Travelling with children from South Africa
There are two separate sets of rules here, and confusing them is what strands families at the airport. One governs leaving South Africa. The other governs the visa itself.
South Africa applies some of the strictest child travel rules in the world, and they are separate from anything the consulate asks for. You can hold a valid Schengen visa for your child and still be stopped at departure. Both sets have to be satisfied.
Rule set one: leaving South Africa
This is enforced by Home Affairs at the airport, and applies whatever visa you hold.
The birth certificate. An unabridged birth certificate — one showing both parents' details — has historically been required for any child under 18 entering or leaving South Africa. The rule was relaxed for South African children: government guidance now states that South African children using South African passports do not need to carry a birth certificate, because the passport itself records the parents' details.
Be careful with that relaxation. Official South African sources do not currently say the same thing. The government's own travel guidance gives the passport exception, while South African mission pages abroad still set out the older rule requiring an unabridged certificate in every case. Given that the cost of being wrong is a cancelled family holiday at the check-in counter, carry the unabridged certificate regardless. It is free to bring and it settles the question.
Consent, when only one parent travels. This part has not been relaxed. Where one parent travels with a child, that parent must produce the unabridged birth certificate together with one of: an affidavit of consent from the other parent named on the certificate, a court order granting full parental responsibilities and rights or legal guardianship, or the other parent's death certificate. A copy of the non-travelling parent's ID or passport and their contact details is also required.
When someone who is not a parent travels with the child — a grandparent, an aunt, a family friend — they need the unabridged birth certificate, an affidavit from the parents or legal guardian giving permission, copies of the parents' identity documents, and the parents' contact details.
Rule set two: the visa application
Separately, the consulate assesses the child's application. A minor cannot demonstrate income or ties of their own, so the case rests on the parents': the same test of purpose, accommodation, means and intention to return, evidenced by whoever is funding the trip.
In practice this means the child's application carries the parents' financial documents, proof of the relationship, and consent from any parent not travelling. Where both parents are travelling with the child, the consent question falls away for the consulate but the birth certificate does not.
Children are also treated differently on fees and biometrics. For Schengen applications the child rate and the fingerprint exemption for under-12s are set out on the Schengen guide, and each country page carries its own fees. Note that the UK does not have a child rate at all — children pay the full adult fee, which surprises families who have applied for Schengen visas before.
The single parent case
This is where most families come unstuck, and it is worth being blunt about the situations that cause trouble.
Divorced or separated, sharing custody. You need the other parent's affidavit even where you have primary residence, unless a court order gives you sole guardianship. Get it early. Consent affidavits are the single most common reason a family application is submitted late, because they depend on someone else's cooperation and diary.
The other parent is absent or uncontactable. There is no affidavit to obtain, so the route is a court order granting full parental responsibilities and rights. That takes time and cannot be arranged in the week before travel.
The other parent has died. The death certificate replaces the affidavit.
The father is not named on the birth certificate. If nobody else is registered as a parent, there is no second consent to give. Carry the unabridged certificate showing this, because it is the document that proves it.
Timing
An unabridged birth certificate ordered from Home Affairs is not a same-week document. If your child does not already have one, start there before anything else, because everything — the visa application and the departure — depends on it.
Frequently asked questions
Government guidance now says South African children using South African passports do not need to carry one, because the passport records the parents’ details. Official sources are not consistent on this, and South African mission pages still describe the older requirement, so carry it anyway — it costs nothing and removes the argument.
The unabridged birth certificate plus one of: an affidavit of consent from the other parent named on it, a court order granting full parental responsibilities and rights or guardianship, or that parent’s death certificate. You also need a copy of the non-travelling parent’s ID or passport and their contact details.
There is no affidavit to obtain, so you need a court order granting full parental responsibilities and rights. That takes time, so it cannot be left to the weeks before travel.
Yes, with the unabridged birth certificate, an affidavit from the parents or legal guardian giving permission, copies of the parents’ identity documents, and the parents’ contact details.
For Schengen visas there is a reduced rate for children in a defined age band and under-12s are exempt from fingerprints. The UK has no child rate — children pay the same fee as adults.
Travelling with children and want the documents checked?
We check the consent and birth certificate paperwork against both sets of rules before you book, which is the point at which a problem is still cheap to fix.
Sources: South African Government — requirements for travelling with children. SA Department of International Relations — travel regulations for children under 18. European Commission — Visa Code, Regulation (EC) No 810/2009, Article 14. Checked 17 August 2026. Fees and rules change — if you spot something out of date, tell us at help@getvisa.co.za and we will fix it.
Guidance on this page reflects what South African applicants are asked for in practice. Requirements vary by mission — always confirm against the country page and the application centre before you submit.