Niël Terblanché
Namibia will impose new visa requirements on nationals from 33 countries at the beginning of April 2025.
This decision, announced by Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security Deputy Minister Lucia Witbooi, follows a thorough review of the visa-free agreements established 33 years ago.
Deputy Minister Witbooi explained that despite Namibia’s long-standing goodwill in exempting many countries from visa requirements, several of these nations have not reciprocated.
“Namibia has extended visa exemptions to many countries, but unfortunately, the same courtesy has not always been returned. In recent years, both Canada and the UK reintroduced visa requirements for Namibian passport holders, prompting a reassessment of our policies,” she stated.
Starting next year, nationals from countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, will need visas to enter Namibia.
She, however, said that visitors from identified countries will be eligible for visas on arrival upon paying a fee of N$1 600 and meeting entry requirements, which include possessing a return ticket, medical insurance, proof of financial means, no criminal record, and a passport valid for at least six months.
“At independence, Namibia exempted several countries from visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, official, and ordinary passports visiting Namibia for up to 90 days per calendar year. Some countries, particularly in SADC and the African Union, have reciprocated this goodwill. However, over the past 33 years, many countries have not returned the favour,” she said.
Witbooi said that the decision to impose visa requirements on 33 countries is a result of the lack of reciprocity.
“Since the exemption was granted thirty-three years ago, it is time to review and assess whether Namibia will continue giving visa-free status to countries that have not reciprocated our goodwill,” she said.
The implementation of the visa regime aims to streamline the process for arriving passengers from affected countries, ensuring they can qualify for visas on arrival by meeting the necessary requirements.
The new policy seeks to uphold the interests of Namibian nationals and ensure fair treatment for Namibians travelling abroad.
She said that in addition to the visa policy announcement, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security continues to focus on registering births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths.
The Ministry is conducting mass registration outreaches to all 121 constituencies, providing national documents such as birth certificates, and identity documents, and receiving citizenship applications.
This exercise, which began on 5 February, is scheduled to end on 31 July.
Since the launch of the programme, the mass registration has served 94 317 people, including birth registrations, new ID applications, and the recording of stateless and undocumented persons.
Witbooi said that the ministry is also collaborating with the Ministry of Health and Social Services to introduce an e-birth and e-death notification system to ensure timely registration of vital events.
She said the government is committed to addressing the issue of statelessness, with the Second Harambee Prosperity Plan (HPP II) calling for the regularisation of undocumented and stateless persons.
“New legislation, including the Regularisation of Status of Certain Residents of Namibia Bill and the Statelessness Determination and Protection Bill, is being drafted to address these concerns,” she said.
According to Witbooi, the decision to impose a visa regime is made in the best interest of Namibian nationals, ensuring that the country’s policies are aligned with reciprocal measures from other nations.
