Zimbabwe visa on arrival: a UK citizen's guide

Do you actually need a visa?

Yes. Every British passport holder needs a visa to enter Zimbabwe. There is no visa waiver, and no e-visa is required in advance for tourist visits — the standard route is to buy the visa at the airport on arrival. If you are arriving overland from Zambia, South Africa or Mozambique, the same visa is issued at the land border post. Business, work and study visits require a different visa category and cannot be activated at the counter; you need to coordinate with the Department of Immigration beforehand.

What it costs

Per the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office guidance current as of June 2024, the visa on arrival fees were:

• Single entry visa: US$55 (service charge included)
• Double entry visa: US$70 (service charge included)

Bring the fee in US dollars, in small notes. The counter rarely gives change, and credit-card payment is unreliable even where machines are present. UK debit cards will sometimes be declined outright at the airport — not because of fraud blocks, but because the terminal is offline. Carry the exact amount per traveller, plus a small buffer in case fees have moved since the gov.uk page was last updated. Verify the current price on evisa.gov.zw before you fly.

What to bring to the counter

• UK passport with at least six months' validity beyond your intended departure date and at least one blank page
• Return or onward ticket (the counter occasionally asks for proof)
• The address where you will stay in Zimbabwe — hotel name and suburb or full residential address is sufficient
• The visa fee in US dollars, in $5, $10 and $20 notes

You will not be asked for yellow-fever certification unless you have arrived from a transmission country in the prior six days. Check the current Zimbabwe Travel Advice before flying.

How long can you stay?

The standard entry permission is 30 days, stamped at the port of entry. Check the date the immigration officer writes into your passport — it is occasionally less than 30 days for reasons that are not always explained, and the date in your passport, not the policy on the website, is what governs your stay. If 30 days is not enough, you can apply to extend or renew at the Department of Immigration headquarters in Harare. Do not assume the extension is automatic; apply at least a week before the existing stamp expires.

The overstay trap

This is the single most common mistake British citizens make in Zimbabwe, and the FCDO flags it explicitly in its guidance. If you overstay your visa, even by a day, you can be arrested at the port of exit, fined, and deported. Subsequent visa applications are then flagged. The same applies to working — even unpaid volunteering or missionary work over 30 days counts as work and requires a temporary employment permit. A tourist visa does not allow you to take up any form of employment, paid or unpaid.

Work and residence permits

If you intend to live in Zimbabwe long-term, you will need to deal with the Department of Immigration directly rather than at the airport. Work permits, residence permits and renewals are handled at:

The British Embassy in Harare does not issue work or residence permits and cannot intervene in immigration decisions. You will need to engage directly with the Department, or via a Zimbabwean immigration lawyer.