Namibians born to foreign parents bemoan home affairs red tape
Some Namibian citizens born to foreign parents say they have faced increasing difficulties renewing their passports in recent months.
The home affairs ministry requires applicants to prove their parents were legally in the country at the time of their birth.
Applicants must also provide information on whether their parents were granted permanent residency or citizenship, along with supporting documentation.
Additionally, the ministry seeks to determine whether parents ever acquired fixed or immovable property in Namibia, with relevant proof.
Furthermore, applicants have to explain whether they have siblings born in Namibia who were granted citizenship.
Born before independence
Kate R*, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions, told Namibian Sun recently that she now has to produce original documents to prove her parent's status.
Kate said she has held a Namibian passport since reaching legal age and that the renewal process had always gone smoothly, without any queries or problems – until now.
She was born to South African parents in Otjiwarongo in January 1990, before Namibia gained independence from South Africa.
She explained that her father was in Namibia on a work permit at the time of her birth and was granted permanent residency in 1999.
In Kate’s case, the required documents are now 35 years old and difficult to access, stored in a facility in South Africa.
bureaucratic red tape
Another Namibian citizen, born to German parents, said the home affairs ministry also requested documentary proof of her parents’ legal status when she recently applied to renew her passport.
She explained that the request is difficult to comply with, as her father is deceased and her mother is bedridden.
Another resident born to foreign parents said she initially could not prove her mother's status at birth despite her Namibian citizenship when she applied for a birth certificate.
She later received the certificate when she presented her grandmother's old identity card, who was born in Windhoek.
Merits of each case
Home affairs executive director Etienne Maritz said the documents are required for verifying citizenship.
Maritz said whenever it is necessary to verify a person's citizenship, officials of the ministry may request further information.
He added that such documents are commonly required when the ministry needs to determine whether a person was or is ordinarily resident in Namibia at a particular time.
According to Maritz, the process happens when the parents' particulars are not available in the ministry's system.
"However, if the parents are deceased or no longer reside in Namibia, but the children have copies of their parents' documents, family members are required to provide police declarations to the ministry," he noted.
"Once this is done, the ministry can update the system, and the applicant can be assisted. However, each case is treated on its own merits," Maritz said.
The Legal Assistance Centre has explained that while the Namibian Citizenship Act has a general provision prohibiting dual citizenship, Article 4 of the Namibian Constitution states that “no person who is a citizen of Namibia by birth or descent may be deprived of Namibian citizenship by such legislation”.
The High Court has confirmed this in several cases.
The home affairs ministry requires applicants to prove their parents were legally in the country at the time of their birth.
Applicants must also provide information on whether their parents were granted permanent residency or citizenship, along with supporting documentation.
Additionally, the ministry seeks to determine whether parents ever acquired fixed or immovable property in Namibia, with relevant proof.
Furthermore, applicants have to explain whether they have siblings born in Namibia who were granted citizenship.
Born before independence
Kate R*, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions, told Namibian Sun recently that she now has to produce original documents to prove her parent's status.
Kate said she has held a Namibian passport since reaching legal age and that the renewal process had always gone smoothly, without any queries or problems – until now.
She was born to South African parents in Otjiwarongo in January 1990, before Namibia gained independence from South Africa.
She explained that her father was in Namibia on a work permit at the time of her birth and was granted permanent residency in 1999.
In Kate’s case, the required documents are now 35 years old and difficult to access, stored in a facility in South Africa.
bureaucratic red tape
Another Namibian citizen, born to German parents, said the home affairs ministry also requested documentary proof of her parents’ legal status when she recently applied to renew her passport.
She explained that the request is difficult to comply with, as her father is deceased and her mother is bedridden.
Another resident born to foreign parents said she initially could not prove her mother's status at birth despite her Namibian citizenship when she applied for a birth certificate.
She later received the certificate when she presented her grandmother's old identity card, who was born in Windhoek.
Merits of each case
Home affairs executive director Etienne Maritz said the documents are required for verifying citizenship.
Maritz said whenever it is necessary to verify a person's citizenship, officials of the ministry may request further information.
He added that such documents are commonly required when the ministry needs to determine whether a person was or is ordinarily resident in Namibia at a particular time.
According to Maritz, the process happens when the parents' particulars are not available in the ministry's system.
"However, if the parents are deceased or no longer reside in Namibia, but the children have copies of their parents' documents, family members are required to provide police declarations to the ministry," he noted.
"Once this is done, the ministry can update the system, and the applicant can be assisted. However, each case is treated on its own merits," Maritz said.
The Legal Assistance Centre has explained that while the Namibian Citizenship Act has a general provision prohibiting dual citizenship, Article 4 of the Namibian Constitution states that “no person who is a citizen of Namibia by birth or descent may be deprived of Namibian citizenship by such legislation”.
The High Court has confirmed this in several cases.
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