Namibia travel advice

Risk level

Safety and security

Border with Angola

Peace in Angola has improved the security situation along the Namibia–Angola border. Due to the risk of banditry, however, you should exercise caution when travelling to this area, including Kavango Region in the northeast and the western half of Zambezi Region (formerly known as Caprivi). Use official border crossing areas only to enter neighbouring countries.

Landmines

There are landmines in the border area from Katwitwi (a village on the Okavango River in Kavango West Region) to Kongola (a town in Zambezi Region).

Crime

Petty crime

Petty crime, such as pickpocketing, bag snatching and cellphone theft, occurs regularly.  

Theft is frequent in:  

• popular tourist areas
• crowded places, including urban shopping areas
• vehicles, especially unattended vehicles at gas stations and
• ATMs and surrouding areas

During your trip to Namibia: 

• ensure that your personal belongings, including your passport and your other travel documents, are secure at all times 
• avoid showing signs of affluence or wearing expensive jewellery 
• avoid carrying large sums of cash or unnecessary valuables 
• never leave personal belongings unattended in a vehicle, even in the trunk 
• be extra cautious when withdrawing cash from ATMs

Violent crime

Violent crime occurs, particularly in Windhoek. Incidents include :

• muggings
• burglaries
• carjackings

During your stay:

• avoid walking alone after dark
• keep your accommodations doors and windows locked at all times 
• keep your car doors locked and windows closed, especially in heavy traffic 

Demonstrations

Demonstrations are rare and occur mostly in Windhoek. They can disrupt traffic and business.

Even peaceful demonstrations can turn violent at any time. They can also lead to disruptions to traffic and public transportation.

• Avoid areas where demonstrations and large gatherings are taking place
• Follow the instructions of local authorities
• Monitor local media for information on ongoing demonstrations

Mass gatherings (large-scale events)

Fraud

Cases of attempted fraud are frequently reported in Namibia.

Credit card copying in some hotels and lodges occurs. When paying by credit card, keep your card in view at all times. Be extra vigilant at ATMs, as criminals may attempt to distract you or offer assistance with the aim of stealing your money. Don’t accept any offer of assistance and cancel your transaction if you become suspicious.

• Pay careful attention when your cards are being handled by others
• Use ATMs located in well-lit public areas or inside a bank or business
• Avoid using card readers with an irregular or unusual feature
• Cover the keypad with one hand when entering your PIN
• Check for any unauthorized transaction on your account statements

Overseas fraud

Wildlife viewing

Wildlife viewing poses risks, particularly if you are on foot or at close range.

• Only use reputable and professional guides or tour operators 
• Always maintain a safe distance when observing wildlife 
• Only exit a vehicle when a professional guide or warden says it’s safe to do so
• Closely follow park and warden’s advice  

Road safety

Avoid night-time driving outside urban centres.

Be particularly careful when driving on rural roads, many of which are gravel with sloping sand shoulders.

Road conditions are generally good, but much of the country is covered by desert. Overland travel takes considerable time. Sand, salt and gravel roads become very slippery when wet.

Tourists are often involved in single-vehicle accidents. Do not exceed 80 km/h on gravel roads. Excessive speed and animals on the roadway pose hazards.

Emergency and roadside assistance is unreliable or non-existent outside Windhoek.

If you must travel overland via the Trans-Caprivi Highway between Rundu and Katima Mulilo, do so during daylight hours only.

Avoid stopping at roadside rest stops, where robberies have been known to occur.

If travelling to desert areas, do so with sufficient water and fuel supplies and two spare tires. Travel by convoy if you plan to go to the desert.

Public transportation

Buses and taxis operate in the capital. Public transportation is limited outside Windhoek.

Foreigners have been robbed by taxi drivers. The Namibia Bus and Taxi Association (NABTA) regulates taxi drivers by allocating registration numbers (one letter followed by a two-digit number). Use registered taxis (displaying the NABTA logo) only or arrange for a taxi through a reputable hotel.

Air travel

We do not make assessments on the compliance of foreign domestic airlines with international safety standards.

Information about foreign domestic airlines

Entry and exit requirements

Every country or territory decides who can enter or exit through its borders. The Government of Canada cannot intervene on your behalf if you do not meet your destination’s entry or exit requirements.

We have obtained the information on this page from the Namibian authorities. It can, however, change at any time.

Verify this information with the Foreign Representatives in Canada.

Passport

Entry requirements vary depending on the type of passport you use for travel.

