Expat insurance and health insurance in Namibia

Namibia’s private sector, which according to sources specialised in expat health insurance accounts for around 80% of the country’s healthcare professionals, is significantly more developed than the public sector and mainly based in Windhoek. On the public side, Windhoek Central Hospital, founded in 1984 with around 855 beds, is the country’s largest hospital and includes Namibia’s oldest mental health service (in operation since 1903, 200 beds); the Katutura State Hospital, also public and located in Windhoek, rounds out the capital’s offering. On the private side, Mediclinic Windhoek, part of the international Mediclinic International group, offers a full range of facilities (surgery, cardiology, oncology, orthopaedics, maternity), and Rhino Park Private Hospital, operating for over 30 years, offers general and specialist surgery, internal medicine, medical imaging and women’s health. Namibia has no generalised national mandatory health insurance scheme comparable to Zambia’s NHIMA: the Public Service Employees Medical Aid Scheme (PSEMAS), funded and subsidised by the Namibian state and administered by Methealth Namibia since 2010, is reserved for civil servants and their dependants. A National Medical Benefit Fund, run by the Social Security Commission (SSC) — which also manages maternity and sick leave, death benefits and the Workers’ Compensation Fund —, has been created on paper but reportedly still is not operational according to recent Namibian press sources. Formal private-sector employees therefore rely on voluntary medical aid funds, most often taken out via their employer, governed by the Medical Aid Funds Act No. 23 of 1995 and supervised by the Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (NAMFISA) and the Namibian Association of Medical Aid Funds (NAMAF); the Namibia Health Plan (NHP), an open fund created in 1997, and Bankmed are among the most widely used.

France Diplomatie describes Namibia’s health situation as broadly satisfactory, with numerous facilities particularly in Windhoek and generally well-trained doctors, and recommends favouring private over public facilities; an on-call pharmacy system exists in major cities. The site states an average consultation cost of around 500 NAD, and notes that hospitals require proof of solvency before any admission, which can amount to several thousand euros up front; comprehensive travel insurance covering medical expenses, surgery, hospitalisation and medical evacuation is described as mandatory, since the embassy does not cover any costs. Reported health risks include: malaria in the northern and north-eastern regions (Kavango, Zambezi/Caprivi, Omusati, Oshana), with reduced risk in the dry season, dengue, zika and chikungunya (mosquito-borne), cholera in densely populated areas with poor sanitation, typhoid fever linked to contaminated water, and rabies, for which vaccination is recommended for children and extended stays in rural areas in the north. According to sources specialised in expat health insurance, the most serious cases, when Namibia’s medical facilities prove insufficient, are sometimes transferred by air evacuation to South Africa — a point to check case by case with the insurer or assistance provider before departure.

• Mandatory visa since 1 April 2025 for all French nationals — Namibia previously did not require a visa for French citizens. It can be requested in advance as an e-visa via the official portal eservices.mhaiss.gov.na (indicative processing time of around 7 working days), or obtained on arrival («visa on arrival») at Windhoek (Hosea Kutako) and Walvis Bay airports, as well as at several land border crossings (Trans-Kalahari, Ariamsvlei, Noordoewer, Orangemund, Oshikango, Mohembo, Impalila Island, Katima Mulilo, Ngoma). Fee: 1,600 NAD (about €82), for a 30-day stay with multiple entries. This visa does not authorise any professional activity, even unpaid.
• Passport valid for at least 6 months after the end of the stay and with at least 3 blank pages required.
• Long-term stay or professional activity, including an unpaid internship: a separate work visa must be obtained before departure from the Namibian authorities, its initial validity not exceeding 3 months according to France Diplomatie; no dedicated visa or permit for remote workers («digital nomad») has been identified to date.
• France Diplomatie describes taking out travel insurance covering medical expenses, surgery, hospitalisation and medical evacuation as mandatory, with Namibian facilities also requiring proof of solvency before any admission and the embassy covering no costs.
• Yellow fever: a vaccination certificate is required for any traveller arriving from a country where the disease is endemic (or having transited through such a country).
• Malaria: transmission risk in the northern and north-eastern regions (Kavango, Zambezi/Caprivi, Omusati, Oshana), reduced in the dry season; suitable antimalarial prophylaxis is recommended before departure for a stay in these areas.
• Minors: birth certificate and, depending on accompanying adults, parental authorisation, translated into English by a sworn translator, required on entry.

No bilateral social security agreement between France and Namibia has been identified. CLEISS lists only 16 African countries and territories that have signed this type of agreement with France (Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Mayotte, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia) — Namibia is not among them. In the absence of any agreement, there is no coordination for healthcare, maternity, old age or family benefits between the two systems.

• No French rights-maintenance form applies in Namibia.
• Registering with CFE or taking out international private insurance are the only routes to cover recognised by a French system, regardless of profile.
• PSEMAS, reserved for Namibian civil servants, and any enrolment in a private medical aid fund via a Namibian employer give access to the local care network but do not constitute cover recognised in France, nor a substitute for medical repatriation.
• Administrative procedures for French residents in Namibia fall, depending on the case, under the French Embassy in Windhoek and the French Consulate General in Johannesburg (South Africa), which alone handles most consular acts — to be checked case by case depending on the procedure concerned.

• Before departure, regardless of purpose: apply for the e-visa via eservices.mhaiss.gov.na (recommended approach, around 7 working days processing time) rather than waiting for the visa on arrival, and take out insurance or an assistance contract covering hospitalisation and repatriation, given the absence of any France-Namibia coordination.
• Budget for the visa fee (1,600 NAD, about €82) and anticipate the proof of solvency or foreign-currency deposit that Namibian healthcare facilities may require on admission.
• Before departure: medical consultation/vaccination centre visit to assess the need for yellow fever vaccination (depending on origin and transit), hepatitis A and B, typhoid fever, rabies, and antimalarial prophylaxis for a stay in the north or north-east of the country.
• For a long-term stay or professional activity, including an unpaid internship: obtain a work visa before departure from the relevant Namibian authorities.
• Formally employed workers: check with the employer about enrolment in a medical aid fund (for example Namibia Health Plan or Bankmed), in addition to — never as a replacement for — cover recognised in France.
• Voluntary enrolment with CFE recommended given the absence of any healthcare coordination.
• Within 6 months of arrival: register with the roll of French nationals living abroad, at the French Embassy in Windhoek.