Australians flying to South Africa with their children will soon be forced to carry new documents when they arrive or risk being denied entry.

Passengers younger than 18 travelling to the country with both parents must produce a full birth certificate from June 1.

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If the child is accompanied by only one parent, a signed affidavit or statutory declaration from the absent parent authorising the trip must also be shown to authorities.

The new measure will cause “lots of confusion, delays and stress,” warned a spokesman for one of South Africa’s largest online travel agencies.

“The travel industry is quite concerned about the complications it will cause and we believe it’s the wrong solution for the right cause,” Travelstart spokesman Russell Jarvis told The New Daily.

The new law is intended to prevent human trafficking.

Thirty-thousand children, half of whom are younger than 14, are smuggled through South Africa every year, the SA Department of Home Affairs has estimated.

Australian adults travelling with an under-18 who is not their biological child must produce:

• the child’s full birth certificate; and
• an affidavit from the parents or legal guardian authorising the trip; and
• copies of the identity documents or passports of the parents or legal guardian of the child; and
• contact details of the child’s parents or legal guardian.

More information is available from the South African High Commission and the Travelstart website.