Namibia's six-month visa makes headlines in Germany

"The former German colony, Namibia wants to help Germany in its energy crisis". This is how an article in the online edition of the BILD newspaper last Saturday began about Namibia's new "Digital Nomad" visa. The six-month visa is ideal for long-term holidaymakers. And for professionals who have their office on their laptop and can work from anywhere (see NamibiaFocus report).

"You Germans are very welcome here!", BILD editor Sebastian Geisler quotes the managing director of the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), Nangula Nelulu Uaandja (see report on BILD.de. "This is your second home here, a piece of Germany in Africa. We have German architecture, German street names, with the A1 even a German motorway!" You can apply for a visa at the NIPDB.

Bread and pretzels are part of the "second home". Beer brewed according to the German Purity Law. Pork knuckle. Yes, even Black Forest cake - which you can order anywhere not only in the coastal town of Swakopmund.

Traces of the colonial era

Where does this come from? Namibia is home to 15,000 ethnic Germans, as Geisler correctly writes. Among them are many descendants of Germans who emigrated during the colonial period from 1884 to 1915. A painful chapter for Africans, but one that the two governments are currently coming to terms with. The goal: to shape the future together. There are also no tensions in the way people interact in everyday life.

NIPDB boss Uaandja and businessman Heinrich Hafeni list other advantages in the BILD article. Namibia offers summer instead of winter. There is hardly any time difference to Germany (at present Namibia is one hour ahead, from March to October at the same time). Housing, food and fuel are comparatively cheap.

BILD editor Sebastian Geisler knows Namibia from his time as an "intern" at the private German-language radio station Hitradio Namibia. That was many years ago. But time and again he is drawn "back", the last time, last March.

His contribution with the headline "Germans to spend the winter in ex-colony" obviously hit a nerve in Germany. Many other media houses immediately picked up on the topic. For example, Deutschlandfunk, the Rheinische Post and the Münchner Merkur).

Visa for remote workers and long-term holidaymakers

The six-month visa is intended for "new workers", but is also suitable for long-term holidaymakers. You can apply for it online (see NIPDB website). Required are:

- an income or credit of 2,000 US dollars per month. For an accompanying spouse, an additional 1,000 US dollars and per child an additional 500 US dollars per month must be shown.

- a health or travel insurance that covers the risks during the stay in Namibia.

Flats are not the only option for a stay in Namibia. Hotels and lodges also offer reduced rates if you stay longer. Gondwana Collection Namibia has a 30-day special. Also for those who want to escape winter and save on heating costs.