Namibia NA
Namibia requires every drone, recreational or commercial, to be registered and to hold a written RPAS Letter of Approval (RLA) from the NCAA before any flight — there is no small-drone exemption. Foreign visitors must apply at least 60 days ahead (120 days for commercial/filming work), with a map of intended flight areas, a risk assessment/safety plan and proof of insurance. Drones are banned in national parks and reserves, including a strict, actively enforced ban in Etosha introduced over rhino-poaching concerns, and flying is also off-limits in Sossusvlei and the Skeleton Coast without separate conservation-authority permission.
Your plan
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2 things to sort out before you fly
- Register your drone in Namibia
Registration and the RPAS Letter of Approval are effectively bundled: an applicant submits a formal letter to the NCAA Executive Director describing purpose and duration, a map of intended flight areas with launch coordinates, a risk assessment/safety management plan, drone technical specs, and proof of third-party liability insurance. Fee: 1200 NAD (Recreational RPAS Letter of Approval processing fee; commercial is reported at NAD 4,500 (about EUR 233). Figures from secondary sources, not an official current fee schedule at time of writing.). Allow about 60 days before your trip.
Open official page - Carry liability insurance
Required. Check that your policy covers flights in Namibia.
- Bringing your drone in
No confirmed duty/VAT-free personal allowance specific to drones was found. Visitors should carry their approved RPAS Letter of Approval when entering with a drone; secondary sources note customs may hold or query undeclared drones, and some describe drones being held at the border pending paperwork and released on departure. Treat this as unverified pending an official customs source. Batteries: Standard international lithium-battery air-travel rules are expected to apply (carry-on only, spare battery Wh limits); no Namibia-specific drone battery rule was confirmed.
- Before each flight
All drones (recreational or commercial) must be registered with the NCAA under Part 101 and hold a written RPAS Letter of Approval (RLA) before flying — there is no weight-based exemption · Maximum altitude is 150 ft (about 45 m) AGL and drones must stay within about 500 m of the pilot · Visual line of sight is required at all times; flights are daylight-only
Flying
- All drones (recreational or commercial) must be registered with the NCAA under Part 101 and hold a written RPAS Letter of Approval (RLA) before flying — there is no weight-based exemption
- Maximum altitude is 150 ft (about 45 m) AGL and drones must stay within about 500 m of the pilot
- Visual line of sight is required at all times; flights are daylight-only
- No flying within 5 nautical miles (about 9.3 km) of an aerodrome, or over towns, cities, or published controlled airspace, without specific approval
- No flying over military, police or prison facilities, and private property requires the owner's consent
- Drones are prohibited in national parks and reserves without approval from both the NCAA and the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT); Etosha National Park has an active full ban — drones must be left at the gate with no in-park exception — introduced to prevent their use in rhino poaching
- Sossusvlei and Skeleton Coast are likewise treated as no-fly without separate conservation-authority permission
Commercial use: Commercial operators (filming, surveying, mapping, etc.) need the same RLA process as recreational flyers but with a higher fee and a longer lead time — about 120 days for foreign applicants — plus more detailed operational documentation for the intended activity.
