# Namibia

 Country code: NA · Currency: NAD · Language: Afrikaans

**Pros**
- Strong legal framework for property rights and political stability ensuring a predictable business environment.
- High-quality road networks and efficient port infrastructure connecting to the Southern African Development Community.
- Vast land availability and abundant natural resources providing significant potential for private energy and mining ventures.

**Cons**
- High tax burden on individuals and corporations hindering private reinvestment and wealth creation.
- Extensive state-owned enterprise dominance and rigid labor laws restricting free market competition and hiring flexibility.
- Opaque bureaucratic processes and corruption risks in public procurement and land redistribution schemes.

Long story short: In Namibia, the banking system is as solid and well regulated as anywhere in Europe, which is a real luxury on this continent.

The catch: the administration is slow and finicky, built on the old South African model, and setting up a company will cost you months of paperwork. The tax pressure stings more than you'd expect, and corruption exists too, quiet but very real in public contracts and permits.

Beyond that: the roads hold up well, electricity rarely cuts out in Windhoek, the food is decent but nothing fancy, the desert landscapes are worth the trip on their own, and in the capital's wealthy neighborhoods you won't run into much trouble as long as you stay sharp at night.

## Will your income be taxed?

Long story short: YES, A LOT.
On paper, **Namibia** shears you at up to **37%**. In practice, the *territorial* regime only bites income sourced locally: foreign salary, foreign dividends, foreign gains walk through untouched. The sticker is there to scare; the machinery doesn't reach that far.

Earn your living abroad and the local taxman mostly waves at you from a distance.

**01.1 Income tax**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Personal income tax | 0 → 37% | progressive · 7 brackets |

| Bracket (USD) | Rate |
| --- | --- |
| 0 – 6,170 | exempt |
| 6,170 – 9,255 | 18% |
| 9,255 – 21,595 | 25% |
| 21,595 – 33,935 | 28% |
| 33,935 – 52,445 | 30% |
| 52,445 – 95,635 | 32% |
| 95,635 + | 37% |

**01.2 Tax residence test**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 183-day rule | does not exist here |  |
| Economic interest | does not exist here |  |
| Family centre | does not exist here |  |
| Habitual abode | does not exist here |  |
| Extended-stay test | does not exist here |  |

## Will your wealth be taxed?

Long story short: NO.
**Namibia** keeps its hands off what you hold. *No capital gains tax*, no annual wealth grab, no inheritance regime.

Your portfolio compounds in peace and leaves the way it came in; nobody's standing at the door with their palm out.

**02.1 Investment income**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Capital gains | 0% | flat |
| Dividend tax | 0% | flat · +20% non-residents |
| Interest income | 10% | flat |

**02.2 Wealth & estate**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wealth tax | NONE | no annual wealth tax · no real-estate wealth tax · no net-worth assessment |
| Inheritance system | NONE | no estate tax · no heir-based duties · no succession tax framework. Wealth transfers across heir-classes are not taxed in this jurisdiction. Only standard probate / registration fees may apply. |

**02.3 Crypto**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Crypto · tax regime | UNREGULATED | Fallback rate: 0% · Namibia does not have a general Capital Gains Tax (CGT). Consequently, crypto-assets held by casual investors as long-term capital investments are generally not subject to taxation. However, if the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) deems the activity to be 'trading' or 'carrying on a business' (professional/high-frequency), the profits are treated as gross income and taxed at progressive individual rates up to 37%. The Virtual Assets Act 10 of 2023 provides a regulatory framework for service providers but remains silent on specific tax obligations, leaving the treatment to general tax law. |
| Crypto-to-crypto | TAXABLE | each swap counts as a disposal — gains realised at every trade |
| FATF travel rule | NOT SIGNED | no information-sharing obligation on VASP transfers |

## Easy to run a company there?

Long story short: NO.
**Namibia** runs the full pressure stack: corporate tax at **31%**, *criminal liability* for misuse of corporate assets (spend company money on yourself and you're prosecutable, sole shareholder or not; your consent is worthless), and *public registries* (your name in the shop window for anyone with a browser).

Heavy rate, real jail risk, zero discretion. If you set out to design a worse frame for an owner-operator, you'd struggle.

**03.1 Rates**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Corporate tax | 31% | flat |
| VAT standard rate | 15% | single rate · no reduced tiers |

**03.2 Regime & registry**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| IP Box · Patent Box | NONE | no IP regime · IP income taxed under standard corporate rules |
| Misuse of corporate assets | CRIMINAL | criminal liability · Common Law (Theft) and Section 430(4) of the Companies Act 28 of 2004 · Namibia follows the Roman-Dutch common law principle established in S v De Jager 1965 (2) SA 616 (A), which holds that a company is a separate legal entity distinct from its shareholders. Consequently, a sole director/shareholder can be convicted of theft for misappropriating corporate assets for personal use, as the company's property is not their own. The consent of the sole shareholder does not negate the 'unlawfulness' of the taking because the company is considered a separate victim. Additionally, Section 430(4) of the Companies Act 2004 criminalizes the carrying on of business for any 'fraudulent purpose,' which can encompass the deliberate misuse of corporate funds to the detriment of the entity. |
| Shareholders privacy | PUBLIC PAYWALL | Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA) |
| Directors privacy | PUBLIC PAYWALL | Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA) |

**03.3 Incorporation cost**

_In this country, the most standard company form is called Proprietary Limited Company ((Pty) Ltd) (Proprietary Limited Company). The costs below are for incorporating a company in its simplest form, for reference only._

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BIPA Official Registration & Name Reservation Fees | USD 43 |  |
| Professional Incorporation Package (Legal, Registered Address, and Tax Setup) | USD 2,422 |  |
| Total | USD 2,465 |  |

## A good fit for a holding?

Long story short: NO.
**Namibia** has no treaty network at all, which buries the holding question, full stop.

