German driving licences in Namibia

When traveling in Namibia, you are required to carry either:

• an international driving licence, which is only valid in conjunction with the national German driving licence, or
• at least an official translation of the German driving licence into English.

A general translation of the German driving licence can be found on the website of the Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt).

Conversion of German and Namibian driving licences

Namibia and Germany mutually recognize the national driving licences of each other's country without the need for retaking a driving test. A key requirement for converting driving licences is that the issuance date of the driving licence is at least two years ago and the licence holder has had a permanent residence of at least 185 days in the respective other country.

For the application for conversion, Namibia and Germany have each designated a competent authority:

For Namibia: The Roads Authority

For the Federal Republic of Germany: the Bundesamt für Digitales und Verkehr or the traffic licence office at your German place of residence.

Loss of driving licence

If you have lost your German driving licence in Namibia or it was stolen, please immediately report the loss/theft to the nearest Namibian police station.

German foreign representations (including the German Embassy in Windhoek) cannot issue new driving licences or other replacements, so please apply for a new one at the competent driving licence authority:

• if you have a registered residence in Germany:
  The driving licence authority at your registered place of residence

• if you are staying in Germany:
  The driving licence authority at your current place of residence in Germany

• if you do not have a registerd residence or your current place of residence in Germany:
  You can contact any German driving licence authority. It is often recommended to approach the authority that issued your previous driving licence.

At the relevant authority, you will receive further information regarding the reapplication for your driving licence. If a certification of your signature or of copies is required as part of the reapplication, you can have this done by prior appointment at the German Embassy in Windhoek: Certification and Authentication

Exchange of old German driving licences

For more information on exchanging old German driving licences, please refer to: Exchange of German driving licences (German)