Registration & classes
| Registration | Yes (all drones) Registration and the RPAS Letter of Approval are effectively bundled: an applicant submits a formal letter to the NCAA Executive Director describing purpose and duration, a map of intended flight areas with launch coordinates, a risk assessment/safety management plan, drone technical specs, and proof of third-party liability insurance. |
|---|---|
| Pilot test | No No pilot licence for recreational/visitor flying. No pilot licence is required for hobbyists, tourists or most commercial operators; the emphasis is on the per-flight RLA approval rather than a personal certification exam. Government/state RPAS operations have separate licensing requirements not relevant to visitors. |
| Remote ID | Unknown No public Remote ID / broadcast identification requirement was found; oversight relies on the pre-flight RLA approval and registration rather than in-flight broadcast ID. |
| Insurance | Yes Proof of drone liability insurance (covering third-party damage in Namibia) is a required part of every RPAS Letter of Approval application, recreational or commercial. |
| Foreign registration accepted | No Foreign visitors must apply directly to the NCAA for an RPAS Letter of Approval well before travel; there is no on-arrival or expedited process confirmed. National parks and reserves — Etosha (actively enforced full ban over anti-poaching concerns), Sossusvlei, Skeleton Coast and others — are off-limits to drones without separate Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism authorisation on top of the NCAA approval. Flying without an approved RLA risks confiscation of the drone and possible fines; details on penalty amounts were not confirmed from an official source. |
Weight classes
| Class | Weight | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| All drones | any weight | No weight-based exemption: registration and a per-flight RPAS Letter of Approval from the NCAA are required regardless of drone size. |
Import & export
- No confirmed duty/VAT-free personal allowance specific to drones was found. Visitors should carry their approved RPAS Letter of Approval when entering with a drone; secondary sources note customs may hold or query undeclared drones, and some describe drones being held at the border pending paperwork and released on departure. Treat this as unverified pending an official customs source.
- No drone-specific radio type-approval scheme was confirmed for the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN); this was not verified from an official source.
- Batteries: Standard international lithium-battery air-travel rules are expected to apply (carry-on only, spare battery Wh limits); no Namibia-specific drone battery rule was confirmed.
- Apply for the RPAS Letter of Approval well before travel (60+ days recreational, 120+ days commercial) — this is not something arranged on arrival.
- Carry the approved RLA, drone registration details and insurance proof through customs and be ready to show them.
- Fee figures (NAD 1,200 recreational / NAD 4,500 commercial) come from secondary sources and were not confirmed against an official current NCAA fee schedule.
Export
- No drone-specific export ban was found; general Namibian export-control rules would apply to any dual-use or restricted UAV technology.
Costs
| Operator registration | 1200 NAD (≈ €62) · Recreational RPAS Letter of Approval processing fee; commercial is reported at NAD 4,500 (about EUR 233). Figures from secondary sources, not an official current fee schedule at time of writing. Validity: Approval (RLA) is issued per application/flight purpose and duration; a general multi-year registration certificate scheme was not confirmed from an official source. |
|---|---|
| No pilot licence for recreational/visitor flying | Not needed |
| Import taxes | ? % duty + ? % VAT Usually only for drones you buy abroad and bring in to keep. |
Guides
Flying a drone in Namibia as a visitor Visitors
- Apply to the NCAA at least 60 days before you travel
Submit a formal letter of application, a map of intended flight areas with launch coordinates, a risk assessment/safety plan, drone specs, and proof of liability insurance to get an RPAS Letter of Approval. Open
- Budget 120 days if it's for filming or any paid work
Commercial and promotional filming applications take longer and cost more (reported around NAD 4,500 vs NAD 1,200 for recreational).
- Carry your approval and insurance proof through customs
Have the RLA, drone details and insurance documentation ready to show on arrival.
- Stay within 45 m altitude and 500 m of yourself, in daylight, with VLOS
Keep at least 5 nautical miles from aerodromes and away from towns, military sites and controlled airspace.
- Leave the drone at the gate for parks and reserves
Etosha has an actively enforced full ban with no in-park exception; Sossusvlei and the Skeleton Coast are also off-limits without separate MEFT/conservation-authority permission.
Sources
- Namibia Civil Aviation Authority — RPAS Forms & Applications · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- drone-laws.com — Namibia Drone Laws · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- ATTA — Namibia Bans All Drones in Etosha National Park · accessed 24 Sept 2026
How the score is built
- Operator registration−15
- Remote ID−3
- Mandatory insurance−6
- Night flight banned−8
- Low ceiling (45 m)−5
- Visitors need a flight permit−20
- Visitors must register locally−10
- Long lead time (60 days)−8
- Import restricted−25
- Duty + VAT ≈ 15 %−9
- Radio / type certification−4
Every score starts at 100 and loses points for each requirement. How scoring works