Related documents
- Is commenced by Commencement of the Immigration Control Act, 1993
- Amends Aliens Act, 1937
- Amends Executive Powers (Interior) Transfer Proclamation, 1978
- Amends Namibian Citizenship Act, 1990
Immigration Control Act, 1993
Act 7 of 1993
- Published in Government Gazette 690 on 19 August 1993
- Assented to on 6 August 1993
- Commenced on 29 July 1994 by Commencement of the Immigration Control Act, 1993
- [This is the version of this document from 19 August 1993 and includes any amendments published up to 30 September 2024.]
Part I – INTRODUCTORY PROVISIONS
1. Definitions
In this Act, unless the context otherwise indicates -“board” means the Immigration Selection Board established under section 25;“Chief of Immigration” means the Chief of Immigration appointed under section 3(1)(a);“conveyance” includes any vehicle, train, aircraft or ship;“domicile”, subject to the provisions of Part IV, means the place where a person has his or her home or permanent residence or to which such person returns as his or her permanent abode, and not merely for a special or temporary purpose;“employment permit” means an employment permit referred to in section 24(b)(1);“immigration officer” means an immigration officer appointed under section 3(1)(b);“master”, in relation to a ship, means any person (other than a pilot) for the time being in charge or command of that ship;“Minister” means the Minister of Home Affairs;“Ministry” means the Ministry of Home Affairs;“occupier”, in relation to any premises, means -(a)the person who actually occupies such premises;(b)the person entitled to occupy such premises;(c)the person having the control or management of such premises; and(d)the agent of any such person who is absent from Namibia or whose whereabouts are unknown;“owner”, in relation to a ship, includes the charterer of the ship or any agent within Namibia of the owner or charterer;“passport” means any passport or other travel document of identity issued -(a)to a person on behalf of the Government of Namibia;(b)on behalf of the government of any country recognized by the Government of Namibia, to a person who is a citizen of the country concerned, but not also a Namibian citizen;(c)on behalf of any international organization of which Namibia is a member, to a person who is not a Namibian citizen,and which contains a personal description of such person, the name of the country in which he or she was born and the date of his or her birth, and to which a photograph of such person is attached in which all the features of his or her face are clearly and correctly depicted;“permanent residence permit” means a permanent residence permit referred to in section 24(a);“Permanent Secretary” means the Permanent Secretary: Home Affairs;“police officer” means any member of the Force as defined in section l of the Police Act, 1990 (Act 19 of 1990);“port” or “port of entry” means -(a)any place on the coast of Namibia;(b)any railway station or place in Namibia at or near any of the borders thereof; or(c)any airport or aerodrome in Namibia,where an immigration officer is stationed;“premises” means any building or structure together with the land on which it is situated and the adjoining land used in connection therewith, and includes any land without any building or structure thereon;“prescribed” means prescribed by regulation or under this Act;“prohibited immigrant” means a person referred to in section 39;“provisional permit” means a provisional permit referred to in section 11;“regulation” means any regulation made and in force under this Act;“ship” includes any vessel or boat, of any kind, used in navigation, whether propelled by means of sails, steampower or other mechanical means or towing or oars or in any other manner;[“Steampower” is normally written as two words: “steam power”.]“student’s permit” means a student’s permit referred to in section 24(b)(ii);“this Act” includes any order, direction or regulation issued or made or deemed to have been issued or made under this Act;“tribunal” means any immigration tribunal established under section 43;“visitor’s entry permit” means a visitor’s entry permit referred to in section 24(b)(iii).2. Application of Act
Part II – ADMINISTRATION OF ACT
3. Appointment of Chief of Immigration and immigration officers
4. Delegation of powers
5. Limitation of liability
No compensation shall be payable by the Minister, Permanent Secretary, Chief of Immigration, any immigration officer or any other officer or employee employed in carrying out the provisions of this Act, in respect of any act done in good faith under this Act.Part III – ENTRY INTO NAMIBIA
Ports of entry
Duties of immigration officers and passports and visas
