Pretoria - Cabinet has reminded South Africans and foreign nationals travelling with children that the Passport and Travel Documents Act will come into effect from 1 June 2015.
Under the new legislation, parents travelling with children under the age of 18 are required to produce Unabridged Birth Certificates.
Addressing the media in Cape Town during a post Cabinet briefing, Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Jeff Radebe, said implementation of the new legislation is part of government’s commitment to safeguard the best interests of children and prevent child trafficking.
“The main aim is to ensure we prevent child trafficking,” he said Thursday.
Earlier this week, the Department of Home Affairs said parents who needed to travel with their children and couldn’t get unabridged birth certificates in time, would be able to leave the country with a letter indicating that they had applied for the documents.
Under the new law, all minors under the age of 18 years will be required to produce, in addition to their passport, an Unabridged Birth Certificate (showing the particulars of both parents) when exiting and entering South African ports of entry.
According to the department, when a child travels with only one parent, additional documents should include an affidavit in which the absent parent gives consent for the child to travel, a court order granting full parental responsibilities or legal guardianship of the child, or the death certificate of the absent parent. The affidavit should be no more than three months old from date of travel.
In the event of a child travelling with a person other than a parent, the Unabridged Birth Certificate must be supplemented by affidavits from the parents or legal guardians confirming that the child may travel with that person, copies of the ID documents or passports of the parents or legal guardian, and the contact details of the parents or legal guardian.
In the event were a child travelling as an unaccompanied minor would have to produce not only the Unabridged Birth Certificate, but also proof of consent from both parents or legal guardians and contact details, and documentation relating to the person receiving the child in South Africa. – SAnews.gov.za
