In South Africa, we follow European (EU) regulations regarding car seats, meaning all legal car seats need to have an orange ECE sticker and be on the NRCS homologized list of car seats. It is illegal to import, sell and use American, Canadian, Australian, etc car seats – meaning any non-European car seat that does not have an orange ECE sticker on it.
EU car seats again are illegal to use in countries that do not follow EU regulations. There is a high risk of Travel insurance, both medical and vehicle, not paying out and the potential legal consequences that may incur should you use an EU car seat in a country that does not follow EU regulations (and vice versa). Always familiarise yourself with the car seat laws of the country you are visiting.
If you are travelling overseas to a European country or a country that uses EU regulatory car seats, you then have 2 options. You can either take your car seat with you or you can hire a car seat when you get to your destination. If you are taking your car seat with you, it is imperative that you package it correctly (we strongly recommend the original or reinforced box with polystyrene chips and fragile stickers) and notify the airline before arriving with your car seat. Car seats are considered oversized luggage and you may need to drop the box off at the oversized luggage counter. Click here to read our article on car seats for use on public transport.
Example: For South Africans travelling to the United States of America (USA): It is recommended to hire a car seat from the vehicle rental company and find a USA car seat technician, commonly called a Child Passenger Safety technician (CPST) to come out and assist you with correct installation and use. American car seats have fundamental differences in installation and use in comparison to EU car seats, including a chest clip on the harness that is extremely important to have at the correct height to avoid possible serious internal injuries.
Please visit Safe In The Seat to familiarise yourself with US car seats or click here to find a US certified CPST when visiting America.
Travelling to Australia- You will NOT be able to use an EU car seat in Australia. Please click here to find a car seat technician in the state you will be visiting.
