OK all you previous ROARers no doubt have the answer: someone at Amex travel told me that if I am going to So Africa I must have the last 2 pages of my passport empty for their stamps. Now I know all about needing 2 blank pages but she insisted that it had to be the LAST 2. Of course my last 2 have a stamp. I have previously gotten extra pages added and as you all know those are sewn into the center so there is no way to get new "last" pages short of getting a whole new pristine passport. Is this as I suspect someone with a little information who has mistakenly added her own details or is she right? Long way to go to be turned away.
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Helen

Helen - your instincts are correct on getting misinformation - you need to have two Visa pages available - those are the ones that make up the majority of your passport pages. The last couple of pages are for endorsements, amendments - you have to have two blank Visa pages NOT the last two pages.

It is just amazing to me that an American Express travel "specialist" can get it so wrong and pass out that information, Helen! I hope you will complain to them. I know that the population traveling to Africa is small, however, one would expect that the least Amex could do is have informed TA's on this subject, since they are making money on every one of us! Perhaps I hold Amex to a higher standard than I should.

The other aspect of the TWO pages rule is they must be two adjoining pages not front and back side of one page.

Got it. Thanks. I just knew that couldnt be right. This was the person who quoted me $19k on the 2:1 flights.
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Helen

I just looked at my South Africa visa and it only takes up one half of one page. It's actually smaller than most other visas which cover a full page.

So you have to wonder why a country whose visa is smaller than average would require two full face to face blank pages in someone's passport. Tom.

I looked at my passport too - the South African visa and entrance and exit stamps - September '08 - were facing a page that had been already been stamped in July '08 so it doesn't seem they are too strict on the facing pages policy.

All depends on who you get. One would let something slide and another will not. We saw a couple being refused entry because they did not have two adjoining empty pages. Not worth tempting fate. My passport is almost full so we stapled the last two remaining pages so no one could stamp them. Lots of pages left to go just not adjoining. Ken who has been to the same places I have been had about five adjoining pages. I guess they just like to use a new page my stamps!

I have never understood why 'they' don't do the obvious - start at the front page of the passport and work their way through. Any help? Lee

Since when do you need a VISA for South Africa? We've been to Capetown many times and have never needed a VISA. They've just pasted a Temporary Residence Permit into our passports at the airport. Nothing was needed in advance.

Doug, the conversation is a little misleading. You're right in that you don't need to have a visa in your passport in advance to get into South Africa if you are a US citizen. But you are issued a visa when you arrive and they require you to have two blank pages in your passport. Tom.

Many countries need no visas at all. Other countries issue their "visas" on arrival at the airport or place of entry. Turkey, Cambodia, Egypt, Zambia, and South Africa are examples. Other countries require them done in advance but very easy and can be done on the interent for example Australia. The countries that require visa in advance such as Brazil, India, China and Russia are usually the most expensive and complicated.

South Africa I believe is unique in the requirement of two adjoining empty pages and they are VERY serious about that requirement.

Thanks. Guess I never paid any attention to the page requirement, even though they've only used one page in our passports each time. Once we get to the airport we're always too anxious to get going.

This doesn't have anything to do with South Africa, but does have to do with passport pages. When you send off your passport to get extra pages sewn in, how long does it usually take to get it back? My husband is going fishing in Mexico in Dec, then we have our western Caribbean cruise first of Feb. I just noticed when we got back from Mariner that both passports are almost full. Do I risk sending them off now or wait till after Feb??

mine took three weeks