Sarahzee Posted December 4, 2018 Report Share Posted December 4, 2018 Does anyone have any recent experiences of dual citizen traveling back to SA and entering on Aus passport? We are going back to SA at the end of the year. My husband and I still have SA citizenship so enter/ leave SA on SA passports. Problem is with my daughter who was born in SA so automatically retained SA citizenship, but her SA passport has expired, Aus still current and we have applied for SA citizenship renunciation for her in June. It has still not gone through and time is getting short for us. Any experiences of child entering/ leaving SA on Aus passport appreciatied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new2forum Posted December 5, 2018 Report Share Posted December 5, 2018 hi there, i travel quite often in/out of aus/sa on 2 passports. they are getting stricter now, there have been many reports on this forum of people (adults) being refused entry via a foreign passport. If its a child, there are more lenient. This issue for you is, There are 2 different queues for entry, one for foreign and one for ZA. It might certainly raise alarms if an unaccompanied minor goes into the foreign queue without any aid or note on the ticket. I think the best way forward is to explain the situation to them at the gate and hope for the best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarahzee Posted December 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2018 Thanks for your reply. When you say explain situation at the gate do you mean when we land in SA, as we come off the plane? Unfortunately being in the two different lines is going to raise alarm bells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new2forum Posted December 5, 2018 Report Share Posted December 5, 2018 hi yes, when you disembark and go to passport control there are 2 lines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new2forum Posted December 5, 2018 Report Share Posted December 5, 2018 it actually comes down to who you have on the day at the gate... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonny Posted December 8, 2018 Report Share Posted December 8, 2018 I would go in the SA queue with your daughter and just tell them she is the Aussie in the family and she could not stay alone in the other queue. I’m sure if you stay relaxed they will ‘get it’. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarahzee Posted December 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2018 Thanks Bonny. I at least have an email from the SA High Commission stating that we applied for citizenship renunciation so could show that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new2forum Posted December 9, 2018 Report Share Posted December 9, 2018 (edited) On 12/8/2018 at 11:52 PM, Bonny said: SA queue with your daughter and just tell them she is the Aussie in the family if she doesnt have a valid SA passport she wont be able to join that queue, nor would they be able to stamp the Aus passport in the SA queue Edited December 9, 2018 by new2forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonny Posted December 11, 2018 Report Share Posted December 11, 2018 (edited) On 12/10/2018 at 9:28 AM, new2forum said: if she doesnt have a valid SA passport she wont be able to join that queue, nor would they be able to stamp the Aus passport in the SA queue I don’t think they are that strict. They might just tell you to go to the other queue, how hard can it be? As long as eveyone has a valid passport. Do you think they will have to live in the airport forever? 😅 Maybe I don’t get the problem. My husband uses British and I use SA so we always have to split up for a couple of minutes, but in this case it’s a child so presumably there will be some leeway. Edited December 11, 2018 by Bonny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new2forum Posted December 11, 2018 Report Share Posted December 11, 2018 i think you're right, all she needs is an unabridged birth certificate (SA rule for all foreign minors entering the country), foreign passport, and retention letter. The logistics problem will occur when the child goes unaccompanied into the foreign queue... entry wont be denied as she has the retention letter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarahzee Posted December 11, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2018 30 minutes ago, new2forum said: i think you're right, all she needs is an unabridged birth certificate (SA rule for all foreign minors entering the country), foreign passport, and retention letter. The logistics problem will occur when the child goes unaccompanied into the foreign queue... entry wont be denied as she has the retention letter Thanks all. I am hoping that the letter from SA High Commission showing we applied for her SA citizenship renunciation six months ago will be enough. I will try and find someone who I can ask about the queues when we come off the plane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dill Posted December 13, 2018 Report Share Posted December 13, 2018 (edited) Hi Sarahzee Our son has British and Australian passports, but not South African, same as my husband. When my son and I travel without my husband, we use the SA passport queue and have never had a problem with stamps etc. On our last trip (3 of us) we all went in the foreign queue, as we needed to prove we were all traveling together and produce our son’s unabridged birth certificate. Again, I had no problem as a South African in the foreign queue. Our son was 13 on our last visit at the end of 2016. I’d say go with the majority passports, or even the shortest queue! A lot depends on who you get on the day, but politeness and a smile can go a long way. Hope this helps, and have a fantastic trip! Dill Edited December 13, 2018 by Dill Clarty 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisH Posted December 14, 2018 Report Share Posted December 14, 2018 On 12/12/2018 at 7:22 AM, new2forum said: all she needs is an unabridged birth certificate (SA rule for all foreign minors entering the country) There were changes to this recently. Might be worth checking with home affairs: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarahzee Posted January 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2019 On 12/12/2018 at 7:22 AM, new2forum said: i think you're right, all she needs is an unabridged birth certificate (SA rule for all foreign minors entering the country), foreign passport, and retention letter. The logistics problem will occur when the child goes unaccompanied into the foreign queue... entry wont be denied as she has the retention letter Thanks all. I am hoping that the letter from SA High Commission showing we applied for her SA citizenship renunciation six months ago will be enough. I will try and find someone who I can ask about the queues when we come off the plane. I have just returned from my trip to SA with my daughter so am updating my post here. On entering SA I explained to the person controlling the queues that my daughter and I were on separate passports and wanted to stay together. He ushered us in to a queue and the gentleman serving us was very pleasant and didn’t ask any questions as to where her SA passport was. He was mainly interested in the Affidavit from my husband giving permission for her to travel with me. Leaving SA was a bit more tricky as we were asked where her SA passport was. I said that she is now a Aus citizen and no longer had a SA passport. The guy just said we should have let my daughter decide this for herself when she turned 18 and let us through. All I can say that if you are South African and planning trips back to visit family, keep your passports updated and give at least a year if you need a new one or wish to renounce your citizenship. It was an extra stress that we could have done without. By the way we still haven’t heard anything on her citizenship renunciation 8 months later.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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