Do you need a visa for Namibia? Entry requirements 2026

For years, travellers from France, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada entered Namibia without a visa, as in most of Southern Africa. That exemption ended on 1 April 2025: on a strict diplomatic-reciprocity basis, Namibia withdrew the visa waiver it had granted to citizens of 31 countries — France among them — because those countries themselves require a visa from Namibian citizens, the Schengen area foremost.

In practice, if you're planning your trip around accounts or guides published before 2025, ignore what they say on this specific point: a tourist visa is now a mandatory step, to add to your preparation checklist alongside booking the 4x4 and the flights.

Two options, at the same price. The visa can be requested online before departure, on the official portal of the Namibian Ministry of Home Affairs (eservices.mhaiss.gov.na): create an account, fill in the form, upload a scan of your passport and a photo, pay online, then receive an electronic approval to print and present on arrival. It can also be issued on the spot, at the "visa on arrival" counter, at the country's main entry points: Windhoek and Walvis Bay airports, and the major land border posts (Noordoewer, Trans-Kalahari, Ngoma, Katima Mulilo, Oshikango, Mohembo, among others).

The amount is identical either way: roughly 1,600 NAD, around €80, payable online or on the spot depending on the route you choose. Our recommendation, especially if you're landing in Windhoek during high season (July-August): apply for the e-visa before you leave. Processing takes anywhere from a few minutes to about ten working days depending on demand — don't leave it until the day before your flight — and it saves you the arrival-counter queue on a morning when several long-haul flights land at once.

The visa allows a tourist stay of up to 90 days, comfortably enough for any 10- to 21-day self-drive. The real trap lies elsewhere: passport validity. Namibian authorities require a passport valid for at least 6 months beyond the end of your stay, with a minimum of three consecutive blank pages for stamps. A passport expiring in 5 months, even with a valid visa, can be enough to be denied boarding at your departure airport.

Check this first, even before booking the 4x4: renewing a passport takes several weeks through your local authority — far longer than processing an e-visa.

Good news here: no vaccine is mandatory for a direct flight from Europe, as yellow fever is not present in Namibia. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is only required from travellers arriving from a country with transmission risk, or who have transited more than 12 hours through an airport in one of those countries — a direct Paris-Windhoek flight is not affected, but a connection via Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines, for instance, can trigger the requirement: check this specific point with your airline before booking.

Beyond what's mandatory, a check-up at a travel health clinic 4 to 6 weeks before departure remains advisable, especially if your route heads up toward the Angolan border (northern Kaokoland, Himba country, the Kunene river, the Caprivi Strip), where occasional yellow fever virus circulation is sometimes reported in the region.

This is the question we're asked most, and Namibia's own answer is deliberately vague: a national licence written in English is technically enough, but in practice, 4x4 rental companies and police almost always ask for an international driving permit as well — including for French licences, which are written in the standardised European format rather than in English.

The fix is simple and inexpensive in France: request your international driving permit from your local authority or online (a few weeks' turnaround), and travel with both documents together, national AND international licence. It's also a common clause in rental contracts: our article on 4x4 rental traps covers this point, which can, in the strictest cases, void insurance cover if you're checked.

Here's the logical order, from the longest lead time to the shortest, so nothing is left to chance:

These formalities are just one part of the "Health, safety, requirements and checklists" chapter in our "Namibia self-drive" guide: it also covers travel insurance suited to self-drive, the first-aid kit worth carrying on long gravel stretches, and a complete checklist to tick off before you leave — requirements included.