Americans have needed a visa to enter Namibia since 1 April 2025, and the adult fee in the Namibian immigration ministry’s latest fact sheet we could read is N$1,600 (about US$96 at 16.59 per US$1 on 12 November 2026). Travellers can apply online before they fly or, at the main airports and border posts, on arrival.
This guide, written on Thursday 12 November 2026, covers visas, work and residence permits, health rules and safety. It also says plainly which official pages we could not open.
Key Facts
- Visa US citizens need a visa for Namibia, applied for online or on arrival at major entry points.
- Fee Adults pay N$1,600 (about US$96); children aged 6 to 11 pay half, and under-6s pay nothing.
- Stay A holiday visa runs up to 90 days, with several entries, for the number of days you request.
- Passport It must be valid for six months and have three blank pages.
- Permits Work and residence permits must be approved before you arrive; work permits take two to four months.
In Plain English
Namibia’s Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, which we call the immigration ministry, decides who may enter and stay. An e-visa is a visa you request and pay for online and print out before you travel.
A visa on arrival is the same permission bought at the airport or border post when you land. The CDC is the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the national public health agency.
Who Needs a Visa for Namibia
The immigration ministry’s fact sheet, version 4 dated 28 May 2025, says the visa policy took effect on 1 April 2025 for nationals of countries that have not returned Namibia’s visa exemption. It lists the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and many European countries among the nationalities that need a visa but may buy one on arrival.
The embassy of Namibia in Washington hosts that fact sheet on its consular page, and the file is marked as uploaded in September 2025. The Government of Canada’s travel advice for Namibia, updated on 15 October 2026, also calls a tourist visa “required” and says it can be obtained online or on arrival.
The fact sheet lists Brazil and Cuba among the countries whose citizens need no visa for a holiday. It places Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela on the list that may apply on arrival or online.
Colombia does not appear on any list in that May 2025 sheet. The sheet says travellers from countries absent from its lists need an e-visa before they fly, so Colombians should check the ministry’s current list first.
The law firm EIG Law reported on 29 September 2025 that the ministry updated its eligible list on 23 September 2025 and added 36 countries to visa on arrival. The firm said the United States was not among those added.
What a Namibia Tourist Visa Costs
The fact sheet lists a visa fee of N$1,600 for adults and for children aged 12 and over, which the ministry puts at about US$90. At the market rate of 16.59 Namibia dollars per US dollar on 12 November 2026, N$1,600 comes to about US$96.
Children aged 6 to 11 pay N$800 (about US$48), and children under 6 pay nothing. Citizens of African countries pay N$1,200 (about US$72) for adults and N$600 (about US$36) for children aged 6 to 11.
The sheet adds that all these fees are “subject to review”. Cruise passengers at the harbours of Lüderitz and Walvis Bay face a separate per-day charge that we could not reconcile across sources, so we give no figure.
EIG Law also reported that Namibia’s Cabinet had approved an extra fee of N$400 (about US$24) for manual visa-on-arrival applications, which would lift that fee to N$2,000 (about US$121). The firm said the start date would be announced later, and we found no confirmation that it has begun.
How to Apply Step by Step
The ministry’s own advice is to apply online before arriving, which it says cuts time at the immigration counters. Online applications go through the ministry’s e-services portal at eservices.mhaiss.gov.na.
- Register or log in on the portal and choose the e-visa or visa-on-arrival application.
- Fill in the form and upload a scan of your passport and a passport photo, each between 300 KB and 2 MB.
- Pay online, then download and print the approved e-visa to show at the border.
The sheet says an e-visa can only be applied for from outside Namibia and is valid only for the dates stated on it. An approval letter alone is not a permit to enter, the ministry warns, so travellers who hold only a letter must first buy a short entry visa at the border.
Visa on arrival works at Hosea Kutako International Airport near Windhoek, Walvis Bay Airport and Walvis Bay and Lüderitz harbours. It also works at border posts including Ariamsvlei, Noordoewer, Trans-Kalahari, Oshikango, Katima Mulilo, Ngoma, Impalila, Mohembo and Oranjemund.
Twenty other entry points accept e-visas only, among them Eros, Rundu, Ondangwa and Keetmanshoop airports. The sheet lists Dobe border post as not yet working for either route.
Passport, Stay Length and Health Certificates
The sheet asks for a passport with six months’ validity and three blank pages, a recent photo and an invitation letter if you have one. Canada’s travel advice repeats the six-month and three-page rule and adds that customs may ask for a return ticket, proof of accommodation, funds and health insurance.
The ministry describes a 90-day multiple-entry holiday visa for travellers who can show enough money for their stay. You state how many days you want, you receive that number, and extensions are handled at regional immigration offices such as the Khomas regional office in Windhoek.
The sheet also caps total holiday stays at 90 days in a calendar year when you extend a shorter visa on arrival. Arriving close to the end of a visa validity gets you only the remaining days.
Every traveller except Namibian citizens, people domiciled in Namibia (permanently based there) and permanent residence holders must fill in an arrival form and sign it before an immigration officer. An approved e-visa serves as that form.
On yellow fever, the sheet says nationals of a list of countries in the endemic zone must hold a certificate and report to port health officers. That list includes Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela, plus many African states.
