As of the beginning of March this year, all second-hand vehicles in transit through Namibia to other countries in the region will be required to be transported on a vehicle carrier trailer. 

The directive, announced by the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) yesterday, is an effort to reduce vehicles dubiously declared to transit through Namibia but which end up being sold on the local market. This practice deprives Namibia of significant import duties payable at points of entry. 

“The amendment to the Customs and Excise Rules of Designation of Places of Entry, Authorised Roads and Routes, and Related Issues: Customs and Excise Act, 1998 (Act No 20 of 1998), results from observed deviation, where imported vehicles are dubiously declared as in transit but end up in the local market and subsequently registered in the National Traffic Information System (NaTIS) database without paying the required import taxes,” a NamRA statement explains. 

According to NamRA, the notice is issued in accordance with Government Notice No 403, published in Government Gazette No 7978 of 15 December 2022, paragraph 2(a)(1)(b). 

Second-hand vehicles referred to herein are specified in Annexure A of the Government Gazette No 5293 of 23 September 2013.