Home Affairs postpones new travel regulations
The Department of Home Affairs has provided a grace period to allow children to travel with parents or guardians without an unabridged birth certificate until end of September 2014.
The new regulations would have initially been implemented on July 1.
This comes after Afriforum requested that the minister and Director-General urgently consider the following:
* Postponing the implementation date of the regulations to give the public sufficient time to become aware of the requirements and to submit applications for the relevant documentation.
* Creating a dedicated enquiry channel through which the public will be able to explain personal circumstances to Home Affairs to ensure that they have the relevant documents in place.
* Creating proper awareness, both with the public and the personnel of the Department.
This means that families will be able to travel with children even for the coming school holidays as some would have made the necessary arrangements ahead of the commencement of the Immigration Amendment Acts of 2007 and 2011 and the new Immigration Regulations.
The Amendment Acts and the new regulations came into effect on May 26.
From October 1, the requirement for an unabridged birth certificate for children under the age of 18 travelling with parents will come into effect for the safety of children, including their protection from child trafficking, abduction and kidnapping.
To date, only a passport and abridged birth certificate were required.
The department urges citizens and foreign nationals to heed the call to apply for unabridged birth certificates for children.
An unabridged birth certificate of the child reflecting the particulars of the parents is required in terms of the Immigration Regulation 6 (12)(a) for children travelling with parents.
“Even though the regulations will come into effect on October 1, it will not necessarily allow enough time to get all required documentation in place,” says head of the Afriforum Worldwide Campaign, Sue-Ann de Wet.
“While AfriForum supports the new regulations in principle, because these will curb human trafficking and prevent the abduction of children, the application thereof remains problematic.”
According to De Wet, it has become clear from the large number of inquiries submitted by members of Afriforum that information on all the implications brought about by the new regulations is not readily available.
“Parents are concerned about the time at their disposal to get all documents in place, and fear that travel plans will have to be changed at a huge cost.”
Afriforum has requested the minister and Director-General to establish a dedicated communication channel where the public will be able to obtain advice on unique situations, and to create proper awareness amongst the public and personnel of all the implications of the new regulations.
The regulations are available at the following websites: www.afriforum.co.za and www.wereldwyd.co.za. – @IschkeBoksburg
