Since April 2025 most visitors need a visa for Namibia. It is a form and a fee, not an obstacle, if you know the rules before you fly.
What changed on 1 April 2025
Namibia ended visa-free entry for nationals of 33 countries that had not reciprocated Namibia's own visa arrangements. Since 1 April 2025, visitors from those countries, including Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and most of the European Union, need a visa to enter Namibia as tourists. Nothing about the welcome changed; a form and a fee were added to it. Nationals of countries with continuing exemptions, including South Africa and Botswana, still enter visa-free.
Your two routes: e-visa in advance, or visa on arrival
Apply online in advance through the e-services portal of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security. This is the route we recommend: it removes the airport queue and any doubt before you fly. Or get a visa on arrival at Hosea Kutako International Airport, Walvis Bay Airport and the main land border posts. Both routes issue the same tourist visa; the difference is purely where the paperwork happens.
What it costs
The visa fee is N$1,600 for non-African nationals aged 12 and over, N$1,200 for African Union nationals, and N$800 for children aged 6 to 11; children under 6 are free. Payment at the airport is by card. Treat these figures as current at the time of writing and confirm them on the official portal before you travel: fees and rules in this area have already changed once recently.
What to have ready
A passport valid for at least six months beyond your arrival date, with at least three blank pages. Your return or onward flight details and your first nights' accommodation, or the itinerary your designer sends you, which covers both. If you applied online, the approval confirmation. At the desk, check the stay you are actually granted before you walk away: tourist stays run up to 90 days in a calendar year, but the period stamped is what counts, and it should cover your full itinerary.
Land borders and self-drivers
The visa on arrival is available at the main land border posts, which matters for the popular combinations: Botswana and the Caprivi/Zambezi region, Victoria Falls via Katima Mulilo, and South Africa via the southern posts. If you are entering from a visa-exempt country on a visa-exempt passport, nothing changes. Everyone else: the same fee and passport rules apply at the border as at the airport.
Our standing advice
Apply online, in advance, and screenshot the approval. Then check the official sources again a few weeks before you travel, because entry rules are the one part of a Namibia trip that can change between booking and departure. When you book through a designer or operator, they should be checking this for you: it is part of what a ground partner is for.
Questions, answered
Do I need a visa for Namibia?
Since 1 April 2025, nationals of 33 previously visa-exempt countries, including Germany, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and most EU states, need a tourist visa. It is available online in advance or on arrival. Some nationalities, including South Africans, remain visa-exempt.
How much does a Namibia visa on arrival cost?
N$1,600 for non-African nationals aged 12 and over, N$1,200 for African Union nationals, N$800 for children aged 6 to 11, and free for children under 6. Confirm current fees on the official e-services portal before travelling.
How long can I stay in Namibia on a tourist visa?
Tourists may stay up to 90 days in a calendar year. The exact period granted is stamped on entry, so check it covers your itinerary before leaving the desk.
How long must my passport be valid for Namibia?
At least six months beyond your arrival date, with at least three blank pages.
Planning a Namibia journey? Tell us your dates and we will design it properly. Or browse our itineraries and the rest of the journal.