Exporting gemstones and small-scale minerals from Namibia: rights, the export permit, royalties and the buyers who pay for paperwork
Namibia’s Erongo region produces tourmaline, aquamarine, topaz and fine mineral specimens that sell to collectors and cutters worldwide, and Karibib’s marble and granite go to processors abroad. The legal route for a small-scale miner or licensed dealer to export: rights, the export permit, royalties, valuation and what is excluded.
Namibia's small-scale mining sector, concentrated in Erongo, produces tourmaline, aquamarine, topaz, garnet and world-class mineral specimens; Karibib and the south produce marble, granite and other dimension stone.
Every consignment of minerals needs an export permit from the Mining Commissioner, which is refused when the stones cannot be traced to a valid claim or licence or when royalties are outstanding.
Diamonds, uranium and other controlled minerals move only through licensed state channels. This guide is about what a private exporter is allowed to sell.
The sector in brief
Small-scale mining is a recognised category in Namibian law, with claims registered to individuals and small operations, and an association that represents them. The Erongo region around Usakos, Karibib and the Brandberg is a globally known source of tourmaline, aquamarine, topaz, fluorite, dioptase and mineral specimens that collectors in Europe, the United States and Asia pay for by the piece. Dimension stone, principally marble from Karibib and granite from several districts, is cut into blocks and exported to processors in Italy, China and elsewhere. Both trades have the same weakness: buyers abroad have been burned by stones with no traceable origin, and they now pay a premium for sellers whose paperwork is clean.
What buyers specify
| Specification | What buyers ask for |
|---|---|
| Description | Mineral, variety, rough or cut, weight in grams or carats, grade and locality per lot |
| Provenance | Proof of the claim or licence the stones came from, or the licensed holder you bought them from |
| Valuation | A valuation that matches the customs declaration, and for high-value gemstones an independent appraisal |
| Dimension stone | Block dimensions, quality class, quarry origin certificate, test results for density and absorption |
| Documents | Mineral export permit, royalty return, certificate of origin, packing list and invoice that agree with each other |
The paperwork
1. Exporter registration
Registered business, NamRA customs code and ASYCUDA exporter record, trade ministry registration, chamber membership. Export Starter Package or Export Registration.
2. Mineral rights
Under the Minerals (Prospecting and Mining) Act, minerals belong to the state and are mined under claims, exclusive prospecting licences and mining licences issued by the Mines directorate. A small-scale miner holds a claim; a dealer buys from claim holders and keeps the paper trail. A dealer who buys from a digger with no claim has bought stones that cannot legally leave the country.
3. Royalties
Royalties are payable on minerals won and sold, at rates set by the Act for each class of mineral. The royalty return for the consignment is part of the export permit application, and the Mining Commissioner checks that royalties are not outstanding before issuing the permit.
4. Mineral export permit
Issued per consignment by the Mining Commissioner, it names the minerals, quantities, values and buyer. It is the document customs checks at the port or airport, and without it the parcel is held and can be seized. Gemstones usually travel by courier or air, which means the permit, the invoice and the valuation must be in the parcel and must agree.
5. Certificate of origin
From the chamber, for the buyer's customs. Many destination countries charge no duty on rough gemstones and specimens, but the certificate still smooths clearance.
A first export, step by step
- Put the rights in order. Confirm your claim is registered and current, or collect copies of your suppliers' claims with signed purchase records for every parcel you hold.
- Register as an exporter. Customs code, trade ministry registration, chamber membership; two to three weeks alongside the rest.
- Sort, weigh and photograph the parcel. A lot list with weights, grades and photographs is what buyers and the Mining Commissioner both want to see.
- Value it. Your own declared value, backed by an independent appraisal for anything significant.
- Settle royalties and apply for the export permit. The application carries the lot list, the value, the buyer and proof of rights.
- Issue the invoice, packing list and certificate of origin so that every figure matches the permit.
- Ship by insured courier with the documents inside and copies sent ahead to the buyer's customs agent.
The first parcel takes four to six weeks from a standing start. The second takes a week, because the registrations are done and the pattern is known.
What is excluded
Diamonds are governed by the Diamond Act and the Kimberley Process and move only through licensed channels. Uranium and other controlled or strategic minerals are state-regulated and are not traded by private exporters. Nothing in this guide applies to them, and anyone offering to help export them privately is offering to break the law.
