AT THE BORDER
Visas, custom regulations and border fees and times
You’re on holiday, right? Don’t let border crossings get you down. Here’s all you need to know.
VISA & MEDICAL
Visa. South Africans may visit for 90 days without a visa. Vaccinations. Not compulsory, but it’s a good idea to be up to date with your yellow fever, hepatitis A and anti-tetanus shots. Malaria. Take precautions if you’re visiting the north. Medical insurance. Always a good idea.
BORDER FEES
R220 per vehicle (includes double-cab bakkies and kombis); R140 per trailer. Carry cash – you can pay in rands (R1 = N$1), but bear in mind that the price may go up unexpectedly.
PLEASE NOTE
From the first Sunday in April to the first Sunday in September, Namibian clocks are one hour behind South African clocks. Keep this in mind for border crossings.
Expect delays at border posts – add two hours for every border crossing to your itinerary, even if it normally takes only 45 minutes. Smaller border posts are usually much faster than those on busier routes.
If you encounter any changes in the border times or telephone numbers listed here, please let us know.
COMPULSORY STUFF
Passport. It needs to be valid for six months or more from the date you plan to leave Namibia, and it should have at least two blank pages. Driving licence. Your South African licence is valid in Namibia – keep it on hand. Vehicle registration documents. Copies of these documents will do. Remember the papers for the trailer or caravan, too. Letter of authorisation. If you’re still paying off your car, you need a letter of authorisation from the bank. If the car you’re travelling in doesn’t belong to you, you need a letter written by the owner giving you permission to take it across the border. The letter should include the vehicle registration number, the owner’s name, ID number and physical address. The dates you will be in the country also need to be specified. Emergency gear. You need at least one emergency triangle per vehicle. ZA sticker. Required. Stick it on the back of the vehicle. (You get magnetic stickers that you can remove afterwards.)
FOOD & CUSTOMS RESTRICTIONS
Meat. Each person is allowed to bring in 25 kg of meat (beef, mutton, venison). Currently, no raw chicken may be taken across the border into Namibia. Returning to SA, you may bring back 10 kg of biltong and 25 kg of red meat per person. (You must be older than 16 and no more than three people per vehicle.) If you’re travelling via Botswana back to South Africa, the quantities reduce from 25 kg per person to 25 kg per vehicle. You also need a letter from the farmer who supplied the meat. Hunters need an invitation from the owner of the farm if they are taking rifles across the border. You may bring 500 kg of raw meat and 100 kg of biltong back across the border provided you have a hunting permit and a South African Veterinary Import Permit (R150) for quantities exceeding 25 kg ( 012 319 7514). No pork may cross the border either way. Fish. You need to buy a Recreational Import Permit (R505) from the SA Department of Fisheries ( 021 402 3634) to bring up to 30 fish into SA. Gifts, alcohol and cigarettes. Gifts worth up to R200 and personal items are duty-free. Each person may bring into Namibia: two cartons of cigarettes; 50 cigars and 250 g tobacco; 2 ℓ wine and 1 ℓ spirits; 50 ml perfume and 250 ml eau de toilette. You may not take braai wood or mealiemeal across the border. You’re also not allowed to pick up stones in Namibia and smuggle them across the border. Declare your valuables. Write down the serial numbers of your camera, lenses, cellphone and GPS device beforehand to make it easier to declare at the border. Make sure you leave nothing out – sometimes you run into an official bent on giving you trouble and an undeclared camera is just what he’s looking for.
IMPORTANT NUMBERS
Emergencies: 061 230 505 (SOS emergency number); 112 (on cellphones); 10111 (police); 911 (general)
SA High Commission in Windhoek: Corner of Nelson Mandela Avenue and Jan Jonker Street
00 264 61 205 7111
Namibia High Commission in SA: 012 481 9100; secretary@namibia.org.za
Meat Board: 00 264 61 275 830 (Windhoek);
00 264 63 297 191 (Noordoewer)
Namibian Consulate: 021 419 2810 (Cape Town)
Road Administration Fund:
00 264 61 378 950
Ministry of Veterinary Services: 00 264 61 276 592
Ministry of Internal Affairs:
00 264 61 292 2111
Namibian Tourism Board: 00 264 61 290 6000; 021 422 3298; namibiatourism.com.na
BORDER POST TIMES
NAMIBIA – SA Oranjemund – Alexander Bay: 6 am – 10 pm
00 264 63 233 552
Rosh Pinah – Sendelingsdrift: 8 am – 4 pm 027 831 1506 Cost: R150 per vehicle and R50 per trailer to use the pont. Call ahead to find out if the pont is operational.
Noordoewer – Vioolsdrif: 24 hours 00 264 63 297 147
Velloorsdrif – Onseepkans: 8 am – 4.30 pm
00 264 63 269 134
Ariamsvlei – Nakop: 24 hours
00 264 63 280 023
Klein-Menasse – Rietfontein: 8 am – 4.30 pm
00 264 63 280 680/1 Welverdiend – Mata-Mata: 8 am – 4.30 pm
054 561 2000; 054 561 0907 Keep in mind: You have to spend at least two nights in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park to use the Mata-Mata Border Post. Stamp your passport at Twee Rivieren when you enter the park.
NAMIBIA – BOTSWANA Buitepos – Mamuno: 7 am – midnight (11 pm in winter) 00 264 62 560 404
Tsumkwe – Dobe: 7 am – 5.30 pm
Mohembo – Shakawe: 6 am – 6 pm
00 264 66 259 908 Ngoma – Kasane: 7 am – 6 pm
00 264 66 250 601
Kazungula pont: (Botswana – Zambia) 6 am – 6 pm 00 267 625 0420
NAMIBIA – ZAMBIA Wenela – Sesheke: 6 am – 6 pm
NAMIBIA – ANGOLA Rundu – Calai: 6 am – 6 pm
Katwitwi – Cabo: 6 am – 6 pm
00 264 66 686 033
Oshikango – Santa Clara: 8 am – 7 pm 00 264 65 264 615
Omahenene – Calueque: 8 am – 7 pm 00 264 65 259 504
Ruacana: 8 am – 7 pm
00 264 65 270 039