Hi,

I need to spend some time in Namibia next year and, having looked at the price of shipping a bike over from the UK, am considering buying a bike or car in SA and driving up. Can anyone give me some pointers as to what paperwork a vehicle should come with, insurance requirements etc. Would not having an SA address be a problem?

Thanks.

I did not buy in South Africa but met a few people who did and nobody mentioned any problems, as both Namibia and SA are in the southern African customs union you do not need a carnet to take a SA registered bike into Namibia as you would a UK registered bike. If you do ship there is a container port at Walvis bay so no need to go to Cape Town, I hope you like sand.

The vehicle comes with the certificate of registration RC1
Make sure both "owner" and "title holder" are identical with the seller.
Further you will need a RWC (roadworthiness certificate). You may use an existing one unless it's older than six months.
A new vehicle will come with a new RC1, no RWC required, dealers will often register the vehicle for you in your name.
A foreign passport is acceptable as form of identification to register the vehicle in your name.
You will have to give a physical address in SA "where vehicle is normally kept" and a postal address "where notes must be delivered to".
I have not heard of any proof being required re. the physical address.
The postal can be a friends address or a PO box.

Insurance is non compulsive. You should and should be able to get comprehensive cover without problems. Shop around. Some companies will give you a hard time insuring for less than a year.

I don't really understand the above comment "...hope you like sand"

You are not very likely to encounter a lot of sand in SA or Namibia as long as you stay on no less than secondary roads. Maybe the odd river crosing north of the vet. border. BOT and MOZ... different story :

When looking to buy and looking for local SA info check www.wilddogs.za.net

Have fun