The CDC says the vaccine is not required for travellers coming directly from the United States, and it is required for travellers aged nine months and over who come from risk countries, including long airport layovers there. Canada’s advice likewise ties the requirement to arriving from or transiting a country where yellow fever occurs.
Working and Living Long Term in Namibia
A tourist visa does not allow work, and Canada’s travel advice states that working or volunteering on one is illegal. The ministry says its portal handles short-term employment permits, while other permits are applied for manually through its website.
Namibia’s embassy in Washington lists the papers for a temporary work or study permit: a valid passport, a police clearance certificate for applicants aged 18 and over, and a medical certificate. It also asks for a radiological report, an employer representation form, a deed of surety and two passport photos.
The embassy says the process generally takes two to four months and that all permits need ministry approval before you enter Namibia. We could not find an official fee table for these permits.
IBN, a private immigration consultancy that says it is not linked to the government, writes that Namibia offers retirees only permanent residence and no temporary permit. It says the state fee is N$20,000 (about US$1,205), payable on approval, with processing of six to twelve months.
The same IBN page gives two conflicting money tests, a net investment of N$4 million (about US$241,000) and a statement that no fixed threshold is set in law. We treat that route as reported, not confirmed.
The Namibian newspaper reported in July 2024 on a proposed “Desert Visa” for wealthy foreign retirees. The chief executive of the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), the state investment agency, was quoted saying the programme was not yet in force because the law needed amending, and we found no sign that it has started.
Safety on the Ground
Canada’s travel advice, updated 15 October 2026, tells travellers to exercise a high degree of caution because of the high level of crime. It says petty theft such as pickpocketing and phone snatching is frequent, and that violent crime, including muggings, burglaries and carjackings, occurs particularly in Windhoek.
NBC Namibia, a Namibian news site, reported that the US State Department has a Level 2 advisory for Namibia, urging citizens to exercise increased caution over crime and health. The report’s listing shows no clear date, and we could not open the State Department’s own page to confirm today’s level.
Roads are the bigger daily risk, Canada’s advice says: fatal crashes are common and often linked to speed on gravel roads. It advises against night driving outside towns and says help is unreliable outside Windhoek, while the rainy season from November to March makes gravel slippery.
The CDC adds that traffic keeps to the left and that street lighting can be poor, and it urges daylight driving in rural areas. Visitors who plan self-drive trips should read our Namibia travel guide on seasons and safety before booking.
Healthcare and Insurance
Canada’s advice says reputable private medical facilities in Windhoek are relatively modern. The CDC warns that trauma care centres are uncommon outside cities and recommends medical evacuation insurance.
On disease, the CDC says malaria risk covers the Kavango, Kunene, Ohangwena, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa and Zambezi regions and not Windhoek. It recommends hepatitis A and typhoid vaccines for most travellers and notes rabies in dogs and in Cape fur seals.
Anyone moving for a longer stay should price private insurance with evacuation cover before choosing a town. Our expat cities hub lists our other relocation guides, and our Windhoek guide for November covers the capital day to day.
What It Means for You
For a US holiday traveller, the practical change is that a visa is now part of the trip budget at about US$96 per adult. Applying online before you fly avoids a queue, and you must carry the printed approval.
For a Latin American traveller, citizenship now decides the route, from visa-free Brazilians to Colombians who must check for an e-visa. For anyone planning to stay and work, the earliest step is an employer who can sponsor you and a start date about four months away.
For wider context on prices and the economy, read our reports on Namibia’s October inflation and the country’s economy and oil hopes, which set out the picture.
What Is Not Known
We could not open the immigration ministry’s own website, its e-services portal or the US State Department’s Namibia pages from our systems. The fee, list and stay rules above therefore come from the ministry’s May 2025 fact sheet as hosted by Namibia’s embassy in Washington, and they may have changed.
We do not know whether the extra N$400 fee on manual visa on arrival has started, or whether any of the lists were revised after September 2025. Official fees, processing times and income tests for residence and retirement permits are not confirmed.
The context data we checked printed no matching market, Power Map entry or event for this topic. We therefore use no prediction-market figure here.
Sources: Namibia Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, visa fact sheet, version 4, 28 May 2025. Embassy of Namibia in Washington, temporary work or study permit. Government of Canada, Namibia travel advice, 15 October 2026. US CDC, Namibia travel page, reviewed 25 August 2026. EIG Law, visa on arrival, 29 September 2025. NBC Namibia, US Level 2 advisory. IBN, permanent residence, updated 5 August 2025. The Namibian, retirement farms, 28 July 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Americans need a visa for Namibia?
Yes. The immigration ministry’s fact sheet says the visa rule took effect on 1 April 2025 and lists the United States among nationalities that need one. Americans may apply online or buy a visa on arrival at major entry points.
How much is a Namibia visa for a US citizen?
The ministry sheet lists N$1,600 for adults, which is about US$96 at today’s rate. Children aged 6 to 11 pay half, and under-6s are free.
Can I work in Namibia on a tourist visa?
No. Canada’s travel advice says working or volunteering on a tourist visa is illegal. Namibia’s embassy in Washington says work permits generally take two to four months and need approval before you enter.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error
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