Travel Documentation

Which documents are required to enter a country?

• Passport

• Visa

• Health certificate (for some countries)

What is the purpose of travel documentation?

Needed to gain access into a country for security, health, safety and identification.

What is a passport?

official govt. doc which certifies identity and citizenship and permits travel abroad.

What are the types of passports?

• Tourist passport → 32 pages

• Maxi tourist passport → 48 pages (frequent travellers)

• official passport → travelling for business AKA a service passport . (usually diff colour)

• Diplomatic passport → travelling for official state business (diplomats and consuls)

• Temporary passport → SA citizens who need to travel urgently while waiting for regular passport to be issued (valid for 12 months)

What is a visa?

an endorsement on passport which allows traveller to remain in transit or enter foreign country for a specific period of time.

What are the different types of visas?

• visitor visa → study, work, medical or volunteer

• transit visa → tourists en route to other countries

• diplomatic visa → on official work

• courtesy visa → for distinguished visitors (issued by DIRCO = Department of International Relations and Cooperation)

• Official visa → for official purpose for official passport holders

What are the basic requirements for tourists travelling between countries?

• valid passport

• valid visa

• sufficient funds to cover stay

• return / onward ticket to another country

• yellow fever vaccine for travellers crossing borders of countries where it’s endemic (as per international law)

What is an IDP?

International driver’s permit → doc recognised by many countries allowing permit holder to drive a private motor vehicle in that country.

Can be issued by AA of SA (automobile association) from any AA Autoshop / AA Travel Experience Store in SA.

What are duty-free goods?

goods travellers are allowed to bring into SA without paying customs duty or VAT.

• 200 cigarettes and 20 cigars

• 250g of cigarette or pipe tobacco

• 50ml perfume and 250ml eau de toilette

• 2l wine

• 1l spirits and other alcoholic beverages

What are prohibited goods?

goods travellers are not allowed to bring into SA by law (illegal)

• any narcotic or psychotropic (mind altering) substances (drugs like cannabis, heroin, cocaine, mandrax, ecstasy, ect…)

• any poison or other toxic substance

• goods with trade description or trademark that are in contravention of law (counterfeit goods)

• unlawful reproductions of any works subject to copyright

What is the red and green channel?

Red Channel → travellers indicate they have goods to declare. Customs officer will determine value and calculate customs duties and VAT that must be paid and if these fall within duty free allowance.

Green Channel → travellers indicate they have no goods to declare. Random searches are conducted.

What goods need to be declared?

• Currency → bank notes in excess of R10 000, gold coins, coin and stamp collections, and unprocessed gold.

• Endangered plants or animals → whether dead or alive and any parts of and made from them.

• Food, plants, animals and biological goods → seeds, flowers, fruit, honey, margarine, vegetable oils, all animals, birds, poultry and products from them; butter or eggs.

• Medicine other than a 1 month personal supply → and a letter from a registered physician or doctor.

• firearms acquired by SA residents returning after absence of less than 6 months.

• Consumable goods in excess of duty free allowances.

What is a travel allowance?

how much money a traveller can take out of SA. These transactions are subject to exchange control regulations governed by SA Reserve Bank.