Erasmus Shalihaxwe
Since January 2020 to date, 296 foreign nationals have acquired Namibian citizenship through marriage to Namibians.
This is according to statistics provided by the executive director in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, Etienne Maritz, to the Windhoek Observer on Thursday.
Maritz said the ministry also approved 416 applications for citizenship by foreign nationals who are married to Namibians.
He explained that Article 4(3) of the Namibian Constitution, along with Section 3 of the Namibian Citizenship Act (Act No. 14 of 1990), allows individuals to acquire Namibian citizenship through marriage.
“Article 4(3) in good faith marry a Namibian Citizen or, prior to the coming into force of this constitution, in good faith married person who have qualified for Namibian citizenship if this constitution had been in force, and subsequent to such marriage have ordinarily resided in Namibia for a period of not less than 10 years, and to apply for Namibian citizenship, applicant must complete and submit the application form attaching all the required documents listed in application form,” said Maritz.
Applicants seeking Namibian citizenship through marriage are categorised by country.
The parliament is currently discussing the Marriage Bill, seeking to amend certain sections of it.
Last month, while contributing to the bill, Popular Democratic Movement member of Parliament Elma Dienda said that under Section 32 on Good Faith Marriages, Subsection 1 stipulates that a marriage between a Namibian citizen and a foreign national is not in good faith if it is primarily intended for acquiring Namibian domicile, residence, or citizenship.
“I submit that we add a period of at least a two-year relationship before a valid marriage between a Namibian and a foreigner can take place to reduce incidences of marriages of convenience. A two-year demonstrated relationship period will show genuine intent and commitment,” said Dienda.
