Travelling with Minors - New Laws
Travelling with minors - New Laws
The Department of Home Affairs will be implementing the new laws regarding travelling with minors (ALL CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 18) from 1 June 2015. The laws are both for children entering into and exiting out of South Africa, at all South African ports of entry/departure. If you are travelling within South Africa, these do not apply to you (for example: Port Elizabeth to Durban). The laws are intended to assist with the fight against human trafficking, which is prevalent through South Africa. The onus lies with the passengers to ensure they have the correct documentation, else boarding will be denied.
An unabridged or full birth certificate shows the full details of both parents. All children will be required to have this, as well as their passport, when travelling. The law applies to all minor, regardless the nationality and regardless the place of residence, travelling to or from South Africa. If the certificate is not in English, a sworn translation must be provided, issued by a competent authority from the country where the certificate was issued.
Required documents to submit when entering/leaving South Africa:
See this document (PDF, 415.62 Kb)
Where to obtain an Unabridged Birth Certificate:
- For children born in South Africa: Contact your local Home Affairs Office. Given that it can take a minimum of 8 weeks for an unabridged birth certificate to be issued when applying for it in South Africa, we strongly advise for you to apply for the documentation sooner rather than later if you are planning on travelling.
- For children born in Belgium: ask the Belgian municipality where the child was born for a multilingual extract of the birth certificate (in het Nederlands: meertalig uittreksel uit de geboorteakte, en français: extrait de l’acte de naissance multilingue), which comes in 4 languages (including English), showing the details of the parents and the child. If the birth of a Belgian child in a foreign country was registered in the registers of civil status of a Belgian municipality, you can also contact that Belgian municipality.For children younger than the age of 12 and residing in Belgium the Kids ID can be used as a substitute for the “unabridged birth certificate” as it shows the parents and is in English. For minors between 12 and 18 the required documents apply.
- For children born elsewhere: the local authority where the child was born
Where to obtain a Parental Consent Affidavit (ouderlijke toestemming/ consentement parental):
- In South Africa and other countries: please consult this document (PDF, 415.62 Kb)
- In Belgium: address your local Belgian municipality and ask for a multilingual document
- Please note: Affidavit cannot be older than 4 months and has to be in English or an English version, and has to be bear the stamp of a local official authority.
Use of language/Translation:
Please note that all documents must be in English (including the affidavit/letter of consent, court order, death certificate, …) if not, translated into English by a sworn translator – translation has to bear the stamp of the sworn translator. Your passport has to be valid at least 30 days AFTER departure from South Africa and needs to have at least 2 unused pages for entry/exit stamps or visa.
The Consulate of Belgium is providing this information as a service only and cannot guarantee that at the time of reading that it is still the most recent update. For the most up-to-date information, check with the Department of Home Affairs or the Embassy of South Africa in Brussels:
- Home Affairs on 0800 60 11 90, toll free from a landline, within South Africa.) or
- South African Embassy in Brussels - or
Address:
RUE MONTOYERSTRAAT 17-19,
BRUXELLES - 1000 - BRUSSEL
TEL: +32 (0)2 285 44 00
FAX: +32 (0)2 514 78 03
Consular enquiries: