December and January are South Africa’s busiest months of the year for tourists. And rightfully so, the summer weather is near perfect and there’s a festive, celebratory feeling throughout the country.
Visitors to the country, however, may need to wait a little longer to taste the joy of an African summer once they’ve touched down at the airport.
The reason for this is that South Africa has implemented a plan to secure its borders by collecting biometric data from international visitors upon arrival. The process, which was initially implemented in January 2016, requires international passengers arriving in South Africa at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport to submit data as part of new immigration regulations to improve security.
Reports of lengthy queues as a result of the new immigration regulations have been common and will potentially cause significant delays during the upcoming December holidays. A shortage in trained immigration officials capable of capturing biometrics is causing the very lengthy delays – sometimes up to three hours – for both South African and international travellers, even causing them to miss connections. The authorities involved are working hard to alleviate the problem but we have been informed that travellers should expect similar delays for the foreseeable future.
For those visitors bound for South Africa this festive season we urge you to pack a little patience along with your swimming costume and camera. We hope the slight delay will make your final arrival that much sweeter.