With new visa regulations being implemented on Monday 1st June 2015, the department of Home Affairs has a backlog of around 4,000 applications for unabridged birth certificates.
From 1 June 2015, children under the age of 18 will be required to have an unabridged birth certificate or equivalent document if they are entering or leaving the country as part of South Africa’s new immigration regulations.
Home Affairs Director-General Mkuseli Apleni said applications take six to eight weeks to process.
“The backlog which Home Affairs has is 4,000 as of yesterday.”
However, parents who are planning to travel and who are still waiting for their documents to be issued, will be able to get a letter from the department that will allow their children to travel.
Apleni said several other countries around the world have similar requirements and are not recognising the abridged birth certificate because it does not have details of the parents.
