Before you start

A contract of employment with a Zimbabwe-registered entity
The post advertised in a local newspaper, with the shortlisted candidates' CVs and contact details
Police clearance from your country of origin or last permanent residence, not older than six months
A radiological certificate
Notarised academic and professional certificates
Employer documents: certificate of incorporation, entity summary, ZIDA licence and ZIMRA tax clearance

Step-by-step

1
Employer advertises and shortlists first
The Department wants the newspaper advertisement and the CVs of the shortlisted local candidates in the file. In Bulawayo, where formal vacancies are fewer and applicants many, expect a substantial shortlist — which is documentation to assemble, not a problem.
Via employerWho: Your employer
2
Authenticate everything locally before you travel
Documents from outside Zimbabwe must be notarised; documents issued in Zimbabwe must be certified by a Commissioner of Oaths. Get the Zimbabwean certifications done in Bulawayo — a Commissioner of Oaths here is the same as one in Harare and it saves a trip.
In personWho: You
3
File with the Chief Director of Immigration
Every permit category's requirements page specifies a letter to the Chief Director. The head office is Chingaira Building, corner Leopold Takawira and Herbert Chitepo, Harare. Confirm with the Department whether your file can be lodged locally before assuming it can.
In personWho: You and your employer
4
Pay the statutory fee in US dollars
US$500 non-refundable for the principal applicant and US$300 for each dependant. The Department's published fee schedule is a list of US dollar figures from top to bottom.
In personWho: You or your employerUS$500 + US$300 per dependant
5
Plan the renewal
Extension costs US$500 again and requires the CVs of your understudies. In a city with a shrunken formal labour market this is a live question, not a formality — your employer needs a named local successor.
Via employerWho: You and your employerUS$500 to extend

Documents you’ll need

Form I.F.5, completed in duplicate
Letter to the Chief Director of Immigration
Contract of employment
Newspaper advertisement plus shortlisted candidates' CVs
Notarised academic and professional certificates and a CV
Police clearance not older than six months
Radiological certificate
Certified passport bio-data page and two certified photographs
Employer's certificate of incorporation, entity summary, ZIDA licence and ZIMRA tax clearance

Things most newcomers don’t know

There is nothing sub-national about Zimbabwean immigration, and that is worth saying plainly.

Countries with federal or provincial nomination streams — Canada, Australia, South Korea's regional route — make where you live an immigration variable. Zimbabwe does not. A Bulawayo employer's permit application is assessed on exactly the same terms as a Harare one, and any advice implying a Matabeleland route is wrong.

Source: Department of Immigration — Permits

The distance to the Chief Director's office is the real Bulawayo difference.

In a paper-based process where files are lodged in duplicate and queries are resolved in person, being 440 km from the deciding office is a practical cost. Budget for at least one trip, and ask your employer who has done this before and how they handled it.

Source: Department of Immigration — head office address

No digital nomad permit exists, so remote work is not a plan here.

The Department lists five permit categories — scholars, student, investor, temporary employment and spouse. Bulawayo's low rents make it superficially attractive to a remote worker; there is no status that lets you do it lawfully, and the water and power position would make it hard anyway.

Source: Department of Immigration — Permits

The understudy requirement bites harder in a small labour market.

Extension asks for your understudies' CVs, which assumes a local candidate is being trained into your role. In Bulawayo, where whole industries have contracted, employers may genuinely struggle to name one — and that is a renewal risk you should raise before you accept the job, not at month twenty-two.

Source: Department of Immigration — Temporary Employment Permit requirements

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming a Bulawayo file can be lodged locally without confirming it with the Department first.
Letting the six-month police clearance lapse while documents are notarised.
Budgeting the fees in local currency — the schedule is in US dollars.
Accepting a role where no one can name your understudy.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.