Where first shipments go wrong
- Stones bought from an unlicensed digger. Export permit refused; the stones may be forfeited.
- Royalties unpaid. Permit refused until settled.
- Under-declared values. Customs investigation, penalties, and a buyer who no longer trusts your invoices.
- Documents that disagree. A permit for 2 kg and an invoice for 3 kg is a held parcel.
- Dimension stone blocks shipped without test results. Processors will not price them.
What a first export costs you
| Cost line | Who you pay | Order of magnitude |
|---|---|---|
| Exporter registration and the minerals and salt pack | Chrimson, fixed price | N$8,500 plus N$5,500 for an existing business; N$12,500 plus N$5,500 for a new company |
| Claim or licence | The Mines directorate, annually | Modest, but the application and renewals must be kept current |
| Royalties | The state, per consignment | A percentage of the sale value set by the Minerals Act for the mineral class |
| Independent valuation | A gemmologist or appraiser | Per parcel for high-value stones |
| Courier or air freight with insurance | Courier company and insurer | Per parcel; insurance is the larger part for gemstones |
| Dimension stone testing and sea freight | Laboratory, forwarder, line | Per block and per container; blocks ship as breakbulk or in flat racks |
| Per-shipment documents | Chrimson, or your own staff | N$5,500 per consignment |
Who is already doing it
Erongo's small-scale miners have supplied the world's mineral shows for decades; Namibian tourmaline, aquamarine and specimen minerals from the Erongo Mountains and the Brandberg are standard stock at the Munich, Tucson and Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines shows. Registered dealers in Swakopmund, Usakos and Windhoek buy from claim holders and export legally, and the Small Miners Association represents the producers. Karibib's marble quarries have exported blocks to Italian and Chinese processors for years. The buyers exist; what they lack is sellers whose paperwork lets them buy without risk.
Finding your first buyer
- Mineralientage München (October), the Tucson gem and mineral shows (January to February) and Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines (June). Collectors and dealers buy Namibian material at all three; a table at one of them, with export permits in hand, is the classic route.
- Cutters and jewellery manufacturers in Thailand, India, Germany and the United States, who buy rough by the parcel against photographs, a valuation and a clean permit.
- Dimension stone processors in Italy, Spain, China and Turkey, who buy blocks against test results and a quarry visit.
- Online specimen dealers, who increasingly buy direct from registered Namibian dealers by courier.
Questions miners and dealers ask us
Can I carry stones out in my luggage to sell at a show? Only with an export permit for the parcel and a declaration on departure. Undeclared stones are smuggled stones, and the show organisers and buyers know it.
Who values the parcel? You declare a value and the Mining Commissioner may query it; an independent appraisal for higher-value parcels protects you on both sides.
What if I bought stones years ago without paperwork? Talk to us before trying to export them. There are lawful ways to regularise some situations and none to export stones that cannot be traced.
What we do, and what it costs
Chrimson runs the export desk for Namibian minerals exporters. Three fixed prices cover the paperwork in this guide:
| Where you are | What you buy | Price |
|---|---|---|
| No registered business yet | Export Starter Package: company, tax, VAT, customs code, exporter registration, trade licence, chamber membership | N$12,500 |
| Registered, not yet an exporter | Export Registration: customs code, trade ministry and chamber registration, VAT review | N$8,500 |
| Registered exporter, new to minerals | Minerals and Salt Export Pack: the permits and certificates in this guide, plus the buyer specification sheet | N$5,500 |
Each shipment's documents after that are N$5,500 per consignment, or N$9,500 a month for the retainer that runs the whole desk. Government registration and permit fees are included in our prices; laboratories, certifiers, forwarders and clearing agents bill you directly, and we tell you what to expect before you commit.
Open the minerals page on the export desk, pick where you are today, and the page shows your route, the total and the time. If you would rather talk first, message us and we reply the same working day.
Sources
- Ministry of Industrialisation, Mines and Trade: Mines directorate, mineral rights, royalties and export permits
- Minerals (Prospecting and Mining) Act 33 of 1992
- Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry: certificates of origin
- Kimberley Process (diamonds, excluded from this guide)
Sources accessed 8 November 2026. Volumes, prices and rules move: confirm with the organisation named before you commit money.
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