Before you travel, check with your transportation company about passport requirements. Its rules on passport validity may be more stringent than the country’s entry rules. 

Regular Canadian passport

Your passport must be valid for a minimum of 6 months after the date you enter Namibia.

Passport for official travel

Different entry rules may apply.

Official travel

Passport with “X” gender identifier

While the Government of Canada issues passports with an “X” gender identifier, it cannot guarantee your entry or transit through other countries. You might face entry restrictions in countries that do not recognize the “X” gender identifier. Before you leave, check with the closest foreign representative for your destination.

Other travel documents

Different entry rules may apply when travelling with a temporary passport or an emergency travel document. Before you leave, check with the closest foreign representative for your destination.

Useful links

• Foreign Representatives in Canada
• Canadian passports

Visas

Tourist visa: required
Business visa: required
Student visa: required
Work visa: required

You can submit your visa application:

• online
• at Namibian embassies or consulates
• upon arrival at designated ports of entry, including Hosea Kutako International Airport.

Namibian authorities require that your passport contains at least three blank pages to process your visa application and enter the country.

Make sure the entry stamp is valid for the duration of your stay (up to 90 days) and that immigration officials have given you a correctly dated entry stamp, as this will be checked upon departure.

Authorities are very strict regarding visa validity. Overstaying the time granted or having an incorrect or missing entry stamp could lead to detention, arrest and fines.

Information on visa applications – Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security of the Republic of Namibia

Children and travel

Learn more about travelling with children.

Exit and entry requirements for minors under 18

When travelling to an international destination, underage traveller must present:

If travelling with both parents

• A valid passport
• A long-form birth certificate

If travelling with a single parent

• A valid passport
• A long-form birth certificate
• A letter of consent from the other parent or a copy of a death certificate when applicable

If travelling with other adults

• A valid passport
• A long-form birth certificate
• A proof of consent from the biological parents or legal guardians in the form of a sworn affidavit for the child to travel internationally
• Contact information of the child’s parents or legal guardians

If travelling alone

• A valid passport
• A long-form birth certificate
• A proof of consent from one or both parents or legal guardians in the form of a sworn affidavit for the child to travel
• Contact information of the child’s parents or legal guardians
• A letter from the person who is to receive the child containing the residential address and contact details where the child will be residing
• A copy of the identity document of the person who is to receive the child. This could be: 
• a valid passport and visa
• a permanent residence permit

If you are transiting by road through South Africa with children under the age of 18, consult the entry/exit requirements for South Africa.

Yellow fever

Learn about potential entry requirements related to yellow fever (vaccines section). 

Health

Routine vaccines

Make sure your routine vaccinations are up-to-date before you travel, no matter where you’re going.

These may include vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, varicella (chickenpox), meningococcal disease, seasonal flu, and others.

Provincial and Territorial Immunization Information

Pre-travel vaccines and medications

When travelling in this destination, you might be at risk for diseases that can be prevented with vaccines or medications. Talk to a travel health care provider about which ones are right for you based on your travel plans.

The highlights below will also tell you if your destination may require that vaccine for entering or exiting.

Safe food and water precautions

Eating or drinking unsafe food or water, or swimming in contaminated water can make you sick while travelling. Take precautions by following these tips:

• Boil it, cook it, peel it, or leave it (only eat food that is prepared safely)
• Avoid, if possible, getting water in your eyes, mouth, or nose when swimming in freshwater (like streams, lakes, or canals), especially after heavy rain or flooding - the water might look clean but can still be contaminated 
• Don’t swallow water when bathing, showering, swimming in pools, or using hot tubs 

Eat and drink safely abroad

Tick and insect bite prevention

Many diseases are spread by bites from infected ticks and insects like mosquitoes, fleas, or flies. Before you travel, find out what types of ticks or insects are in the area, when they’re most active, and what diseases they can spread.

To protect yourself from bites:

• use an approved bug spray (insect repellent) on exposed skin
• wear light-coloured, loose clothing made of tightly woven materials like nylon or polyester
• wear socks and closed-toe shoes
• sleep under mosquito netting if you’re outdoors or staying in places that aren’t fully enclosed
• do a full body tick check on yourself, your children, your gear, and any pets you’re travelling with when you return from outdoor activities

Insect bite and pest prevention
Personal insect repellents

Animal precautions

Some infections, like rabies and bird flu (avian influenza), can be spread from animals to humans. Certain activities can increase your chances of coming into contact with animals, like:

• travelling in rural or forested areas
• camping, hiking, or visiting caves
• visiting places where live animals are sold or killed for food, like wet markets

To reduce your risk of getting sick, avoid contact with animals like stray dogs, livestock (such as pigs and cows), monkeys, snakes, rodents, birds, and bats. Avoid eating undercooked meat.

