A valid foreign driving licence is enough in the eyes of Namibian law, and an International Driving Permit is not mentioned in the statute; rental companies and some official pages ask for one anyway. After any crash with injury or damage, the driver must stop, help, and report it to the police or a traffic officer within 24 hours.
Do you need an International Driving Permit in Namibia?
Section 41 of the Road Traffic and Transport Act 22 of 1999 says that a licence issued outside Namibia, and an International Driving Permit issued outside Namibia to someone not ordinarily resident there, count as a licence for the class of vehicle shown on the document. The Act does not say the permit is mandatory and does not mention the language of the licence. It leaves the period of recognition to regulations, and we could not find or check those regulations.
The Namibian mission to the UN in Geneva says a licence not in English needs a permit alongside it, and the UK Foreign Office only tells British drivers to carry their photocard licence. Rental companies set their own conditions, so read the rental contract before you travel.
Is car insurance compulsory in Namibia?
The Road Traffic and Transport Act contains no insurance provision. Injury cover works differently: the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund pays assistance and benefits to people injured in road crashes and to dependants of those killed, and it is financed by a levy on fuel (0.477 cents per litre, paid from the National Energy Fund). In May 2024 the Fund's chief executive told The Namibian that foreign nationals receive medical treatment and injury management for the length of their stay, plus an N$7,000 funeral grant if a foreign national dies in a crash. We found no official page that says whether the Fund covers damage to a vehicle or property.
For the car itself, the UK Foreign Office advises comprehensive insurance because crashes are common on gravel and dirt roads, and notes that many policies exclude accidents that involve no other vehicle or animal. Ask the rental company exactly what its cover includes and what it excludes.
Which emergency numbers work in Namibia?
- 10111, 999 or 112 for police, ambulance and fire (UK Foreign Office, Getting help page).
- 9682: toll-free accident response number of the MVA Fund.
The Geneva mission's driving page prints the police number as “1011”. That differs from the Foreign Office listing and looks like a typo, so we use 10111 and have not confirmed it with the Namibian Police.
What must you do by law after a crash?
Section 78 of the Act applies to any driver involved in an accident in which a person is killed or injured, or property or an animal is damaged. The driver must:
- stop the vehicle immediately;
- find out how badly anyone is hurt and give the help they are able to give;
- find out what damage was done;
- give their name and address, the vehicle owner's name and address and the registration number to anyone with a reasonable reason to ask;
- unless the details were given to a traffic officer at the scene, report the accident within 24 hours at any police station or traffic officer's office, show their driving licence and give their identity number.
Two more rules from the same section: the driver may not drink alcohol or take a narcotic drug before making the report, except on a doctor's instruction, and a vehicle in a crash with a dead or injured person may not be moved unless a traffic officer allows it. If the road is completely blocked, the vehicle may be moved enough to let traffic pass, after its position is clearly marked on the road surface. If you rent, read the rental contract for the company's own reporting requirements.
Gravel roads and night driving
The UK Foreign Office advises slowing to no more than 80 km/h on gravel in the rainy season (January to April), avoiding driving at night outside towns because of wildlife and livestock, and carrying two spare tyres and enough water. Its pages show no update date. Park gate fees and hours are in our guides to Etosha entry fees and gate hours and Sossusvlei gate times and fees.
What we could not confirm
- The regulations that set how long a foreign licence or permit is recognised, and their conditions.
- Whether the MVA Fund covers damage to vehicles or property, and the exact rules for tourists under the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund Act 10 of 2007.
- A Namibian Police page on what to do after a crash: the tourist page on nampol.gov.na did not load when we checked.
- Whether the 10111 line is working everywhere; The Namibian has reported outages in the past.
This page summarises published rules and is not legal advice. The statute text is the annotated version published by the Legal Assistance Centre; amendments made after 1999 were not compared.