Originally Posted by
anabolism
Also, just out of curiosity since I assume it doesn't apply, what does "extended machine readable passport" mean? (The Timatic text says "Visitors with an extended machine readable passport are not allowed to enter or transit South Africa.")
There's something about that here:
https://webcache.googleusercontent.c...=firefox-b-1-d
But, I think what that means is no "extended pages" sewn into the passport after the fact. The pages in your passport must be original pages not added in pages to extend the useful life of the passport. There also could be something about a machine readable passport with expiry date X not being valid if it is extended to a new expiry date by some "add in" to the passport.
Originally Posted by
anabolism
I'm flying QR. Timatic says the test must be "at most 72 hours before departure from the first embarkation point". I have two domestic flights, then a 24 hour and 15 minute overnight stop before a flight into DOH, then a 33 hour stop before the flight into South Africa. All flights in the same PNR. Is the "first embarkation point" literally the first flight in the PNR? Or do stops (24 hours or more) reset it?
That's a LOT of of long layovers. In theory, first flight on the PNR is the start time. But, for those long layovers (mention "stop") are you sitting in the airport or leaving and re-checking in after your "stop"? I could see a check in agent at those "stop" airports not understanding when your PNR "started" and giving you a hard time saying you need to test within 72 hrs of the flight your getting on to leave your "stop."