Amnesty for undocumented foreign nationals extended by a month

The home affairs and immigration ministry has extended the amnesty for foreign nationals without legal status in Namibia to 27 February, giving affected individuals additional time to voluntarily exit the country without facing arrest, detention, prosecution or penalties.

The extension applies to foreign nationals who overstayed their immigration visas or permits or who have been residing or working in Namibia without the appropriate documentation in terms of the Immigration Control Act of 1993.

In a public notice issued on Monday, the ministry said the amnesty is intended as a one-off opportunity to resolve non-compliance.

In mid-January, amenesty was initially extended to to 20 January.

“All concerned persons are strongly urged to present themselves voluntarily at the nearest immigration office or at a border post during the amnesty period,” the ministry said.

Affected individuals are required to have valid travel or identification documents, such as a passport or national identity card, and to “render their full cooperation to immigration officials… for facilitation of their departure from the country”, the statement advised.

For those without valid travel documents, the ministry explained that they must first approach the diplomatic mission of their country of origin to obtain an emergency travel document and thereafter report to the nearest immigration office.

“All costs and expenses related to travel of persons under this amnesty programme are solely to be borne by such persons and not the Namibian government,” the ministry stressed.

Immigration officials will, however, facilitate lawful exit and issue the necessary administrative documentation, including a departure notice and a five-day notice to enable exit at the relevant port of departure.

The ministry added that where a person’s home country borders Namibia, and their travel documents have expired, officials will still facilitate departure at the port of exit. In cases where transit through another country is required, the individual remains responsible for meeting the entry or transit requirements of that country.

Work together

The ministry further appealed to Namibians, employers, community leaders and civil society to assist government efforts by encouraging undocumented foreign nationals to make use of the amnesty.

“We urge both Namibians who are in contact with or have anything to do with the illegal status of foreign nationals in the country and the foreign nationals without legal status to act promptly and responsibly and to utilise this one-off opportunity,” the notice read.

The ministry also cautioned the public to rely only on official communication from designated offices to avoid misinformation.

Chief public relations officer Margaret Kalo said enquiries can be directed to the ministry’s public relations office for clarification. 

The extension comes amid heightened public attention on migration management, following recent clarifications by government on the return of Namibian nationals from abroad and renewed emphasis on orderly and lawful migration processes.