Namibia
B/L Print Requirements
Mandatory text on Ocean B/L
- • Consignee NamRA Customs Client Code / TIN, 6-digit HS Code, and precise goods description mandatory on Ocean B/L and manifest.
- • Ocean freight must be prepaid.
Consignee NamRA Customs Client Code / TIN must appear on transport documents and manifest. For Walvis Bay Corridor transit cargo (to Botswana, Zambia, DR Congo, or Angola), the explicit transit clause ("In transit in bond to [Destination Country] via Port of Walvis Bay") must appear in the goods description field.
Inspection & Certificates
Pre-loading inspection & filing
- • No ECTN/BESC tracking note is required.
- • Standard customs declarations processed electronically via NamRA ASYCUDA World (SAD 500).
- • Motor vehicles aged 8 to 12 years require a prior Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development Import Permit before shipment.
- • Industrial chemicals and hazardous goods require prior ministerial clearance.
Cargo & Standards
Labeling, vehicles & packaging
- • Passenger vehicles: maximum 12 years from manufacture
- • Left-hand-drive vehicles are strictly prohibited.
- • English product labeling mandatory on all retail packaging.
- • Left-hand-drive vehicles strictly prohibited (RHD required).
- • Motor vehicles exceeding 12 years from manufacture are subject to an absolute statutory import ban.
- • Official Veterinary Health Certificate mandatory for all imported meat products.
- • ISPM 15 wood packaging compliance strictly enforced at Port of Walvis Bay and Lüderitz.
- • ISPM 15 heat-treated stamp required on all wooden packaging.
Shipper & Consignee
Where this destination differs from standard practice
- • Foreign consignees are not accepted — a locally-registered entity must be named.
Consignee must be a registered Namibian entity holding an active NamRA Customs Client Code / TIN. For transit cargo, a foreign consignee is allowed provided an accredited local bonded clearing agent is named in Notify. "To Order" B/Ls are permitted provided the Notify Party is the registered local buyer or licensed transit forwarder with full physical address in Walvis Bay or Windhoek, local phone number, and TIN stated on the B/L. PO Box only is rejected.
Non-Compliance Risk at Destination
Motor vehicles over the 12-year hard cutoff cannot be imported under any circumstances and face immediate customs forfeiture. Transit shipments along the Walvis Bay Corridors lacking an explicit transit clause face domestic customs duty assessments.
Compliance Timeline for Namibia
Follow this 3-step sequence from container stuffing through to port clearance.
Before Container Loading
- ✓ Confirm commercial invoice and packing list accuracy with consignee.
- ✓ Verify vehicle age against the applicable statutory limit (12 yrs passenger).
- ✓ Confirm vehicle is NOT left-hand drive before booking.
- ✓ Confirm consignee is a locally-registered entity — foreign consignees are not accepted at this destination.
- ✓ Verify ISPM 15 heat-treated stamp on all wooden crates, dunnage, and pallets.
Prior to Sailing
- ✓ Ensure exact consignee Tax ID / Registration Code and 6-digit HS Code are printed on B/L.
- ✓ Submit SOLAS Verified Gross Mass (VGM) to loading terminal before yard cutoff.
Port Clearance at Destination
- ✓ Collect Delivery Order (DO) upon completing Release verification.
Download Compliance Guide for Namibia (PDF)
Generate a practical, print-ready compliance document complete with statutory B/L clauses, ECTN certificate agencies, vehicle age ceilings, and station phone contacts.