10

I am a citizen of two different countries: Ghana and Brazil. I have passports from both of these countries. Each passport has the same information (name, date of birth, etc.)

In 2010, while traveling on my Ghanaian passport, I was deported from South Africa. I was removed because I had overstayed my visa, and Ghanaian passports required having a valid visa when visiting South Africa.

Since then I received my new Brazil citizenship. My Brazilian passport does not require a visa to visit South Africa. Can I travel to South Africa using my Brazilian passport without facing problems at immigration?

I previously tried to travel on my Ghanaian passport to transit through South Africa and was denied boarding. Can I use my Brazilian passport or will I face the same problems, since this passport has the same name and information as the other?

Improve this question
6
  • 1
    How long were you issued an entry ban to South Africa for? You should have been informed of it
    – Crazydre
    Commented Dec 26, 2016 at 13:59
  • 2
    to be frank they said nothing about the ban , all they did was made me bought my ticket back to my country . i was only told i could apply for a new visa and come back whenever i want ,
    – lifestyle african
    Commented Dec 26, 2016 at 14:23
  • i bought ticket from brazi to accra which i had to transit through south africa and i got stopped in sao paulo by the airlines by saying they could not get me a boarding parts from sao paulo to Johannesburg because the immigration did not authorized my boarding parts . But now i am using Brazilian passport and i do not know if i would be able to travel with it to south africa without facing any problem . because i am having my ghanaian name with my brazilian nationality
    – lifestyle african
    Commented Dec 26, 2016 at 14:23
  • 1
    Any immigration action applies to you even if you travel with different documents. You might be able to slip through by using a different passport, but you might not. Do you want to run that risk? It's almost certainly better to apply for a visa like they told you todo.
    – phoog
    Commented Dec 26, 2016 at 14:39
  • so therefore even with me having a new nationality i can not travel freely to south africa ? because my brazilian nationality has visa free to south africa and thats what is getting me confused , because my ghanaian nationality gave birth to the brazilian nationality though
    – lifestyle african
    Commented Dec 26, 2016 at 14:45

4 Answers 4

Reset to default
7

i was only told i could apply for a new visa and come back whenever i want

That means you were not issued a ban, in which case, you should be fine to enter visa-free on your Brazilian passport, with which you can stay for up to 90 days.

Unlike the US, South Africa has no hard and fast rule that "once denied entry or deported, you can never enter visa-free again".

Of course, South Africa's border system is high-tech, so do expect to be asked about your overstay, and be prepared to provide as much documentation as you can proving the purpose of your trip as well as your intention to return to your country of residence (such as a return flight confirmation, letter from your employer, property contract or marriage/birth certificates of any children)

Airlines, on the other hand, will not deny you boarding, as they have no way of seeing that you were previously deported from South Africa, provided you only present your Brazilian passport

Improve this answer
3
  • 3
    @lifestyleafrican if this answer was helpful to you, you should upvote and accept it, see travel.stackexchange.com/help/someone-answers
    – mts
    Commented Dec 26, 2016 at 17:31
  • 1
    Any citation for this?
    – Zach Lipton
    Commented Dec 26, 2016 at 21:54
  • @ZachLipton There is no official source explicitly stating this - on the other hand the US, which does require previously deported people to apply for a visa, explicitly states this. There simply isn't such a rule in South Africa.
    – Crazydre
    Commented Dec 27, 2016 at 9:31
4

There is what is possible, and what is right. "Right" is not quite the correct word, but the best that I can come up with.

Your Ghanaian passport is not the problem. You are. You overstayed.

If you want to avoid any possible problem, you should apply for a visa with your Brazilian passport.

Improve this answer
1

It's a tricky one, but I agree with what Coke is saying. Just to be sure I'd recommend you just talk with your closest South African embassy, rather be safe than sorry.

Improve this answer
0

If you've ever been deported from a country and/or have had 'issues' with immigration, don't ask here, go to the closest SA embassy, and ask for the consular officers advice.

A person with such a record needs a special visa in most countries, even if the offence happened with a different passport.

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .