12/06/2014
Dear Members
Following the announcement of the grace period granted by Department of Home Affairs regarding travelling with children in an out of South Africa, please note that ASATA has, through our PR agency Lloyd Orr Communications, issued the below release to all consumer media in South Africa.
Otto de Vries
CEO
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Press Release 11/06/2014
ASATA RESPONDS TO GRACE GIVEN ON NEW IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENT FOR CHILDREN TRAVELLING INTO AND OUT OF SOUTH AFRICA
Following a statement released on 10 June 2014 by ASATA (Association of Southern African Travel Agents) in response to the new regulations by the Department of Home Affairs on the immigration act, whereby all children now require to travel with an unabridged birth certificate, the association is pleased to learn that the deadline for this requirement has now been extended to the end of September 2014.
“This certainly does take the pressure off of our members and their clients, in the short term” commented Otto de Vries, CEO of ASATA “we can ensure now that all ASATA agencies inform their clients accordingly for those travelling after 01 October 2014. We trust that this period of grace opens the door for the policy makers within DHA to engage with ASATA, and our partner associations in our industry, to iron out many issues that arise from this new regulation.
Since this news broke, our office has been swamped with calls from our members seeking clarification such as; ‘what happens if our clients are travelling on a local cruise, do the children still need to produce the unabridged certificate then? Can clients carry certified copies of the certificate rather than the original? And, if a client travels often with her child, alone without the child’s father, does she need an affidavit from the father for each time she travels?’
In addition, this new immigration regulation does not only affect South African travellers, but it is also applicable to visitors arriving in South Africa from other countries. We are anxious therefore, to engage with the authorities on how best this new regulation’s practical implications can, and must, be communicated to all stakeholders here and overseas in order to minimise any confusion or detrimental misunderstandings surrounding the new and additional documents required.”
(ENDS)
