SA tourism sector bracing for disaster ahead of new visa regulations
1 June 2015
With one day to go until the Department of Home Affairs implements new visa regulations, the South African tourism sector is bracing itself for disaster. From tomorrow (1 June 2015), minors will be required to travel to and from our country with unabridged birth certificates.
Alan Winde, Minister of Economic Opportunities, said another clause which has raised concern in the sector is the need for biometrics when applying for a visa, often resulting in a potential traveller having to travel to a visa processing centre for finger-printing.
In some instance, this entails a lengthy trip to the only such centre in the country, or even a neighbouring country.
“The most worrying aspect of this process has been the lack of consultation. It’s the eve of the implementation of the unabridged birth certificate requirement and the Department of Home Affairs only released the Special Operating Procedures, which outline the detail of this requirement, a week ago. Even at this late stage, there is still confusion as to whether the document will need to be translated.”