In a bold move, the Namibian government has decided to impose entry visa requirements on citizens from over 30 countries that have failed to reciprocate its visa exemption gestures. This landmark decision, recently approved by the Cabinet, follows a proposal by the Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security.
Under this new regulation, nationals from countries that do not offer Namibian citizens visa-free access will now have to obtain visas to enter Namibia. This decision could affect around 31 countries, according to data from the Namibia Tourism Board and various embassies.
Namibia currently enjoys visa exemption agreements with about 55 nations. However, only 18 of these countries have extended the same courtesy to Namibia. Countries like Angola, Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and others will remain unaffected by the changes, as they have established reciprocal visa arrangements with Namibia.
The 31 countries likely to be impacted by this new rule include Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, and Uzbekistan.
While visitors from these nations will face new visa requirements, they will have the option to purchase a 90-day visa upon arrival in Namibia, costing $90. This is in stark contrast to the stringent pre-approval process African passport holders often face.
The British High Commissioner to Namibia, Charles Moore, expressed his respect for Namibia’s new regulations. “The UK unfortunately imposed a visa regime on Namibia last year due to the number of asylum seekers we were receiving. That was impacting our relationship with Namibia,” Moore told the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation in May.
A statement from the UK government further explained that there had been a sustained and significant increase in the number of asylum applications from Namibians at the UK border since 2016. “This constitutes an abuse of the provision to visit the UK for a limited period as non-visa nationals,” the statement said.
Namibia’s decision to enforce a quid pro quo treatment aims to promote fairness and equal treatment among nations regarding visa regulations. The government’s stance is clear: if you don’t let our citizens in visa-free, we won’t let yours in without a visa either.
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