Drivers Licence Namibia
Young Vadlapatla
Hi all,
Can a foreigner take the driving test in Namibia?
What are the formalities to get a driver's licence in Namibia?
Do you need special or extra documents being an expatriate?
How much does it cost?
Thank you for participating .
Armand
Hello Virginie,
You just need to go to NATIS - either the one in town just behind the Old Brewery, or the one near the power station in the Northern Industrial area. If your Canadian license is still valid, you should be able to exchange it for a Namibian license as long as you have your work visa/permit in your passport. It will take a couple of weeks or more. They will take your photo, fingerprint, details and you will need to return to pick up your license once it is ready.
Good luck,
Danette
I have a similar question. What's the procedure for taking a driving test in Namibia and getting a licence. I can drive already but haven't got time to take the test before I move to Namibia. So would like to know how I cant get a licence there. I a a foreign citizen.
Hi A. Gala,
Hope you enjoy Namibia when you move here. We love it!
My Canadian driver's license had expired by the time I moved to Namibia and I didn't have problems getting a Namibian license with my Namibian work permit.
I had to take an oral exam testing my knowledge of Namibian rules of the road (now the exam is written), and I had to do the practical road test. You'll need to buy the Namibian driver training book to familiarize yourself with the names of the signage, etc. I bought mine at a AAA travel agency in Windhoek. I also recommend that you hire a driving instructor because it'll make your life so much easier when taking the exam. The driving instructors and people at NATIS where you take your exam, know each other and you'll have an easier time of it. I drove for 30 years in big cities in Canada, the United States and Europe and I still hired an instructor (Mrs. Bauer).
I think as long as you have a permit in your passport, you will be able to get a Namibian driver's license.
Good luck.
Danette
Hi Danette,
Thank you so much for the explanation. It's really hard to find a clear one online.
I just wonder how long it would take and what's the breakdown of costs, i.e. the tests and hiring an instructor. I will need a few lessons in Namibia, as I won't be familiar with the roads there. Luckily the traffic is left hand one like in the UK.
G.
Hi G.
I retook my license five years ago in Namibia so I can't give you exact amounts as far as costs are concerned. I believe I paid something like N$2,500 for my driving exams and the book was around N$150.00. You will use the instructor's vehicle both for practice and the exam. The license itself couldn't have been that much five years ago. My renewal right now is N$150.00 so perhaps it was in that price range.
You could probably take one or two lessons in theory and spend a couple of weeks in driver training and then go for your driving test. You can obtain a temporary driver's license immediately after passing everything. The hard copy took about four weeks.
The exams were oral back then and at least 20 students sat at a big table and the examiner would ask each of us different questions. I think it might be better now since they allow written exams. At that time they liked to grill a person on the 'name' of the road sign, e.g. director overhead, blah, blah. I can't remember the names anymore. It might be worth your while to also hire an instructor for the theoretical since they know the questions that will be asked on the exam and it will give you a heads up.
I spent about three weeks in driver training with my instructor (six or ten lessons, I believe). She took me on the routes that the examiner will take you on and she pointed out things that might trap a person into making mistakes. We practiced parking, etc., as well.
When I took my driver's license I had to line up outside NATIS at 0530 in the morning. The lineups are LONG! Perhaps that has changed, too, since NATIS has been working hard to improve things.
Hope this helps. Please let me know if you need anything else.
Cheers,
Danette
Would like to know how to get a letter of approval for a licence conversion from european(Malta) to Namibian have been emailing the Malta Transport department but they havent responded and its been a month already and the person's licence is expireing
Hi Danette
I went to Natis and they said that I need a letter from Malta as the person has been here as a permanent resident for almost 6 years now. If you have any more information for me on this matter please let me know and thank you for responding I really appreciate you trying to help.
I see the driver's licence topic is very old, but I need some info. My son (now a Nam Citizen) has lost his SA Licence but now has a temporary licence. Can he apply for conversion to Nam Licence with that.
