Namibia residence permit by investment

Legal basis for the residence permit

To get a Namibian residence permit by investment, you need to buy property worth from $365,000. Investors over 60 can choose cheaper units - from $300,000. Property can be purchased in the President's Links Estate project.

How Namibian residence actually works

Namibia has no separate law on residence by investment. All permits are issued under the Immigration Control Act of 1993: temporary work and residence permits are handled by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, and permanent residence is approved by the Immigration Selection Board within that ministry. The board has discretion and looks at whether the applicant is useful to the country: invests money, creates jobs and can support themselves.

In practice an investor has two routes. The first rests on the law: investing in a Namibian company and holding a work permit in it. The second is offered by developers: buying a house or apartment in a golf estate near Walvis Bay, for which the ministry issues a five-year residence and work permit. This second route relies on an arrangement between the developer and the authorities rather than a separate legal provision and, according to one of the largest advisers in the market, is currently under government review. So we always check its status on the filing date.

Two investor routes: business or property

The Namibian dollar is pegged one to one to the South African rand, at about 16.65 per US dollar on 6 October 2026. Both amounts come from market and adviser reports rather than the law itself, so we confirm them with the ministry before filing.

What it costs in 2026

• Investment - from $238,000 in a business or from $365,000 in a home.
• Transfer duty for individuals since 1 October 2024: nil up to NAD 1.1 million, then a sliding scale from 1% to 11%. For a $365,000 home, about NAD 6.08 million, duty is about NAD 317,400, roughly $19,100. Companies pay 12% of the value.
• Certificates and translations - police clearance, medical certificates, notarised copies and certification, usually a few hundred dollars per person.
• Local lawyers and deed registration - at the conveyancer's tariff, depending on the price.
• Our support - quoted after a consultation, depending on the route and family size.

We calculate the total for your family in the chat: it depends on the route, the property price and the number of applicants.

Steps and timeline

1. Profile check - 1-2 weeks: nationality, source of funds, family, which route is open on the filing date.
2. Choosing the route - a company or an estate property, checking the developer and land rights.
3. Documents - 2-4 weeks: police clearances from all countries of residence, medical certificates, translations and certification.
4. Investment - company registration or signing and paying for the property, registration of the deed.
5. Filing with the ministry - the work and residence permit application with proof of investment.
6. Decision - in market experience about 8-12 weeks, depending on the ministry's workload.
7. Arrival and registration - collecting the permit, registering your address and, if needed, a tax number.

You can apply from outside Namibia. After 7-10 years of lawful residence with the investment maintained you can apply for permanent residence; the Immigration Selection Board decides.

Documents and where to get them

• Passport valid at least for the permit term.
• Police clearance - from your country of citizenship and every country where you lived for more than a year. For Russians it is issued by the Interior Ministry, certified for use abroad and translated into English.
• Medical certificate and chest X-ray - from a licensed clinic, on the ministry's form.
• Proof of funds - bank statements and documents on the source of money: sale of assets, dividends, salary.
• Marriage and children's birth certificates - if the family applies together, translated.
• Investment documents - company constitution and registration, or the sale agreement and deed registration.

Documents in other languages are translated into English, Namibia's official language.

Requirements and how to get approved

• Investment not proven - funds have not reached the company or the deal is not registered at filing.
• Unclear source of funds - large sums without documents of origin.
• Incomplete pack - a missing clearance from one country of residence or medical certificates not on the ministry's form.
• Employment - an investor permit allows work only in your own company; working for another employer leads to cancellation.
• Investment not maintained - if the business or home is sold, the permit is not renewed.
• Short passport validity - if the passport expires before the permit term, the ministry may issue a shorter permit or ask for a new passport first.

Taxes for permit holders

Namibia taxes on a source basis: income earned in Namibia is taxed, while a resident's foreign income is generally not. Personal income tax runs on a scale up to 37%. Corporate income tax is 30% from 2025, and the government has announced a cut to 28% from the 2026/2027 financial year. VAT is 15%. There is no general capital gains tax. Details are on the Namibia taxes page.

Life and money in Namibia: what to know

• Language - the official language is English, used by ministries, courts, banks and schools. Afrikaans and German are widely spoken.
• Currency - the Namibian dollar is pegged one to one to the South African rand, and the rand is also accepted everywhere. This removes currency risk with South Africa but ties the Namibian dollar to the rand.
• Geography and infrastructure - the capital Windhoek is in the centre, the main port Walvis Bay on the Atlantic coast. Traffic drives on the left.
• Regional unions - Namibia belongs to the Southern African Customs Union and the Southern African Development Community, so a Namibian company trades in a common market with South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini.
• Banks - you will need a local account for the investment and daily life, usually opened alongside the application: personal account in Namibia, business account.
• Property - if the home is also an investment, see investment property in Namibia for purchase rules and holding costs.

How we work on Namibian residence

1. We check the route on the filing date - whether the estate route is open, which amounts the ministry accepts now, whether the business route suits you.
2. We check the property or company - the developer's land rights, contract terms, whether the business and its account are real.
3. We assemble documents - clearances from all countries of residence, medical certificates, translations and certification, proof of source of funds.
4. We file and manage the application - correspondence with the ministry, answers to queries, collecting the permit.
5. We renew - we track deadlines and prepare renewals, and after 7-10 years the permanent residence application.

We fix our fee in writing after a consultation. The ministry decides on the permit; we are responsible for a complete, correct pack and an honest view of your chances before you invest.

What changes in 2026

• The estate purchase route is, according to the market, under government review: we check conditions on the filing date.
• From 1 April 2025 Namibia introduced visas for nationals of 33 countries without reciprocal agreements. Russia was not among them: under an agreement in force since 2 August 2021, Russian citizens enter visa-free for 90 days in any 180, unless the purpose is work, study or relocation.
• Corporate income tax was cut to 30% from 2025, with a further cut to 28% announced.
• From 1 October 2024 a new transfer duty scale applies with a nil threshold of NAD 1.1 million.

Alternatives to compare

• Mauritius residence - buying a home in approved projects with a right to residence under a state scheme.
• Panama residence - investment routes and a scheme for nationals of friendly countries, with a quick move to permanent status.
• Paraguay residence - one of the fastest and cheapest paths to permanent residence in Latin America.
• Namibia digital nomad visa - if you work remotely and do not want to invest a large sum.

Benefits of a Namibian residence permit

How to get a Namibian residence permit: step by step

FAQ