Today's (November 30) government gazette has confirmed that SA minors will have to carry an Unabridged Birth Certificate (UBC) unless travelling with a child passport.
The gazette states that South African minors will only need to carry a birth certificate if both parents’ names do not appear in their passport. However, while The Department of Home Affairs announced plans to roll out a children's passport, with both parents names listed, it has yet to do so.
The government has, however, amended the regulations to ease UBC requirements for foreign minors. As a result, foreign families who arrive in SA from visa-free countries will no longer need to carry birth certificates for minors.
However, foreign visitors from countries where a visa is required will still need to submit a birth certificate when they apply for the visa. And children who are not accompanied by both parents will still need to comply with special documentary requirements.
The gazzetted amendments in regulation follow an outcry from the industry at the end of last month, when the government failed to deliver on its promise to gazette the proposed amendments by October 31.
