johan rebel

Tell me about it!

I fit the bill exactly, and just getting a new passport from the supposedly "modern" jurisdiction concerned is a major hassle in both time and money, even though I have original birth certificates from all three countries involved. At least I'm a few years past 18 by now, so the SA issue does not effect my directly.

Johan

johan rebel

Tell me about it!

Just getting a new passport from the supposedly modern country I am a citizen of is a major hassle in both time and money, even though I have original birth certificates from all three countries involved. At least I'm a few years beyond 18 by now, so this SA nonsense does not affect me directly.

Johan

johan rebel

"In a statement issued on Thursday, August 7, the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) has bemoaned the outcome of a recent meeting between the Ministers of Tourism and Home Affairs.

We are hugely concerned that the new regulations will make SA to be considered inaccessible to an increased number of visitors. Already with the previous immigration regulations, the trade had experienced difficulties in getting visa applications processed in some of our key source markets and we feel that the challenges will increase with the new onerous measures introduced by the Home Affairs Department"

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Johan

jiejie

As the regulation also affects under-18 transit passengers, this is likely to also affect those heading for Namibia or Botswana, the majority of inbound flights which transit through S.A. especially JNB. A family member of mine in USA (with teenage child under 18) was thinking of a safari in the region and I will pass this new information on before he makes flight routing arrangements he'll later regret. He's the sort who'd cancel the plans and go elsewhere in the world on an alternative holiday to spend his money, before dealing with this sort of uncalled-for hassle. Sorry, S.A.

johan rebel

"Newly appointed Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom, does not have the power to change visa regulations expected to come into effect on October 1, although his department will continue to engage its counterparts on the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). This was made clear to members of the industry attending the SATSA Conference, which took place at Spier, in Stellebosch from August 8-9."

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Johan

johan rebel

"Electronic visas will cut the turnaround time for the issuing of travel documentation, while biometric visas are problematic because of the limited application centres in countries including India and China.

This is the position of opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA). In a statement issued following discussions at the SATSA Conference this weekend, DA Member of Parliament and Shadow Minister of Tourism, James Vos, called for the introduction of electronic visas."

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Johan

jsnydcsa

As for some somewhat first-hand experience with this, let me just give the following story.

Feb 2014 - at SA Embassy Consular office in DC applied for two of kids' SA Unabridged Birth Certificates. At same time, applied to renew a bunch of other docs (passports, ID books, etc). Told all would take up to six months to get back.

June 2014 - Everything - EXCEPT Birth Certificates - received in record time. "Latest" items received in June 2014 (4 months). Some came back in less than a month.

Aug 2014 - Still no Birth Certificates. Six months has passed. Consular staff now say said “minimum” of six months and that earlier (Feb 12) statement re: up to 6 months is not correct. Consular staff say they will enquire but say they rarely receive a response. Consular staff seemed unmoved about pending requirements for unabridged birth cert requirement.

Here we go....

johan rebel

"The requirement that children under the age of 18 travel with an unabridged birth certificate, or the equivalent in the country of origin, is expected to cost South Africa 21 000 jobs annually.

The number of job losses is based on research by consultancy firm Grant Thornton. The firm estimates that the requirement will cost the country 270 000 international tourists annually. Furthermore, it will cost the country roughly R9.7bn in lost tourism."

Source

"With less than two months to go before South Africa implements new regulations that will impact travel, there is no consistency among SA’s embassies abroad in terms of how they are implementing changes and communicating these to travellers.

Paul Coetzee, Executive Director from Explore South Africa, recently pointed out the discrepancies in what is being communicated to applicants via SA’s different embassy websites. "

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Johan

johan rebel

"More than 20 airlines have written to the South African government over new immigration regulations, warning that these will be a "tourism, PR, economic and political disaster”."

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Johan

johan rebel

Story here.

Johan

johan rebel

"South Africa’s new visa regulations could see the country become more attractive to travellers from nations that practice stringent visa requirements such as the US and the UK, says South African Tourism CEO, Thulani Nzima.

Speaking to Tourism Update after the launch of Tourism Month at the Maboneng Precinct on Tuesday, Nzima said these nationals are more likely to choose destinations with security measures equally as stringent as those for travellers trying to enter the US and the UK.

He said stringent security measures will protect tourists and make them feel more comfortable when travelling to SA. “When applying to go to a country that doesn’t seem to exercise sufficient and due security processes, you will be worried about it."

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Nzima has an excellent sense of humor! Americans will start booking trips to SA en masse once they realize that senseless bureaucracy is going to make the country just soooo much safer. As long as nobody tells them how porous SA's land borders are, that is.

Johan

johan rebel

"Earlier this month there was rioting at South Africa’s border post with Mozambique near Komatipoort when Home Affairs tried to enforce a regulation that only Mozambicans who could prove they had funds, were allowed to enter. After the border was blockaded, Home Affairs backed off.

What will happen on October 1 when parents with somebody under 18 are turned away because they do not have the minor’s unabridged birth certificate with them?

Unicef published a detailed report of birth registrations 8 months ago (Every Child’s Birthright). It reports that the 10 countries in the world with the lowest rate of birth registration are in Sub-Saharan Africa. In countries like Lesotho where only 45 % of births are registered, 60 % of the children who are registered, do not have an actual document of any kind."

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Johan

jsnydcsa

Got an email from Home Affairs that the birth certs (requests in Feb 2014) were processed and sent to the Embassy on 16 July.

The Embassy, Consular Affairs office in DC is now telling people that Counsular affairs hasn't received a pouch since 26 (or 29) July and that people are waiting for passports, ID books, birthday certs and they (Consular staff) are in the dark over what's going on. No explanation why a document produced and sent on 16 July wasn't in the 26 July pouch. Nevertheless, it's still not there.

SA Consulate DC also mention that, in some cases, Home Affairs sends the item(s) to the wrong Embassy - e.g. they mistake Washington DC for Wellington NZ. Or they send a DC bound document to the wrong US office (NY v. DC for example). In the US, the consular staff have an informal system whereby they email around to staff in other consulates S/Substance "Hey we have [document XYZ] which we didn't request, have you? If so, we'll send it to you."

Consular staff seem to be aware of the concerns/issues with having the docs (particularly the birth certs) but seem powerless b/c the Home Affairs Staff seem to be giving consular staff the run-around.

Onward.

GUWonder

...... as if South Africa requiring foreign minors to present a birth certificate is going to make things more safe for anybody in South Africa.

Governmental clowns are a laughing stock, and this is a "security" circus too.

johan rebel

"The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has confirmed that it will be meeting with international airline representatives in September to discuss their concerns around the new immigration regulations.

This in response to a letter from more than 20 airlines to the South African government warning that new immigration regulations would be the catalyst for a “tourism, PR, economic and political disaster”.
"

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Johan