Besides the annual license renewal, the ordinary person may not have much to do with NaTIS Namibia. However, vehicles also have to be registered and go through roadworthy at specific occasions, and Mass Distance Charges must be paid by heavy vehicles.
Contents of This Page
- 1 What Does NaTIS Stand For?
- 2 What Does NaTIS Do?
- 3 Vehicle Registration and Licensing Procedure
- 4 How to Register a Brand New Vehicle in Namibia
- 5 How to Register a Used Namibian Vehicle
- 6 How to register an Imported Used Vehicle in Namibia
- 7 How to Deregister or Scrap Your Vehicle in Namibia
- 8 Auto Help assists clients with all things Natis Namibia, this includes
What Does NaTIS Stand For?
NaTIS is an acronym of National Traffic Information System, which has its headquarters in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia.
What Does NaTIS Do?
We get a lot of questions about how their processes actually work. As our name suggests, we at Auto Help are all about helping. Read on to find out all you need to know about vehicle registrations and licensing in Namibia!
NaTIS itself is administered by the Namibian Roads Authority (NRA), which is a division of the Ministry of Works and Transport (MWT). The system covers the following procedures:
- Motor vehicle licensing.
- Motor vehicle registrations.
- Applications and testing for, as well as issuing of learners and drivers licences.
- Vehicle roadworthy inspections and certification.
- Annual renewal of motor vehicle licences.
Unlike renewing your vehicle’s licence, roadworthy inspections only have to be done and passed by commercial vehicles, or before ownership of any vehicle can be transferred. Transferring ownership is just one of the many things done at NaTIS.
Vehicle Registration and Licensing Procedure
When buying a vehicle, you will need to register it on your name as the Title Holder. According to the Road Traffic and Transport Regulations 2001, Part 11, all motor vehicles need to be registered – regardless of whether the vehicle is to be used on a public road or not.
The kind of vehicle you are registering will determine the requirements for registration.
It is important to note that all transactions at NaTIS will require appropriate identification. This can be a
- Certified copy of a Namibian identification document (ID or passport)
- Copy of a traffic register certificate or
- Copy of your Namibian drivers licence.
It is important to note that copies of a document issued by NaTIS, i.e. a traffic register certificate or drivers licence do not need to be certified for identification purposes.
The following documents are NOT accepted for identification at NaTIS:
- Foreign identification documents
- Temporary drivers licences
If you are not Namibian and would like to register a vehicle in Namibia, read our post about Traffic Register Certificates and how you can get one.
We also have information on the various driving licences required in Namibia here.
How to Register a Brand New Vehicle in Namibia
A “brand new” vehicle has never been registered with NaTIS, having come to you straight from the manufacturer or dealership. In most cases, vehicles bought from dealerships include registration, which is covered by the purchase price and handled by their salesperson.
However, if you bought a new vehicle in a neighbouring country – like South Africa – and imported it into Namibia for yourself, the law does require you to register it with NaTIS.
These are most often trailers, or special deals on private and/or commercial vehicles.
Take note that you will likely need additional permits if you are a commercial operator, you may also become liable for road use charges.
What is Required for Registering a New Vehicle?
- You will need the following forms:
- Application for Registration and Licensing of Motor Vehicle (blue form)
- Confirmation of Steering Mechanism
- Certified copy of acceptable identification (Namibian ID, Namibian drivers licence or a NaTIS traffic register certificate)
- Original manufacture’s certificate
- Customs import duty documents with original customs stamp
- Relevant fees, depending on the weight of the vehicle
Simply take all the required documents – make sure the forms are filled out correctly! – to your nearest NaTIS office and follow their instructions.
How to Register a Used Namibian Vehicle
Registering a used vehicle in Namibia is also often referred to as changing ownership, which is different to filing a Notification of Change of Ownership.
What is Required for Registering a Used Vehicle?
- You will need the following forms:
- Application for Registration and Licensing of Motor Vehicle (blue form)
- Certified copy of acceptable identification (Namibian ID, Namibian drivers licence or a NaTIS traffic register certificate)
- Original vehicle registration certificate
- Police Clearance Certificate (valid for 90 days)
- Vehicle Roadworthy certificate (valid for 6 months)
- Relevant fees, depending on the weight of the vehicle
Simply take all the required documents – make sure the form is filled out correctly! – to your closest NaTIS office and follow their instructions.
How to register an Imported Used Vehicle in Namibia
If you’ve purchased a second-hand or previously used vehicle from overseas or a neighbouring country of Namibia – like Botswana or South Africa – you will need slightly different documentation to register it in Namibia. Below are the requirements for registration of such a vehicle.
What is Required for Registering an Imported Vehicle?
- Application for Registration and Licensing of Motor Vehicle (blue form)
- Certified copy of acceptable identification (Namibian ID, Namibian drivers licence or a NaTIS Traffic register certificate)
- Original vehicle registration certificate from the country of origin
- Clearance (valid for 90 days) from SARPCCO (Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Co-operation Organisation) or NamPol
- Customs import duty documents with original date stamp
- Weigh-bridge certificate
- Vehicle roadworthy certificate
- Relevant fees, depending on the weight of the vehicle
How to Deregister or Scrap Your Vehicle in Namibia
When should you deregister or scrap your vehicle? This is a question that comes up often. It is important to first understand what deregistering or scrapping a vehicle means.
To deregister / scrap a vehicle means to inform NaTIS / the registering authority of any of the following conditions:
- That the vehicle is no longer usable on a public road.
- That the vehicle is broken beyond repair.
- That due to an accident the vehicle could never be used again or
- That you intend to strip the vehicle to sell for spare or used parts
When Should You Deregister / Scrap Your Vehicle?
Because deregistering / scrapping your vehicle is informing NaTIS of the above conditions, you can only file a notice of De-registration / Scrap a vehicle when these conditions are applicable.
What is Required to Deregister / Scrap Your Vehicle?
- Application for Motor Vehicle Deregistration / Scrapping
- Affidavit – Scrapping of Vehicle form
- Certified copy of acceptable identification (Namibian ID, Namibian drivers licence or a NaTIS Traffic Register Certificate)
- Original vehicle registration certificate
- Relevant fees
Simply take all required documents to your local NaTIS office and follow their instructions.
Auto Help assists clients with all things Natis Namibia, this includes
- Vehicle Licensing & registration
- Obtaining Roadworthy Certificates on vehicles
- Obtaining Police Clearances on Vehicles
- Filling Change of Ownerships when vehicles are sold
- Paying Mass Distance Charges
- Introducing import vehicles on to the Natis System
- Applying for Custom Number plates
- Managing Companies vehicles on the Natis system
- Vehicle license renewal in Namibia
- Applying and managing companies Public Road Carrier Permits
- Registrations with The Namibian Tourism Board for Safari operators
Of course, government offices can be notoriously tricky to navigate. Contact us today to find out how we can help you!