a copy of it is sufficient) – this information is published as such in Timatic.”

The actual wording on Timatic is as follows:

MINORS:

• MINORS YOUNGER THAN 18 YEARS, TRAVELLING TO/FROM SOUTH AFRICA:

A. WITH BOTH PARENTS, MUST HOLD AN ORIGINAL OR A COPY OF A BIRTH CERTIFICATE OR A PASSPORT CONTAINING THE DETAILS OF THE PARENTS

Differing directives, leaving airline check-in staff around the world with no other choice than to request BCs from all travellers under 18 wishing to visit SA.