Namra warns of cellphone clearance delays over approvals
Namibia detained more than 1,500 cellphones at border crossings between April 2024 and July 2025 because travelers failed to obtain required telecommunications approvals and pay import fees. The Namibia Revenue Agency held 1,251 devices at Hosea Kutako International Airport after owners arrived without Communications Regulatory Authority certificates confirming network compatibility. Officials seized 289 additional phones at a state warehouse for unpaid taxes.
Importers must present English invoices showing device values and type-approval documents from the relevant regulators before customs agents release the merchandise. The government charges a 16.5 percent value-added tax plus a 7 percent ad valorem duty, calculated by adding 15 percent to the purchase price. Personal gift recipients qualify for a 1,400 Namibian dollar exemption applied once yearly per person.
Strategic communication manager Tonateni Shidhudhu said businesses and consumers should understand clearance rules that protect domestic telecommunications networks from incompatible equipment. Regulators enforce standards under Section 123 of the 1998 Customs and Excise Act governing prohibited merchandise.
