Does my child need an unabridged birth certificate?

Does my child need an unabridged birth certificate?

Is your child travelling internationally? Is he or she a minor under the age of 18 when he/she intends entering or leaving the country? If so, then yes, he will require an Unabridged Birth Certificate which he or she will have to present to a South African Immigration officer upon entering or leaving a South African border post. No exceptions will be made for this legal requirement.

Can I book my children’s tickets without an unabridged Birth Certificate?

If you have applied directly at a Home Affairs office, it is very risky to book your flights and accommodation prior to having this important document in hand as long delays have been known to occur in obtaining these certificates, or you may receive a certificate for one child and not another. We would thus advise that where these document are required urgently that you make use of a document sourcing service such as Q-Pro where we can source a certificate within 7 -14 working days. It is important to note that without this document your children will not even be allowed to board a plane or pass through immigration.

How long does it take to get an Unabridged Birth Certificate?

A typical application through a Home Affairs Office will take 8 – 12 weeks from date of application. However, waiting longer or even worse, having to re-apply because the application has gone missing is not uncommon. Making use of a document sourcing services such as Q-Pro is your best bet if you are in a hurry to obtain your copy timeously, and is especially necessary where one has already booked one’s international flights and accommodation.

If you intend to travel to or from South Africa, be sure to contact Q-Pro who will assist you to source these valuable documents without which you will be unable to travel abroad.

Simply fill out the form and a friendly Q-Pro consultant will contact you to finalise the sourcing of your documents expeditiously.