Namibia and Botswana will on Friday sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will allow citizens of the two countries to use their national identity cards as travel documents when crossing their borders.

The MoU will be signed at the Mamuno/Trans-Kalahari border post in the Omaheke Region.

A media statement issued on Tuesday said this cross-border arrangement will only apply to citizens of the two countries who are in possession of the new identity cards, which have a barcode.

In Namibia the new identity cards, which also do not feature fingerprints, were launched in October 2021.

“These new identity cards will be only used as travel documents between Namibia and Botswana, and citizens of both countries are now encouraged to apply for the new identity cards,” the statement added.

The signing of the MoU is expected to be witnessed by several government officials from both countries.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency