Study: South Africa & Namibia named among the top five best African countries to visit with kids!

South Africa and Namibia have recently been named among the top five best African countries to visit with kids. South African travel specialist Go2Africa has analyzed almost four thousand hotels, attractions and restaurants around the globe to help families find the perfect location for their next adventure.
According to the findings of the study, the island nation of Seychelles (29,73%) is ranked as the best country in the world and the best country in Africa to visit with kids. Globally, the Polynesian island of Samoa (28.53%) ranks second, followed by Costa Rica (28.33%) in Central America and New Zealand (27.92%)
In Africa, Morocco (23.04%) in North Africa is the second best spot for families, while South Africa (21.56%) was ranked third and Namibia fourth (21.04%). Congratulations!

Methodology
Go2Africa identified the best countries for family vacation by finding the number of family-friendly and highly-rated hotels, attractions and restaurants in each location. The company then calculated the percentage of family-friendly places compared to non-family-friendly places in each country. All the data was pulled from Tripadvisor in May 2024.

South Africa relaxes travel requirements for child tourists!

South Africa's Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, has signed a waiver that allows foreign children to enter South Africa without carrying additional supporting documents such as birth certificates and consent letters. The waiver has been applicable since 8 November 2019 - after the Minister's signature. The Department of Home Affairs has communicated the changes to immigration officials at all ports of entry and to the airline and maritime industries. Foreign children who require a visa for South Africa do not need to carry the supporting documents for inspection at a port of entry since these will be processed together with their visa applications. South African children are still required to provide supporting documents, in line with the requirements of the Children's Act. The same applies to unaccompanied foreign children.

Department of Home Affairs - UPDATED ADVISORY NOVEMBER 2019: NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILDREN TRAVELLING THROUGH SOUTH AFRICAN PORTS OF ENTRY

The DHA is custodian, protector and verifier of the identity and status of citizens and other persons resident in South Africa. This makes it possible for people to realize their rights and access benefits and opportunities in both the public and private domains.

South Africa eases entry requirements for foreign visitors travelling with kids! [update]

update (06 December 2018): South Africa's Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has released a further statement regarding the new entry requirements for foreign visitors travelling with kids. According to the statement, foreign families from visa-free countries are still urged to carry unabridged birth certificates for their minors because they may be requested in certain instances. Click here to read the full statement!

South Africa's Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has published an amendment to the country's Immigration Act. According to the amendment, which comes into effect on 01 December 2018, the requirement for foreign families from visa-free countries to produce an unabridged birth certificate for their minor children before being allowed access into South Africa has been reversed. Visitors from visa-required countries planning to visit South Africa with minor children still need to submit a birth certificate when they apply for a visa. Minor children who are not accompanied by both parents still need to comply with special documentary requirements. (see the Government Gazette below).

DRAFT FIRST AMENDMENT OF TH... by on Scribd

Also see: Updated advisory: New requirements for children travelling through South Africa ports of entr - 2018 (via dha.gov.za)

South Africa: No unabridged birth certificate for visa exempt countries!

update (08 Feb 2016): According to a statement by Home Affairs Director-General Mkuseli Apleni, the unabridged birth certificate (UBC) requirement for travelling minors is still being "strongly advised".
Department of Home Affairs - STATEMENT BY HOME AFFAIRS DIRECTOR-GENERAL MKUSELI APLENI FOLLOWING AN UPDATE SESSION WITH TOURISM STAKEHOLDERS, ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CABINET CONCESSIONS ON IMMIGRATION REGULATIONS, 5 FEBRUARY 2016, ACARDIA, PRETORIA

 South Africa's Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed at the National Assembly on Thursday (12 Nov 2015) that "minors travelling from visa-exempt countries will no longer need to produce an unabridged birth certificate and parental consent at South Africa's ports of entry. However, they will be required to provide documentation proving the relationship between them and the parent or guardian that they will be travelling with when entering South Africa. He further said it is strongly advised that minors should always travel with a proof of relationship and consent from absent parents or guardians in case they are asked to produce them at random.
No unabridged certificate for visa exempt countries
South Africam Tourism has released an infographic summarising the amendments made to South Africa's visa rules.

South Africa: New immigration regulations - official guide!

update (28 May 2015): Cape Town Tourism has created an infographic explainging the new child visa laws.

Here's an infographic explaining the new child visa laws. pic.twitter.com/lMLv1UbvwR

— Cape Town Tourism (@CapeTownTourism) 26. Mai 2015

update (19 May 2015): South Africa's Department of Home Affairs has released the "Standard Operating Procedures for minors travelling into and out of South Africa". Click here to read the full document (pdf).

South Africa will implement new immigration regulations for children travelling to and from South Africa on 01 June 2015. The Department of Home Affairs has published a brochure that summarises the new regulations. Click here to download the leaflet (pdf).

screenshot via www.dha.gov.za

South Africa: New regulations for travelling children postponed to 2015

update (23 Feb 2015): According to Tourism Update, Mayihlome Tshete (spokesperson of Department of Home Affairs) told the tourism specialists that

"[...] the birth certificates required by South Africa’s immigration regulations would need to be in English. This is despite a joint statement released by the Departments of Tourism and Home Affairs that stated that a translation would not be required. Read this statement here. [...]" [src.]

update (16 Feb 2015): In his State of the Nation address on 12 Feb 2015, South Africa's President Jacob Zuma said the review of visa regulations - e.g. the requirement that people make visa applications in person and for children to travel with an unabridged birth certificate or the equivalent from their country - would be prioritised.

We will also prioritise the review of visa regulations to strike a balance between national security and growth in tourism. [src.]

South Africa's Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba has announced that the implementation of two new travel requlations, which require children to carry an unabridged birth certificate and a letter of permission from their parents or guardians in order to travel, has been postponed until 01 June 2015. The new regulations were initially set to come in effect on 01 July 2014, but due to widespread complaint the Department of Home Affairs granted a three-month reprieve and set 01 October 2014 as the new implementation date. The decision to delay the implementation again to 01 June 2015 followed talks between Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba, South Africa's Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom and stakeholders in the tourism and aviation industry, in which the tourism industry raised concerns that there was not enough time to contact missions abroad and travel operators to communicate the new requirements, as well as parents did not have much time to acquire the requested documents before their planned travels.

[...] Subsequent to our meeting with the Minister of Tourism last month, Mr. Derek Hanekom, we have also met with tourism and aviation industry stakeholders including representatives from the IATA, ASATA the South African Tourism Council, and announced the formation of a joint task team between the Department and the industry as a vehicle for on-going engagement.

We are enormously pleased with the establishment of the task team, and trust that its representatives will bring invaluable perspectives and information on the tourism and travel sector, and help us improve communication with their clients and the sector as a whole.

We have further continued to engage with the representatives of the film industry and soccer fraternity.

The different stakeholders have drawn our attention to the challenges relating to the new requirements for travelling children, which come into effect on October 1st, 2014, which were instituted to ensure the safety of children, in line with the Children’s Act of 2005 and our own international obligations.

In particular, the stakeholders have highlighted challenges regarding the requirement that all children entering or exiting South Africa be in possession of a passport, an Unabridged Birth Certificate, and written permission from both parents or guardians of the child, authorizing that child’s travel.

While the requirement that all children possess a passport has been implemented successfully, challenges have been raised regarding the requirements for the Unabridged Birth Certificate and written permission.

Stakeholders have alerted us to two main challenges: firstly, of ensuring accurate and timely communication to missions abroad, travel operators, and prospective travellers around the world about the new requirements; and secondly, that parents and those authorized to travel with children have time to obtain the required documentation in time for their travel plans.

It was put to the Department, that while the new regulations are accepted as necessary and are fully supported, due to these challenges mentioned above, and particularly in light of the upcoming peak travel periods for families – that is, December / January for the festive season and April for Easter – a postponement would greatly assist travellers and the sectors as a whole.

The Department has taken this input into consideration, along with our obligation to ensure the safety of children entering and exiting the country.

Having taken all of this into account, we have granted a postponement of these two particular requirements – the Unabridged Birth Certificate and written permission to June 1st 2015. [...] via "Statement by the Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Malusi Gigaba MP, in relation to the implementation of new immigration regulations on 16 September 2014 in Cape Town"  http://goo.gl/Sy6sZL

more info on the new regulations >>

Travelling with children to South Africa: unabridged birth certificate required!

update (16 Sept 2014): Eyewitness News just tweeted that the requirement for unabridged certificates has been delayed until 01 june 2015! We'll keep you posted!

#immigration Birth Certificate requirement was to have kicked in in July, was pushed back to October, now to June next year GD
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) September 16, 2014

update (07 July 2014): South Africa's flag carrier, South African Airways (SAA), has announced that it comply with new regulations relating to children who travel to and from South Africa. The national carrier said as of 01 October 2014, it will observe the new regulations by the Department of Home Affairs, which come into effect in terms of the South African Immigration Amendment Act of 2010. As from 01 October 2014, the airline will not be able to check in all travellers who cannot produce the necessary documentation in terms of this Act.

According to a new amendment to the Immigration Act regulation 6, which was published in the Government Gazette No 37679 (22 May 2014), parents travelling to South Africa with children under the age of 18 are soon required to be in possession of a fully unabridged birth certificate (including the details of the child's father as well as the mother), in addition to a valid passport. When children are travelling with guardians, these adults are required to produce affidavits from parents proving permission for the children to travel. The new regulation will come in effect on 01 October 2014. The regulations are aimed at fighting child trafficking. We'll keep you posted!

(12)(a) Where parents are travelling with a child, such parents must produce an unabridged birth certificate of the child reflecting the particulars of the parents of the child.
(b) In the case of one parent travelling with a child, he or she must produce an unabridged birth certificate and-
(i) consent in the form of an affidavit from the other parent registered as a parent on the birth certificate of the child authorising him or her to enter into or depart from the Republic with the child he or she is travelling with;
(ii) a court order granting full parental responsibilities and rights or legal guardianship in respect of the child, if he or she is the parent or legal guardian of the child; or
(iii) where applicable, a death certificate of the other parent registered as a parent of the child on the birth certificate;
Provided that the Director-General may, where the parents of the child are both deceased and the child is travelling with a relative or another person related to him or her or his or her parents, approve such a person to enter into or depart from the Republic with such a child.
(c) Where a person is travelling with a child who is not his or her biological child, he or she must produce-
(i) a copy of the unabridged birth certificate of the child;
(ii) an affidavit from the parents or legal guardian of the child confirming that he or she has permission to travel with the child;
(iii) copies of the identity documents or passports of the parents or legal guardian of the child; and
(iv) the contact details of the parents or legal guardian of the child, Provided that the Director-General may, where the parents of the child are both deceased and the child is travelling with a relative or another person related to him or her or his or her parents, approve such a person to enter into or depart from the Republic with such a child. (via Regulation Gazette No. 10199, p 13/14 (pdf))