Financial Intelligence Centre (NPO registration and supervision) (FIC)

Namibia has no single NGO registrar. Since the 2019 amendment, NPOs have been accountable institutions under the Financial Intelligence Act, and the Financial Intelligence Centre registers and supervises them, especially high-risk NPOs such as faith-based organisations and charities. Legal personality comes separately: from BIPA for section 21 non-profit companies, from the Master of the High Court for trusts, or from common law for voluntary associations. Organisations that raise funds from the public or government for welfare work must also register as welfare organisations with the National Welfare Board.

An NPO completes the FIC's NPO registration form (Annexure A) and emails it with supporting documents to the FIC. The documents include proof of authority to operate (such as welfare registration), governance policies, due diligence on founders, donors, beneficiaries and beneficial owners, sanctions screening, and an AML/CFT/CPF compliance programme approved by management. If requirements are met, the FIC sends a confirmation letter to the NPO's compliance officer within a few working days. The NPO then gets access to the goAML portal for reporting. Faith-based organisations and charity NPOs must file annual returns with the FIC using its NPO annual return template, and the FIC supervises compliance. Welfare organisations also report annually to the social welfare directorate: in January 2025, 126 of them were warned of deregistration for missing annual reports and financial statements.