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Namibia Visa Guide
Whether you need a visa by nationality, what it costs, and the passport and child-document rules every visitor must meet.
Entry planning
Do you need a visa for Namibia?
Most visitors from North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand now need a visa, which they can get on arrival or online before travel. Travelers from South Africa and most neighboring countries do not. Checked on 15 October 2026 against the UK FCDO, the government's September 2025 visa-on-arrival list and the Namibia Tourism Board.
| Passport | Visa needed? | How to get in |
|---|---|---|
| United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Japan and most EU countries (including Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain) | Yes, since 1 April 2025 | Visa on arrival at the airport or border post, or an e-visa applied for online before you travel. N$1,600 per traveler aged 12 or over, N$800 for ages 6–11, free under 6. |
| South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Lesotho, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Mauritius and Seychelles | No, for a tourist visit | Visa-exempt. Bring a passport that meets the rules below. |
| Brazil, Kenya, Russia, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cuba, Jamaica, Hong Kong and Macau | No, for a tourist visit | Visa-exempt. Bring a passport that meets the rules below. |
| Any other passport | Usually yes | The visa-on-arrival list was extended to about 120 countries in September 2025. If your country is on neither list, apply through a Namibian embassy or high commission before you travel. |
Rules for every visitor
- Passport valid for at least six months after your arrival date, with at least three blank pages.
- A return or onward ticket.
- Tourist stays of up to 90 days. The period you are granted is written on your entry stamp: check it before you leave the desk.
- Children under 18: an unabridged birth certificate naming both parents. If only one parent travels, bring the other parent’s consent affidavit; other adults traveling with a child need consent from both parents.
- A yellow fever certificate if you arrive from, or transited for more than 12 hours through, a yellow-fever risk country.
Work, volunteering, research, media and business trips use different permits. Apply through a Namibian mission before booking. Country lists and fees can change, so check the official portal before paying non-refundable deposits.
Verification sequence
1. Check nationality
Find your passport in the table above. If it is not listed, check the official visa-on-arrival portal or ask your nearest Namibian mission.
2. Confirm document rules
Passport validity, blank-page requirements, and onward-ticket checks can matter at the border and airline check-in.
3. Match visa to purpose
Tourism, business, volunteering, media, and extended stays may use different processes.
4. Recheck before departure
Rules can change between booking and travel. Recheck close to flight date and keep copies offline.
Common mistakes
- Assuming an old visa-exemption list is still current.
- Forgetting that airlines may check documents before boarding.
- Confusing tourism entry with work, volunteering, media, or business purposes.
- Leaving visa checks until after paying non-refundable lodge deposits.
Choose the check by travel purpose
A tourism result should not be reused for a different activity. Describe what you will actually do, including unpaid work, professional equipment, research, performances, or a regional border crossing.
| Trip situation | Question to resolve | Where to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary tourism visit | Nationality, passport type, arrival point and intended stay length | Government fact sheet, e-services portal or a Namibian mission |
| Business or conference travel | Whether meetings, paid work, equipment, speaking or commercial activity changes the entry category | Namibian mission or immigration authority before booking |
| Work, volunteering, research or media | Permit category, sponsoring organization, lead time and equipment permissions | Relevant Namibian authority and the sponsoring organization |
| Travel with a child | Consent, custody, birth and accompanying-adult documents for every border on the trip | Namibian authority plus transit and home-country authorities |
| Transit or regional extension | Requirements for each connection and neighboring country, including return-entry eligibility | Each country’s authority and the operating airline |
Build one offline entry file
Keep the final documents together on the phone and on paper. Redact sensitive copies before sending them to anyone who is not the airline, authority, insurer, or supplier that genuinely needs them.
Identity
Passport bio page, prior visa or permit if relevant, and any second passport used for the booking.
Trip evidence
Return or onward booking, first-night address, route outline, accommodation confirmations, and host details if requested.
Financial and health
Only the evidence the current rule asks for, plus insurance contacts and any required health documentation.
Approvals
Full approval notice, payment receipt, reference number, conditions, and a screenshot or PDF of the official rule used.
If two official answers appear to conflict
Compare publication dates and whether the source controls your exact case. Save both links, then ask the Namibian authority or mission for written clarification. An airline can explain its boarding check, but it does not replace the destination authority’s entry decision.