Every dividend in or out eats the statutory withholding at full rate, and no domestic regime can patch a hole that sits on the source side. Don't park a holding here.

**04.1 Substance & exemptions**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Territorial · individuals | TERRITORIAL | territorial — foreign-source income generally untaxed |
| Territorial · corporates | TERRITORIAL | territorial principle — foreign-source profits generally exempt |
| Participation exemption | 100% | no minimum threshold · no holding period |
| CFC rules | NONE | no controlled foreign corporation regime · foreign-source corporate income out of scope |

**04.2 Withholding tax · non-resident**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| WHT · dividends | 20% | non-resident outbound |
| WHT · interest | 10% | non-resident outbound |
| WHT · royalties | 10% | non-resident outbound |
| Tax-haven WHT | NONE | no punitive rate on record |

**04.3 Treaty network**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Treaties signed | 0 | active |
| Treaties pending | — | in negotiation |

## Easy to come and go?

Long story short: LITTLE.
Coming and going from **Namibia** costs you nothing worth mentioning. *Territorial* regime (foreign income stays foreign), *no exit tax* at the door.

You show up with your stuff, you leave with your stuff, plus whatever you earned abroad in between. Borders the way they should all work.

**05.1 Exit & dual nationality**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Exit tax | NONE | no triggers active · residence change tax-free · no deemed-disposal mechanism |
| Dual citizenship | FORBIDDEN | naturalisation requires renouncing existing citizenship |

**05.2 Citizenship paths**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Residence | 10 years | available path to naturalisation |
| Marriage | — | not available |
| Birth | jus soli | available path to naturalisation |
| Descent | — | not available |
| Investment | — | not available |

## Is your money watched?

Long story short: PARTLY.
**Namibia** has signed *most* of the standard exchange frameworks *and* runs a public corporate registry. Your accounts get reported to your home tax office, and your shareholdings sit in the shop window.

Watched on both axes: not wall-to-wall, but don't come here for discretion.

**Multilateral reporting frameworks — 1/9 active · 3 pending**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CRS | None | — |
| CARF | None | — |
| FATCA | None | — |
| MLI | Signed | 2021 |
| BEPS | Signed | — |
| MAAC | In force | 2020 |
| GLOBAL FORUM | Signed | — |
| EOIR | None | — |
| CRYPTO TRAVEL RULE | None | — |

## Is it blacklisted?

Long story short: YES.
**Namibia** sits on the **FATF grey/black list**, the one flag that chases a transaction around the planet.

Enhanced due diligence becomes mandatory for your counterparties everywhere, correspondent banking dries up, and some institutions slam the door outright.

No structuring cleverness offsets a FATF listing: the compliance cost is welded to the country's name.

**Blacklist exposure — Listed by 1 authority**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| EMBARGO | Clear | un / us / eu sanctions |
| FATF | Listed | grey / black list |
| EU | Clear | non-cooperative list |
| FRANCE | Clear | ETNC list |
| SPAIN | Clear | tax-haven list |
| PORTUGAL | Clear | favourable regimes |
| BRAZIL | Clear | low-tax list |

## Do you feel free there?

Long story short: YES.
**Namibia** scores high on press freedom (rank **\#28**) and treats crypto as a *taxable but legitimate* asset class. A CBDC is in the pipeline (**1** project(s)), so the payment rails are drifting toward state-issued, traceable money.

Speech: free. Money: the same slow squeeze as most of the developed world.

**08.1 Press freedom**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Press freedom · RSF index | 28/180 | score 75 · ↑ 6 ranks year-on-year |

Central bank digital currency

    Program Status Cross-border Sources     Namibia CBDC

The central bank’s strategic direction and the rapid digitisation of the financial system have prompted it to think critically about a potential Namibia Dollar CBDC in the digital payment landscape of the future.

Bank of Namibia

   RESEARCH   —   [announce →](https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/high-level-summary-technical-assistance-reports/Issues/2025/02/10/Namibia-Retail-Central-Bank-Digital-Currency-Exploration-and-Roadmap-561841 "Announcement")

 programs 1

## Connected to the world?

Long story short: POORLY CONNECTED.
The two rails that matter are both dead in **Namibia**. *Stripe* won't onboard you, so card payments mean a foreign structure or a local processor with its own rules. *Amazon* doesn't deliver either.

Some secondary services run (**3/11**), but for an online business this is swimming against the current.

**Accept payments — 1/6 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Stripe | Not available | card payments |
| PayPal | Not available | wallet payments |
| Adyen | Not available | enterprise psp |
| Mollie | Not available | eu payments |
| GoCardless | Not available | direct debit |
| Paddle | Available | merchant of record |

**Bank and move money — 1/3 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wise | Available | multi-currency |
| Revolut | Not available | personal banking |
| Revolut Business | Not available | business banking |

**Buy and sell on Amazon — 1/2 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Amazon | Not available | consumer delivery |
| Amazon Seller | Available | marketplace selling |

  SEE ALSO## Other jurisdictions worth comparing

Picked by similarity of strategic profile to Namibia. No editorial ranking — neighbours in the same scoring space.

  PROFILE-ADJACENT Same shape, comparable overall friction.

 [   Honduras HN  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/hn) [   Eswatini SZ  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/sz) [   Panama PA  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/pa)

  NOTABLY MORE FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, higher total score.

 [   St. Lucia LC  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/lc) [   Mauritius MU  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/mu) [   Malaysia MY  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/my)

  NOTABLY LESS FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, lower total score.

 [   Somalia SO  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/so) [   Vietnam VN  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/vn) [   Congo - Kinshasa CD  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/cd)