WINDHOEK: The Namibian government is moving forward with implementing a new visa on arrival regulation, now requiring affected nationals to pay a fee upon arrival.
The Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, Lucia Witbooi, announced on Wednesday that nationals from 33 countries will be required to pay N.dollars 1 600 for a visa application starting from 01 April 2025.
She noted that the countries affected are the ones that did not reciprocate Namibia’s gesture of exempting several countries from visa requirements.
This exemption applies to holders of diplomatic, official, and ordinary passports when they visit Namibia for a maximum of 90 days, according to Witbooi.
‘Since the exemption was granted 33 years ago, it is perhaps time to review and assess whether Namibia will continue giving a visa-free regime to countries that have not reciprocated to our good gesture, perhaps based on other considerations,’ she said.
Witbooi said that at independence, some countries that were exem
pted from Namibia’s visa requirements have not reciprocated the goodwill.
‘The reasons for not returning the goodwill remain unknown. We have also noted how in 2012 the Canadian government and in 2023 the British government imposed visa requirements on all Namibian passport holders, despite initially reciprocating by removing visa requirements for Namibians,’ she said.
The new regulation will impact countries such as Belgium, Brazil, Armenia, Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, and Kazakhstan.
‘The nationals from these countries, however, will qualify for visas on arrival upon paying the prescribed fees and meeting the entry requirements in respect of Namibia. The entry requirements in respect of Namibia include, but are not limited to, a return ticket, medical insurance, proof of means of sustenance while in Namibia, not wanted by any country for criminal activities, and a passport valid for at least six months on the d
ate of arrival,’ Witbooi said.
Source: The Namibia News Agency