Border gate papers for travelling

Passports and vehicle documents required

Whether you are going into or out of South Africa, you have to be adequately prepared for a border crossing to make your journey stress free.

Rudolf Mahoney of Wesbank says most travellers omit to get all their travel documents in order when travelling out of the country.

These range from forgetting a cross-border letter to travelling with invalid passports, Mahoney said.

Finding accommodation and planning the routes are part of the fun of going on holiday, he said. “But all of that can come to a standstill if you’ve missed an important bit of paperwork such as a border letter.” You need to present this letter to officials at South Africa’s border posts when crossing into another country.

The letter also confirms that you have been given authority to drive a car, trailer, boat jet ski or a caravan into another country for a certain period, said Mahogany.

He said that if your car is not financed you won’t need a border letter from the bank but you will need other documentation, such as vehicle registration papers, proving the car is yours or that you have permission from the owner to take the car over the border.

“Border officials will ask that you provide them with a vehicle registration certificate or a certified copy,” he said.

However, financed vehicles will need a border letter from the bank that will serve as permission for the vehicle to cross the border.

What you need before crossing the border:

A valid driver’s licence and

● passport. Check that your passport has not expired before you travel. A comprehensive insurance

● policy which includes crossborder travel. If not, buy international insurance at the border post gate.

A certified copy of the vehicle ● registration or the vehicle licence.

If the vehicle is financed, you ● will also need a certified letter from the bank giving you authorisation to take the vehicle across the border, with the dates of your trip indicated. If you are not the registered

● owner of the vehicle, you will need an affidavit from the police giving you authorisation from the financial institution or owner to take the car out of South Africa.

*For a rented car you need a letter from the rental company giving full consent to take the vehicle out of the country.

*It is compulsory for any South African vehicle, caravan or trailer to have a ZA sign displayed when it crosses any of the borders.

*Double-check what stickers, triangles or safety gear you need before you depart.

Some countries require you to place the blue and yellow warning triangle or the T-sign on your caravan or the trailer towing your boat.

Other neighbouring countries require you to have a set of red warning triangles in your possession as well as reflective jackets.