Namibia Requires Visa on Arrival for Nationals of 17 EU and Schengen Area Countries Starting April 2025

Beginning April 1, 2025, citizens from 17 European Union and Schengen Area nations will be required to obtain a visa to enter Namibia. Authorities announced that the specific document needed by these EU nationals is a visa on arrival. This means that the visa requirements will be enforced upon arrival in Namibia.

The list of EU and Schengen countries whose passport holders are now subject to the visa-on-arrival requirement in Namibia includes:

• Austria

• Belgium

• Denmark

• Finland

• France

• Germany

• Italy

• Luxembourg

• Netherlands

• Portugal

• Spain

• Sweden

• Iceland

• Liechtenstein

• Norway

• Switzerland

• Ireland

While these 17 EU/Schengen countries have just been added to the list requiring a visa on arrival for Namibia, the visa requirement has already been applicable to several other countries within the bloc. Passport holders from Croatia, Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Vatican City State have been subject to the visa-on-arrival requirement for some time.

Visa Requirement Introduced as a Reciprocal Measure

By mandating that nationals from the above-listed EU and Schengen Area countries obtain a visa on arrival, Namibian authorities stated that the country aims to establish fair and balanced diplomatic relations with nations that have not reciprocated by easing travel rules for Namibian citizens.

Since Namibia lacks a visa liberalization agreement with the EU, all Namibian passport holders are required to obtain a Schengen visa for entry into the Schengen Area. When applying for a Schengen visa, Namibian nationals must submit several documents and fulfill various criteria.

The short-term Schengen visa allows its holders to stay in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days within any 180-day period. Those wishing to remain in the Schengen Area for extended periods for purposes such as study or work must apply for a national visa.

According to statistics, Namibian passport holders submitted only 5,575 Schengen visa applications in 2023. Of this total, 5,172 applicants were granted a visa, while 271 applications were rejected.

By fLEXI tEAM