Grace Period for Parents Travelling With Children

The Department of Home Affairs has decided to postpone the new regulation for parents or guardians travelling with children to and fro South Africa with unabridged certificates until the end of September.

Home Affairs has considered the schools holidays and has made arrangements to delay the new immigration regulation. Parents will now be allowed to travel with their children without having to produce an unabridged certificate to immigration officials.

This new immigration regulation will take effect as from 1st October 2014, whereby parents would need to produce an unabridged certificate if they are travelling with children. The new regulation has been put in place to protect children from being abducted, kidnapped and preventing child trafficking.

The Department of Home Affairs has urged all parents to apply for unabridged certificates for their children. This is an requirement of the immigration regulation 6 (12)(a) for parents travelling with children.