HOSPITALITY Association of Namibia chief executive Gitta Peatzoldt says Namibia has a few weeks to effectively test and perfect the e-visa application system.
Her views come after industry sources told The Namibian on Tuesday that the system was not fully functional after it was launched by home affairs, immigration, safety and security minister Albert Kawana this week.
Paetzhold said that, like most new systems, there are teething problems.
“We now have three weeks to ‘test’ it and give input to the authorities to amend where necessary. We trust that this will ensure smooth implementation on 1 April,” Paetzoldt said.
Kawana says the platform is a step forward in the government’s ongoing commitment to enhancing Namibia’s border efficiency and streamlining immigration processes.
“This initiative represents the latest in our series of progressive measures to boost the country’s tourism sector, improve international engagement and uphold our national security,” Kawana says.
He said the ministry has continuously sought ways to improve the visa experience for international guests, and that they have expanded the visa-on-arrival facilities to include a number of strategic entry points.
African countries that require a visa to enter Namibia are: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritania, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Togo, Tunisia, Western Sahara Republic and Uganda.
The international countries that require a visa to enter Namibia are: Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cambodia, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Moldova, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, the Vatican/Holy See, Venezuela and Vietnam.
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