ZIMRA tightens foreign-vehicle permit checks amid returnee duty dispute
Zimbabwe’s revenue authority has tightened checks on foreign-registered vehicles entering the country on temporary permits, setting a usual 30-day limit and requiring additional documents from some applicants after it said the facility had been abused.
The new measures, announced in Public Notice Number 60 of 2026 on 21 October, apply to Temporary Import Permits (TIPs) issued to visitors ordinarily resident outside Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) says a permit may cover people entering temporarily for tourism, business, study, employment, sport or another lawful purpose.
The rules are likely to affect Zimbabweans living and working abroad as well as foreign visitors. A Zimbabwean resident abroad must provide a work, employment, study or residence permit, in addition to the standard identification and vehicle documents.
“Under the new regime, applicants will be required to produce a valid passport, original vehicle registration book, a letter of authority or affidavit where the vehicle is not driven by the registered owner, and a work, employment, study or residence permit if the driver is a Zimbabwean resident abroad,” said Zimra in the notice.
The authority may carry out further checks on some applications, particularly when the person driving the vehicle is not its registered owner. The policy says applicants should bring the original registration book, and a letter of authority or affidavit where required. It gives ZIMRA room to examine applications more closely before issuing a permit.
A TIP will ordinarily run for no more than 30 days. Longer stays can be considered individually, but cannot go beyond 3 months in total. Anyone seeking an extension must apply before the current permit expires and provide a valid reason and supporting documents.
“Requests for longer stays will be considered on a case-by-case basis but cannot exceed a total period of three months. All requests for extension must be submitted before expiry and must be supported by valid reasons and relevant documentation,” said Zimra.
The new notice also spells out what permit holders must do with their vehicles. The car must remain under the permit holder’s control and cannot be sold or otherwise disposed of in Zimbabwe without ZIMRA’s approval. It must leave the country before the permit expires unless an extension has been granted. The permit holder should not leave Zimbabwe without the vehicle unless arrangements have first been made with the nearest ZIMRA office.
“On conditions applicable to permit holders, vehicles must remain under the control of the permit holder, may not be disposed of in Zimbabwe without Zimra approval, and must be re-exported before permit expiry unless an extension has been granted. The permit holder should not exit the country without the vehicle unless prior arrangements have been made with the nearest Zimra office.”
The listed charges are US$10 for carbon tax and US$30 for third-party insurance. Travellers using Beitbridge must also pay a US$9 bridge toll and a US$28 Zimborders fee, bringing the total of the listed charges at that crossing to US$77.
“Travellers seeking further information are advised to contact the nearest Zimra office or enquire through Be**********************@******co.zw, Pl********************@******co.zw and Ha********************@******co.zw,” said Zimra.
The revised permit rules come amid a separate dispute over vehicle-duty payments during TIP renewals. Zimbabweans returning from South Africa with foreign-registered cars have said they were told to pay import duty within a short period or take their vehicles back across the border. Some said they had returned temporarily because they feared rising anti-migrant hostility and intended to go back to South Africa later.
One driver, whose permit was due to expire the following Monday, said the duty demand came with little notice.
“This policy was announced on Wednesday, my TIP expires next week Monday and I had thought of extending it a few days before its expiration only to be told I have to pay duty for my car within three days,” said an aggrieved citizen who declined to be named for fear of victimisation by ZIMRA.
The driver said the stay in Zimbabwe was intended to be temporary, while tensions in South Africa eased.
“I decided to temporarily come back home as the situation in South Africa calms down. My plan is to go back there after their upcoming elections.
“There is absolutely no way I can raise the required duty, especially at such short notice. ZIMRA has to reconsider this policy and give locals reprieve considering what we have been going through in South Africa in the past months.”
Another Zimbabwean, who said they run businesses in both countries, said the requirement would make it harder to manage work and investments across the border.
“I travel a lot between Zimbabwe and South Africa as I have businesses in both countries, this will definitely make it harder for me to manage my local investment,” said another victim.
“It is an anti-business policy that should have been widely discussed first. Implementing it will definitely affect more people, some of whom might have no one to talk to.”
The permit conditions in the 21 October notice concern eligibility, documents, time limits, extensions and the handling of vehicles. The duty complaint is a separate issue raised by drivers seeking renewal. ZIMRA’s existing guidance describes a distinct duty-suspension scheme for people permanently returning to Zimbabwe after living or working abroad for at least 2 years. It covers one qualifying vehicle for personal use, subject to conditions including that it was owned and fully paid for at least 6 months before arrival. The scheme provides for duty-free entry on qualifying vehicles, with VAT payable on vehicles valued up to US$40,000 and duty on value above that threshold. A temporary visitor’s permit is not the same as permanent-return relief.
The pressures facing returnees have grown during a period of renewed anti-migrant hostility in South Africa. Zimbabwe had recorded 116,670 returnees from South Africa by 28 July, according to figures presented by the government. Of these, 36,940 travelled home with government assistance, while 79,730 made their own arrangements.
On 8 October, anti-migrant demonstrations in Johannesburg’s Soweto township and Durban turned violent. Police said 10 vehicles were set alight in Soweto and 14 in Durban. Foreign-owned shops were looted, and three people were arrested in Durban. Businesses in parts of the cities closed as the protests unfolded.
The return movement had accelerated earlier in the year after anti-immigrant groups set an unofficial 30 June deadline for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa. The deadline was not imposed by the South African government, but it heightened fears among migrants about possible violence. Some Zimbabweans returned through organised assistance; others travelled home independently.
The ZIMRA notice also arrived days after the authority acknowledged problems with customs systems. In a public notice issued on 18 October, it said intermittent connectivity was affecting the availability of some systems and causing delays in some customs-clearance transactions. It advised affected clients to stay in contact with clearing agents and customs offices about contingency arrangements.
A reported system breakdown at the border on 17 October followed an upgrade intended to align ZIMRA’s software with the Central Vehicle Registry. That work was described as part of efforts to curb the suspected registration of smuggled vehicles. ZIMRA’s own public notice referred to connectivity challenges and delays, rather than confirming that the system had stopped all clearance operations.
Together, the new permit controls and the separate duty dispute have left some cross-border drivers trying to determine what documents they need, how long they can keep their vehicles in Zimbabwe and what costs may apply when they seek to renew. The published rules set the standard limits and fees, while affected drivers say the duty demand has brought a further financial deadline as they weigh whether to stay, travel back to South Africa or make other arrangements for their cars.