Before you travel
Namibia visa requirements.
Since April 2025 British, US, German, Canadian and many other visitors need a visa for Namibia, as an e-visa or on arrival. Most neighbours remain exempt.
Photo Joe McDaniel / Unsplash
Correct at the time of publishing, . Fees and entry rules are subject to change without notice, and many rules depend on the passport you hold. Confirm with the official source listed under each answer, or with your airline, before you travel.
Check the rules for your passport. Requirements differ by nationality, purpose and length of stay.
Check Namibia visa requirements →Checker provided by VisaHQ. Site designer Charnette Labs may earn a commission if you apply through them, at no extra cost to you. Famous Africa is not an immigration adviser and neither party decides these requirements.
Do I need a visa to visit Namibia?
Since 1 April 2025 Namibia has required visas from nationalities whose countries do not grant Namibians visa-free entry. British, US, German, French, Dutch, Swiss, Canadian, Australian and Japanese citizens, among many others, can get a visa on arrival or apply online in advance, which the Ministry of Home Affairs prefers. Holiday visitors from South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Tanzania, among others, need no visa.
Nationalities on neither list must obtain an e-visa before travelling. Applications are made through the ministry's portal at eservices.mhaiss.gov.na.
Sources: Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security: Namibia visa fact sheet (version 4) (28 May 2025); Ministry of Home Affairs: visa on arrival for additional countries (23 September 2025); Ministry of Home Affairs: visa and permits FAQ
How much does a Namibian visa cost and how long can I stay?
For nationals of countries outside Africa, the holiday visa costs N$1,600 for adults and children aged 11 and over and N$800 for children aged 6 to 11. African nationals pay N$1,200 and N$600, and children under 6 pay nothing. The ministry's older fees page still shows N$1,200 for all. An increase in the fee for visas issued manually at the border, to N$2,000, has been approved, with its start date still to be announced when this page was published.
The visa allows up to 90 days in a calendar year. Online tourist visas take about five working days. An approval letter is not a visa: the visa must be issued or endorsed before you pass immigration, and a printed copy of the e-visa is required.
Fees were correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change without notice.
Sources: Ministry of Home Affairs: Namibia visa fact sheet (version 4) (28 May 2025); Ministry of Home Affairs: visa on arrival for additional countries (23 September 2025); Ministry of Home Affairs: visa and permits FAQ
Where can I get a visa on arrival in Namibia?
Visas on arrival are issued at Hosea Kutako International and Walvis Bay airports, Walvis Bay and Lüderitz harbours, and the Ariamsvlei, Impalila, Katima Mulilo, Mohembo, Noordoewer, Ngoma, Oranjemund, Oshikango and Trans-Kalahari border posts. Other entry points accept e-visas only.
Source: Ministry of Home Affairs: Namibia visa fact sheet (version 4) (28 May 2025)
What passport and documents does Namibia require?
The ministry asks for a passport valid for six months with three blank pages, proof of accommodation and funds, an itinerary and travel or medical insurance. Its FAQ gives two clean pages for a tourist visa applied for in advance, so three covers both.
For children, the ministry asks visa applicants for a full birth certificate or a parental consent letter. The UK government's advice is stricter: an abridged birth certificate is not accepted, an absent parent's consent should be given by affidavit, and a child travelling alone needs a letter from their host.
Sources: Ministry of Home Affairs: Namibia visa fact sheet (version 4) (28 May 2025); Ministry of Home Affairs: visa and permits FAQ; UK government (FCDO): Namibia entry requirements, for British citizens (updated 31 August 2026)
When do I need a yellow fever certificate for Namibia?
A yellow fever certificate is required for travellers aged nine months or older arriving from a country with yellow fever risk, or after more than 12 hours in transit at an airport in one.
Source: World Health Organization: country list of vaccination requirements (revised 3 January 2023)
What else should I know before arriving in Namibia?
Check the number of days stamped in your passport on arrival: the UK government warns that overstaying, or a wrong or missing stamp, can lead to detention, arrest or a fine.
Self-drive visitors in a foreign-registered vehicle pay a cross-border charge on entry, N$534 for a car or bakkie from 1 August 2026. The permit stays in the vehicle and is handed in when you leave.
Fees were correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change without notice.
Sources: UK government (FCDO): Namibia entry requirements, for British citizens (updated 31 August 2026); Road Fund Administration: fees and tariffs (effective 1 August 2026)
Where this sits in planning a trip
Entry requirements are the traveller’s responsibility, but they shape an itinerary — a routing through a third country can change what is needed, and documents for children can take weeks to obtain. Famous Africa raises them early when planning rather than leaving them to the week before departure.