Home Affairs to drop unabridged certificate travel ruling

The unabridged birth certificate rules for parents travelling with children under the age of 18 are set to be abolished‚ with the rules now only applying to overseas tourists travelling to SA with children.

Home Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi confirmed the news in an interview on 702.

“We took a view after President Ramaphosa’s stimulus package announcement‚ to find other methods of fighting trafficking and not use the certificate method.”

The rules were first introduced under former home affairs minister Malusi Gigaba in 2015. It was previously reported the rule was labelled a hassle and a tourism deterrent.

Motsoaledi said the consent rules had not changed. “The issue of a parent leaving SA with a child‚ that rule hasn’t changed‚ we still need consent from both parents. “When you leave SA to go abroad with a child‚ all we want is consent from the other parent‚ because we don’t want children escaping out of the country without the other parent knowing.”

Last month‚ Motsoaledi announced that travellers from Qatar‚ Saudi Arabia‚ the United Arab Emirates and New Zealand would no longer require a visa to visit SA.

He said the changes were to encourage growth in the country and contribute towards growing the economy.

“We are constantly reviewing our operations to ensure that we relax entry requirements‚ without compromising our responsibility towards the safety and security of our citizens.”

When you leave SA to go abroad with a child, all we want is consent