South Africa entry stamps

[Flashback]

With my passport rapidly running out of space, a new one is in order however it needs to be timed right. I'm heading to South Africa in a few weeks and want to confirm recent experiences in terms of what sized stamps are received.

I've checked the SA High Commission website and confirmed I don't require a visa (so shouldn't be a full page job!), so assuming it'll just be a small entry and exit stamp?

 

[defurax]

These are the basic entry requirements. So at least 1 blank page.

Requirements for entering South Africa
You will need the following if you wish to visit South Africa:

• A valid and acceptable passport or travel document for your intended stay
• At least one blank page in your passport for endorsements
• A valid visa, if required
• Sufficient funds to pay for your day-to-day expenses during your stay
• A return or onward ticket
• Yellow fever certificates if your journey starts or entails passing through the yellow fever belt of Africa or South America.

http://www.dha.gov.za:8087/index.php/applying-for-sa-visa

 

[Flashback]

Perfect, have 1 whole page (which I'll block out in my travel over the next few weeks) and a couple of gaps over other pages so should be fine.

 

[defurax]

A few years ago I had to do the same thing because I didn't have time to renew my passport between two trips. So I had put a post-it on the blank page saying: "Please do not stamp". One immigration agent lectured me for a good 5 minutes about it...I guess they REALLY don't like to be helpful, but in the end he stamped somewhere else.

 

[Flashback]

A few years ago I had to do the same thing because I didn't have time to renew my passport between two trips. So I had put a post-it on the blank page saying: "Please do not stamp". One immigration agent lectured me for a good 5 minutes about it...I guess they REALLY don't like to be helpful, but in the end he stamped somewhere else.

That's exactly what I was planning to do!

 

[RooFlyer]

I found once that a one-page Chinese visa stick-on could be peeled off. That gave me a whole page spare!

 

[Flashback]

I found once that a one-page Chinese visa stick-on could be peeled off. That gave me a whole page spare!

Wouldn't that be considered passport tampering? Not sure I'd try that!

 

[RooFlyer]

Who's gunna know? No Australian official looks at Australian passports these days.

Live on the edge, I say

 

[Flashback]

Who's gunna know? No Australian official looks at Australian passports these days.

Live on the edge, I say

Nor any other country, largely! Mine barely gets a cursory glance these days, although I did get a lecture arriving at AGP last week due to not having much space left in mine

I was planning to be on a UK passport by now, but with Brexit looming it's made me rethink whether I bother to get it or not as it's not as valuable as it once was. That being said, until Brexit negotiations finish who knows what free movement/working rights it will have within the EU..... it's an expensive gamble to take, though.

 

[N860CR]

JNB has larger sized stamps (maybe quarter page, or slightly under) while CPT has really small ones. Can't remember what the other airports are like... I think they're smaller. JNB is annoying in that is a larger rectangular stamp which doesn't always fit well into gaps on other pages. They seem less concerned with stamping the "out" next to the "in" so that's one positive (could be due to the number of stamps I have though, and they don't check if they're stamping near the most recent one).

The change to "one blank page" requirement is new, and a lot of airlines don't understand it without looking it up (and plenty of checkin dragons think they know best and don't like to look things up). The previous requirement was two consecutive blank pages. I have 2 randomly in the middle together which I save as my ZA pages incase I get a bad dragon... but I really need to get a new passport.

 

[Franky]

Wouldn't that be considered passport tampering? Not sure I'd try that!

Might look at that for my wife's passport. She travels often to China, and as the visa cuts out a full page each time, her passport needs renewing earlier than it should.

 

[Flashback]

JNB has larger sized stamps (maybe quarter page, or slightly under) while CPT has really small ones. Can't remember what the other airports are like... I think they're smaller. JNB is annoying in that is a larger rectangular stamp which doesn't always fit well into gaps on other pages. They seem less concerned with stamping the "out" next to the "in" so that's one positive (could be due to the number of stamps I have though, and they don't check if they're stamping near the most recent one).

The change to "one blank page" requirement is new, and a lot of airlines don't understand it without looking it up (and plenty of checkin dragons think they know best and don't like to look things up). The previous requirement was two consecutive blank pages. I have 2 randomly in the middle together which I save as my ZA pages incase I get a bad dragon... but I really need to get a new passport.

Good to know, as we're heading into JNB (before departing to CPT the next day) - so it'll be JNB stamps.

Might look at that for my wife's passport. She travels often to China, and as the visa cuts out a full page each time, her passport needs renewing earlier than it should.

Know the feeling, only have a few years on this one and already need to renew - expensive hobby!

 

[Flashback]

An update ..... when boarding in DOH, I had to do a bit of negotiation to get on - he didn't like that my only single page was the last page of the passport (page 37). Eventually got on and was slightly stressed upon arrival in SA, but the immigration officer didn't even flinch and just stamped on a random page so all good.

I see the frequent traveller passport is gone now and I believe replaced with "cheaper replacement if still in your expiry period" - so will get that sorted when I'm back in the UK although I do have a few b2b trips first. Fun!

 

[N860CR]

Had the same arriving in JNB yesterday. Only have the two blank pages, however the officer stamped another fairly full page and didn’t even look for the blank ones. It seems it’s the airline who care the most.