ALTHOUGH the new passport
for South African minors
was promised for launch on
February 1, the Department
of Home Affairs now says
the process has not yet been
finalised.
At the beginning of last year,
the DHA and the Department
of Tourism announced that
the controversial visa laws
– which require all South
African minors to travel with
an unabridged birth certificate
(UBC) – would be replaced
with an updated passport for
minors with printed details
of both parents within the
following three to 12 months.
The DHA reaffirmed its
commitment on December 2,
saying the new passport would
come into effect on February 1,
2017. In March, the DHA said
it was “in advanced stages of
introducing the passport” (see
TNW March 8).
However, DHA spokesperson,
Thabo Mokgola, told TNW
internal processes relating
to child passports with
parental details had not yet
been finalised. Until then,
the requirement for the UBC
stands.
Travel agents say most
South Africans are well aware
of the need to carry a UBC,
which means there are fewer
‘problems’. “The DHA is now
also issuing letters to those
who may not have received the
UBC in time for departure,”
says Michelle Boshoff, gm
Central Services of Pentravel.
Michelle adds, however, that
some clients do not want
to book or pay for their trip
until they have received the
certificate, which can ultimately
affect the cost of their
package if booking too late.
Travel agents are expecting
the new passport to
significantly simplify travel for
South African travellers. “It is
easier to carry one passport
and it makes sense to have
the parents’ names reflected
therein,” says Michelle.
“The new passport would
be a huge advancement and
will, without a doubt, increase
security for minors in our
country,” says Dinesh Naidoo,
group operations director of
SWG.
He says, globally, most
passports for children feature
the parents’ details.
However, some travel agents
doubt that the passport will
be launched in the near
future. Inge Beadle, co-owner
of Corporate Travel Services,
says: “The child passport
seems to be something that
was proposed and not fully
thought out. Government
departments seem fond of
voicing wonderful proposals,
and then fail to follow
through.”