Make sure to closely watch children; they are more likely to try to touch animals.

Person-to-person infections

When travelling, you can reduce your risk of getting or spreading respiratory infections, like the flu or COVID-19, by:

• staying at your accommodation and limiting contact with others if you’re sick
• wearing a well-fitting mask, especially: 
  
  • if you’re sick and need to be around others 
  • when you’re at large indoor events or in crowded settings, like sporting events, concerts, and airports
• cleaning your hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or using hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol
• covering your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow, not your hands

Mass gatherings (large-scale events)
Clean your hands to help reduce the spread of infectious diseases
Respiratory infectious diseases: How to reduce the spread with personal protective measures

To lower your risk of getting sexually transmissible infections (STIs), HIV, and mpox, you can:

• get vaccinated against mpox if you’re eligible
• practise safer sex methods
  • use barrier protection during sexual activity, like condoms and dental dams.

Mpox vaccines
Sexual health and travel
HIV and AIDS: Travel health advice

Medical services and facilities

Medical facilities are relatively modern, particularly in the capital. Well-equipped facilities are rarely available in smaller towns.

Upfront payment is generally required, even if you have medical insurance.

Ensure that your insurance policy covers all the activities that you plan to undertake, particularly in the case of extreme sports.

Make sure you get travel insurance that includes coverage for medical evacuation and hospital stays.

Health and safety outside Canada

Keep in Mind...

The decision to travel is the sole responsibility of the traveller. The traveller is also responsible for his or her own personal safety.

Be prepared. Do not expect medical services to be the same as in Canada. Pack a travel health kit, especially if you will be travelling away from major city centres.

Laws and culture

You must abide by local laws.

Learn about what you should do and how we can help if you are arrested or detained abroad.

Drugs

Penalties for drug offences are severe and include lengthy prison sentences.

Drugs, alcohol and travel

Identification

Carry a copy of your passport at all times.

Exports

Diamonds and other protected resources should be purchased from licensed shops.

If you are convicted of illegally dealing in diamonds, you could face heavy fines and/or imprisonment. The purchase and export of other protected resources, such as elephant ivory, may be subject to restrictions.

Photography

Do not photograph military sites or government buildings. Ask permission before taking photographs.

Culture

You should dress conservatively.

2SLGBTQI+ persons

Namibian law prohibits sexual acts between individuals of the same sex.

2SLGBTQI+ persons should carefully consider the risks of travelling to Namibia.

Travel and your sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics

International Child Abduction

The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction is an international treaty. It can help parents with the return of children who have been removed to or retained in certain countries in violation of custody rights. It does not apply between Canada and Namibia.

If your child was wrongfully taken to, or is being held in Namibia by an abducting parent:

• act as quickly as you can
• consult a lawyer in Canada and in Namibia to explore all the legal options for the return of your child
• report the situation to the nearest Canadian government office abroad or to Global Affairs Canada by calling the Emergency Watch and Response Centre

If your child was removed from a country other than Canada, consult a lawyer to determine if The Hague Convention applies.

Be aware that Canadian consular officials cannot interfere in private legal matters or in another country's judicial affairs.

Useful links

• International Child Abductions: A guide for affected parents
• Children and travel
• Canadian embassies and consulates by destination
• Request emergency assistance

Driving

Traffic drives on the left.

You can use an original Canadian driver’s licence printed in English, but you should also carry a valid international driving permit.

If renting a car, pay particular attention to the insurance coverage provided. Ensure you have comprehensive insurance.

It is illegal to use a cellular telephone while driving or to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The use of a seatbelt is compulsory for the driver and all passengers.

A charge of culpable homicide can be made against a driver involved in an accident resulting in death.

International Driving Permit

Money

The currency is the Namibian dollar (NAD). The South African rand (ZAR) is also accepted.

Major credit cards are accepted and most ATMs are linked to international networks.

Natural disasters and climate

The dry season extends from April to October, and the rainy season extends from November to March. Unpaved roads may become impassable during the rainy season. You should follow regional weather forecasts and plan accordingly.