6. Persons to enter Namibia at ports of entry
7. Persons to present themselves to immigration officer before entering Namibia
A person seeking to enter Namibia shall before entering Namibia present himself or herself to an immigration officer at a port of entry and satisfy such officer that he or she is not a prohibited immigrant in respect of Namibia and is entitled to enter and to be in Namibia.8. Powers of immigration officers in respect of certain persons presenting themselves
9. Permission of entry into Namibia
An immigration officer shall, if he or she is satisfied that a person seeking to enter Namibia complies with the requirements of sections 6, 7 and 8 and who is not, or is clearly not, a prohibited immigrant in respect of Namibia, or is clearly entitled to enter or be in Namibia, permit such person to land and enter or remain in Namibia and endorse that permission in or on such passport or other document determined by the Minister.10. Refusal of entry into Namibia
11. Provisional permits for persons suspected of being prohibited immigrants in respect of Namibia
12. Passports and visas
13. Transit visas
Ships in ports
Powers of immigration officers and duties of masters of ships
14. Immigration officer may board ships and prohibit or regulate traffic between ships and shore
15. Master of ship to furnish certain lists and returns to immigration officer
16. Detention and removal of prohibited immigrants arriving by sea at a port
17. Responsibility of owner and master of ship in respect of transit passengers
If a ship arrives at any port in Namibia with a passenger on board bound for a destination outside Namibia and, whether or not that passenger has been refused by an immigration officer to land and to enter Namibia, such person is not on board when the ship departs, the master or the owner of that ship shall forfeit in respect of such passenger an amount to be fixed by the immigration officer, not exceeding an amount determined by the Minister by notice in the Gazette in general.18. Responsibility of owner and master of ship in respect of crew
19. Recovery of amounts forfeited under sections 16 and 17 or deposited under section 18
20. Power to refuse clearance papers
The competent officer of customs at any port may refuse to give to the master of any ship clearance papers to leave that port until such master has complied with the provisions of this Act and produced a certificate of an immigration officer to that effect.21. Agreement with ship-owners relating to the carrying out of certain provisions of Act
Part IV – DOMICILE IN NAMIBIA
22. Domicile in Namibia
23. Loss of domicile
Part V – LIMITATION OF ENTRY INTO, AND RESIDENCE IN, NAMIBIA PERMANENT RESIDENCE PERMITS, EMPLOYMENT PERMITS, STUDENTS’ PERMITS AND VISITORS’ ENTRY PERMITS
24. Limitation or entry into, and residence in, Namibia
Subject to the provisions of section 35, no person shall -25. Immigration Selection Board
26. Application for permanent residence permits
27. Application for employment permits
28. Application for students’ permits
29. Application for visitors’ entry permits
30. Prohibitions in respect of certain persons to enter into, or to be in, employment or to conduct a business, profession or occupation, or to receive any training, instruction or education in any training or educational institution, or to harbour such persons, in Namibia
31. Returns by employers and educational institutions regarding employees and students
32. Certain hotel-keepers and other persons to keep register of lodgers
33. Exceptions
The provisions of section 24 shall not apply -34. Duties of certain persons not in possession of permit
35. Exemptions
36. Invalidity and cancellation of permits
37. Holder of permit or other document not entitled by virtue of that permit or document only to enter or reside in Namibia
No person in possession of a permit issued under this Part or any other document (other than a valid certificate of identity issued under section 38) issued at any time under any law permitting such person to enter into or reside in Namibia, shall only by virtue of such permit or document be entitled to enter or reside in Namibia or be exempted from any other provision of this Act.38. Certificates of identity for persons lawfully resident in Namibia
The Minister may authorize the issue of a certificate of identity to any person who is lawfully resident in Namibia and who desires to leave Namibia temporarily but is for any reason in doubt whether he or she will be able to lawfully enter Namibia on his or her return.Part VI – PROHIBITED IMMIGRANTS
ARREST DETENTION AND REMOVAL OF PROHIBITED IMMIGRANTS
Prohibited immigrants