Goodday wanted to ask, ls lt possible for me to apply for a namibian driver's license here in namibia am a visitor from south Africa i am here for three months,,, I don't have a southafrican drivers license
The minimum driving age is the minimum age at which a person may obtain a driver's license to lawfully drive a motor vehicle on public roads. That age is determined by each jurisdiction and is most commonly set at 18 years of age, but learner drivers may be permitted on the road at an earlier age under supervision. Before reaching the minimum age for a driver's licence or anytime afterward, the person wanting the licence would normally be tested for driving ability and knowledge of road rules before being issued with a licence, provided he or she is above the minimum driving age. Countries with the lowest driving ages (17 and below) are Australia, The Bahamas, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom (mainland), United States, and Zimbabwe. In some jurisdictions in the United States[citation needed] and Canada, drivers can be as young as 14 (with parental supervision). [1]
Most jurisdictions recognize driver licences issued by another jurisdiction, which may result in a young person who obtains a licence in a jurisdiction with a low minimum driving age being permitted to drive in a jurisdiction that normally has a higher driving age. A notable exception to this is the United States, where many states ban drivers below their minimum driving age, even if they hold permits or licences issued by another state.[citation needed]
In most international agreements, the wording "driving permit" is used, for instance in the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. In Australian English, Canadian English, New Zealand English, and American English, the terms "driver license" or "driver's license" are used,[1] while in British English and in many former British colonies the term is "driving licence".
The laws relating to the licensing of drivers vary between jurisdictions. In some jurisdictions, a permit is issued after the recipient has passed a driving test, while in others a person acquires their permit or a learner's permit before beginning to drive. Different categories of permit often exist for different types of motor vehicles, particularly large trucks and passenger vehicles. The difficulty of the driving test varies considerably between jurisdictions, as do factors such as age and the required level of competence and practice.
Karl Benz, inventor of the modern car, received a written "Genehmigung" (permit) from the Grand Ducal authorities to operate his car on public roads in 1888 after residents complained about the noise and smell of his Motorwagen.[2] Up until the start of the 20th century, European authorities issued similar permits to drive motor vehicles ad hoc, if at all.[2]
Mandatory licensing for drivers in the United Kingdom came into force on 1 January 1904[3] after the Motor Car Act 1903 received royal assent. Every car owner had to register their vehicle with their local government authority and be able to prove registration of their vehicle on request. The minimum qualifying age was set at 17. The "driving licence" gave its holder 'freedom of the road' with a maximum 20 mph (32 km/h) speed limit.[4] Compulsory testing was introduced in 1934, with the passing of the Road Traffic Act.[5]
Prussia, then a kingdom within the German Empire, introduced compulsory licensing on 29 September 1903. A test on mechanical aptitude had to be passed and the Dampfkesselberwachungsverein ("steam boiler supervision association") was charged with conducting these tests.[2] In 1910, the German imperial government mandated the licensing of drivers on a national scale, establishing a system of tests and driver's education requirements that was adopted in other countries.[2]
Other countries in Europe also introduced driving tests during the twentieth century, the last of them being Belgium where, until as recently as 1977, it was possible to purchase and hold a permit without having to undergo a driving test.[6]
As traffic-related fatalities soared in North America, public outcry provoked legislators to begin studying the French and German statutes as models.[7] On 1 August 1910, North America's first licensing law for motor vehicles went into effect in the U.S. state of New York, though it initially applied only to professional chauffeurs.[8] In July 1913, the state of New Jersey became the first to require all drivers to pass a mandatory examination before being licensed.[9]
In 1949, the United Nations hosted the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic that standardised rules on roads, occupants, rules, signs, driver's permits and such. It specified that national "driving permits" should be pink and that an "International Driving Permit" for driving in a number of countries should have grey covers with white pages and that "The entire last page shall be drawn up in French".[12][13]
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