Foreign professionals can now apply for a Namibian Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) to live, work and travel hassle-free in the country for a period of up to six months. The government initiative is an endeavour to increase economic activities in the country and is basically, a new type of visa for remote workers, commonly referred to as digital nomads, who are location independent and self-sufficient.
The visa can be applied for with immediate effect and Namibia is ready to welcome applications by digital nomads to the country.
According to data compiled by the Harvard School of Business, globally, approximately 47 countries offer Digital Nomad Visas to allow location independent workers to legally work from those countries. The requirements for these visas differ from country to country in term of the length of the visa, the level of proof of income required, the cost of the programme and so forth.
The Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) stated it engaged in a diligent desk review to ensure the standard of the Namibia Digital Nomad Visa is world-class, valuable to digital nomads and serves Namibia’s best interests.
Moreover, the convergence of these professionals is expected to spark new connections and have the potential to build new enterprises for #NamibiaToTheWorld.
Speaking at this week’s launch of the DNV, NIPDB CEO Nangula Uaandja, shared that the NIPDB exists to unlock opportunities to enable a better quality of life for all Namibians. In simple terms, NIPDB sees its mandate as that of facilitating employment opportunities whether it be self-employment or otherwise and eventually solve the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequalities, a message entrenched in the prosperity vision of President Hage Geingob.
“We have identified that there is an opportunity to attract and gain economic benefit from people who want to work, live and travel in Namibia, without absorbing Namibian jobs. After discussion with our colleagues at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, it was agreed that the existing legislative framework offers an opportunity to leverage this proposed instrument, which presents a good potential for Namibians to thrive,” stated Uaandja.
The new visa, which will be available to freelancers or people working remotely for companies outside of Namibia, offers an easy process for foreign nationals to live and work in Namibia.
To qualify, some of the documents aspiring digital nomads are expected to submit include a complete visa application form, a six month bank statement, a letter of motivation from the NIPDB, proof of sufficient funds/income to be self-sufficient in Namibia, proof of medical insurance and/or comprehensive travel insurance, a certified copy of a passport and motivation and declaration the individual is either self-employed or has an non-Namibian employer and will be working from a Namibian base but earning revenue from outside the country.
While representing the ministry of home affairs, Director of Immigration, Nehemia Nghishekwa expressed satisfaction over the launch of the visa and affirmed the ministry will collaborate with the NIPDB and relevant stakeholders to ensure successful implementation of this new initiative.
“We understand that our systems and processes need to be modernised and respond to the current demands and in this regard we are currently refining our digital infrastructure to enable applicants to complete their entire application and payment process online. While we complete that process in the next two to three months, we are looking forward to start welcoming and processing applications by the first remote workers, through the current systems and processes, with immediate effect,” Nghishekwa added.
The Namibia DNV presents an opportunity to diversify and transform the Namibian business ecosystem and contribute to the economic development of the country, by attracting talented individuals who can inject foreign currency into the country. Additionally, Namibians must anchor themselves into and create value chains by rendering various professional services, solving problems unique to digital nomads, attracting traffic to the hospitality and tourism industry as well as fostering an environment to share knowledge between local and international professionals.
Technology aided, location independent work has risen in popularity over the years. However, following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, people have started to appreciate and embrace remote working as a reality. In this vein, many countries whose tourism sectors have been affected negatively due to a reduction in global travel began offering specific visas to remote workers such as Digital Nomad Visas. This new visa permits professionals to leverage their remote positions to allow them to live in and travel to holiday destinations and hotspots for months at a time.
According to 2021 statistics by A Brother Abroad, there are approximately 35 million digital nomads worldwide, who contribute a global economic value of US$787 billion.