39. Prohibited immigrants
40. Exemptions
41. Prohibited immigrants not exempted from provisions of Act if permitted to enter Namibia erroneously
No prohibited immigrant shall be exempted from the provisions of this Act or be permitted to remain in Namibia on the grounds only that such person had not been informed that he or she could not enter or remain in Namibia or that he or she had been permitted to enter or remain in Namibia through oversight, misrepresentation or owing to the fact having been undiscovered as such a prohibited immigrant.Arrest, detention and removal of prohibited immigrants
42. Arrest and detention of prohibited immigrants found in Namibia
43. Establishment of immigration tribunals to authorize removal of prohibited immigrants from Namibia
44. Application for authorization for removal of prohibited immigrants from Namibia
45. Witnesses and evidence
46. Variation or modification by Minister of decision causing removal of prohibited immigrant
47. Reservation of question of law for decision of High Court
48. Steps where removal is authorized
49. Removal of persons for reasons of state security
50. Persons previously dealt with under Act
51. Arrest, detention and removal whether or not person is convicted of offence
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Act or any other law contained, an immigration officer may, in the exercise or performance of any power or duty to arrest, detain or remove from Namibia a person under this Part, so arrest, detain or remove such person, whether or not such person has been convicted of any offence under this Act.52. Power to remove persons before expiration of sentence of imprisonment, termination of sentence on removal and removal or release from prison or other place
Part VII – MISCELLANEOUS POWERS OF IMMIGRATION OFFICERS
53. Miscellaneous powers of immigration officers
54. Offences in relation to immigration officers
Any person who -Part VIII – MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
55. Persons in custody in transit through Namibia
Any person who is removed from any country, other than Namibia, under a warrant or order issued or made in such country, and who, in the course of such removal, enters or passes through Namibia shall, on entry into Namibia and throughout the period of his or her passage through Namibia be deemed to be, by reason of such warrant or order, in lawful custody and, if such person escapes, he or she may be apprehended without a warrant by any immigration officer or police officer and returned forthwith to the custody from which he or she escaped.56. General offences and penalties
Any person who -57. Evidence
58. Regulations
59. Interpretation of laws
Any reference in any other law to any “passport control officer” or “prohibited person”, shall be deemed to be a reference to any “immigration officer” or “prohibited immigrant”, respectively.60. Repeal of laws and savings
61. Short title and commencement
This Act shall be called the Immigration Control Act, 1993, and shall come into operation on a date to be determined by the Minister by notice in the Gazette.History of this document
29 July 1994
Commenced by
Commencement of the Immigration Control Act, 1993
19 August 1993 this version
06 August 1993
Assented to
Cited documents 14
Act 14
1. | Criminal Procedure Act, 1977 | 1921 citations |
2. | Local Authorities Act, 1992 | 1321 citations |
3. | Regional Councils Act, 1992 | 388 citations |
4. | Police Act, 1990 | 238 citations |
5. | Abuse of Dependence-Producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act, 1971 | 190 citations |
6. | Aliens Act, 1937 | 182 citations |
7. | Combating of Immoral Practices Act, 1980 | 57 citations |
8. | Namibian Citizenship Act, 1990 | 32 citations |
9. | Price Control Act, 1964 | 23 citations |
10. | Commonwealth Relations Act, 1962 | 6 citations |
Documents citing this one 244
Judgment 132
Gazette 71
Act 16
1. | Legal Practitioners Act, 1995 | 247 citations |
2. | Income Tax Act, 1981 | 243 citations |
3. | Correctional Service Act, 2012 | 115 citations |
4. | Value-Added Tax Act, 2000 | 54 citations |
5. | Child Care and Protection Act, 2015 | 52 citations |
6. | Identification Act, 1996 | 18 citations |
7. | Namibia Refugees (Recognition and Control) Act, 1999 | 18 citations |
8. | Motor Vehicle Accident Fund Act, 2007 | 17 citations |
9. | Banking Institutions Act, 2023 | 16 citations |
10. | Employment Services Act, 2011 | 16 citations |
Proclamation 13
Government Notice 8
Law Reform Report 3
Ordinance 1
1. | Nature Conservation Ordinance, 1975 | 8 citations |
Subsidiary legislation
Title | Numbered title |
---|---|
Immigration Regulations, 1994 | Government Notice 134 of 1994 |