New visa requirements effective April 2025

Cabinet has approved the implementation of visa entry requirements for countries that have not reciprocated Namibia’s gesture of visa exemption, effective 1 April 2025. The move will affect 31 countries, whose residents will now have to apply for a visa online, or upon arrival in the country.Cabinet further approved that fees for non-African Union (AU) members be set at N$1 600, and fees for AU members who qualify for visas on arrival to remain at N$1 200, subject to annual review based on the fluctuation of the Namibian dollar to the Euro.It also approved that the visa-on-arrival form be merged with the arrival form, while departure forms will be discontinued to simplify the departure process. More personnel will also be deployed to arrival counters, it said.The move has been met with mixed reactions from tourism stakeholders. There are concerns regarding a possible delay in the processing of visas upon arrival, and fees to be charged to tourists, tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta said.Increasing capacityAccording to him, the country does not expect a significant decrease in tourist arrival numbers as a result of the introduction of visa requirements. “In fact, all these 31 countries are eligible for the visa-upon-arrival regime at our international airports and entry points,” he said.The minister added that they are engaging with the home affairs and immigration ministry to ensure increased capacity in terms of human resources and point-of-sale systems to fast-track the issuance of visas upon arrival, and to mitigate the potential delays in the process.Shifeta further said they do not foresee a major reduction in economic activity in the tourism sector as a result of the move.He, however, noted that it is crucial to weigh these potential impacts against the intended policy benefits to ensure sustainable tourism growth and economic stability.Shifeta added that the tourism ministry, Namibia Tourism Board and private sector will continue to explore strategies to reduce these possible impacts by continuously engaging source markets, agents and embassies.Additionally, the ministry will continue to monitor the situation after the implementation and adopt appropriate mitigating strategies if necessary, he said.

New visa requirements effective April 2025

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-07

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New visa requirements effective April 2025

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-07

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