What is Zimbabwe's Temporary Employment Permit?

Foreign professionals with a confirmed offer from a Zimbabwe-registered employer. This is the standard route into paid work and, in practice, the only one for someone without a Zimbabwean spouse or capital to invest. It lasts the Department publishes the requirements and the fee but not a standard validity on its permit page. Extensions are a defined process with their own document list, so plan for a permit that is renewed rather than one that runs indefinitely. Permanent residence is a separate application with its own fee — US$500 for a non-investor, US$1,000 for an investor, per the Department's published schedule. The qualifying period of prior residence is not stated on the permit pages; confirm it with the Department before counting on it.

What is Zimbabwe's Investor Residence Permit?

Founders and investors putting capital into a Zimbabwean venture. The Department assesses the project, not a bank balance. It lasts not published on the Department's requirements page. Treat it as a renewable permit and confirm the term in the approval letter. There is a dedicated investor rate for permanent residence — US$1,000 against US$500 for a non-investor — so the investor route has its own permanent-residence track. The qualifying period is not published.

What is Zimbabwe's Spouse Residence Permit?

Foreign spouses of Zimbabwean citizens or of permit holders. The cheapest durable status in the system once you are past the first application. It lasts renewed by extension. The Department publishes an extension fee lower than the initial fee, which is the only route in the schedule where that is true. Permanent residence on this route is charged at US$500 plus US$300 per dependant, the same as the initial permit. The qualifying period is not published.

What is Zimbabwe's Students Permit?

Students admitted to a Zimbabwean university or tertiary institution. Zimbabwe's universities draw regional students, and the permit is the cheapest in the schedule. It lasts extended for the length of the programme. Extension requires a current letter from the institution and your previous academic results, so the permit is tied to progressing, not just enrolling. None directly. A graduate who wants to stay has to move onto a Temporary Employment Permit, with its newspaper advertisement and shortlist, like any other hire.

What is Zimbabwe's Scholars Permit?

Children of foreign residents attending school in Zimbabwe, and school-age pupils coming for Zimbabwe's private schools — a real draw for the region. It lasts extended alongside the child's schooling. None. It is a permission to be schooled here, not a residence track.

What is Zimbabwe's Permanent Residence?

Long-staying permit holders, investors and spouses of citizens moving off a renewable permit. It is a separate application to the Chief Director of Immigration, not an automatic upgrade. It lasts permanent, subject to the conditions in the grant. This is it. Citizenship is a separate matter under the Constitution and is not administered through this permit.

GlobeQuest

Zimbabwe visas and residency

Who can visit Zimbabwe without a visa, and the 6 long-stay routes that let you actually live there.

Short stay

Visiting Zimbabwe, by passport

How the 198 passports we track get in. A visitor entry is never permission to work, study or settle — that is what the routes further down are for.

Visa-free · 90 days40 passports
Visa-free · 180 days1 passport
Visa on arrival103 passports
e-Visa54 passports

United StatesVisa on arrival

United KingdomVisa on arrival

IndiaVisa on arrival

CanadaVisa on arrival

AustraliaVisa on arrival

GermanyVisa on arrival

FranceVisa on arrival

NetherlandsVisa on arrival

IrelandVisa on arrival

SpainVisa on arrival

ItalyVisa on arrival

PortugalVisa on arrival

PolandVisa on arrival

SwedenVisa on arrival

SwitzerlandVisa on arrival

South AfricaVisa-free · 90 days

My passport

Moving to

Long stay

How you actually move to Zimbabwe

Work / sponsoredMedium confidenceVerified August 2026

Temporary Employment Permit

Foreign professionals with a confirmed offer from a Zimbabwe-registered employer. This is the standard route into paid work and, in practice, the only one for someone without a Zimbabwean spouse or capital to invest.

What you need

Residence permit application form I.F.5, completed in duplicate, plus a covering letter addressed to the Chief Director of Immigration
A contract of employment with a Zimbabwe-registered entity
An advertisement of the post in a local newspaper, submitted with the CVs and contact details of the shortlisted local candidates — the labour-market test is a document you hand in, not a box you tick
Notarised academic and professional certificates, and a curriculum vitae
Police clearance from your country of origin or last permanent residence, not older than six months
A radiological certificate
Certified passport bio-data page and two passport photographs certified as a true likeness
Company documents from the employer: certificate of incorporation, entity summary, ZIDA licence and a ZIMRA tax clearance
Documents originating outside Zimbabwe must be notarised; documents from inside Zimbabwe must be certified by a Commissioner of Oaths, and everything must be in English

How long it lasts: The Department publishes the requirements and the fee but not a standard validity on its permit page. Extensions are a defined process with their own document list, so plan for a permit that is renewed rather than one that runs indefinitely.
Path to permanent residence: Permanent residence is a separate application with its own fee — US$500 for a non-investor, US$1,000 for an investor, per the Department's published schedule. The qualifying period of prior residence is not stated on the permit pages; confirm it with the Department before counting on it.
Cost: Statutory non-refundable fee of US$500, plus US$300 for each dependant. Extension of the permit is charged at US$500 again.
Processing time: Not published. Assemble the file before you need it — the police clearance expires after six months and the newspaper advertisement has to have already run.

Worth knowing

The extension application asks for the CVs of your understudies. Zimbabwe's renewal process is explicitly built around skills transfer to local staff, so an employer with no succession plan for your role has a renewal problem, not a paperwork problem.
The advertisement requirement means your employer cannot start the application on the day they decide to hire you. The post has to be advertised and shortlisted first.
Fees are stated in US dollars by the Department itself. Do not budget the ZiG equivalent.
Applications are filed with the Department of Immigration; the e-Permits portal is the online front door.

Sources:Department of Immigration — Temporary Employment Permit requirements Department of Immigration — schedule of fees Zimbabwe e-Permits portal

InvestmentMedium confidenceVerified August 2026

Investor Residence Permit

Founders and investors putting capital into a Zimbabwean venture. The Department assesses the project, not a bank balance.

What you need

Residence permit application form I.F.5 and a covering letter to the Chief Director of Immigration
A project proposal
Banking history and proof of funds available for transfer into Zimbabwe
Proof of the equipment to be imported
A roster of the employees the venture will carry, both expatriate and local
Passport data pages for any other foreign stakeholders in the venture
Police clearance not older than six months, and a radiological certificate
Certified passport bio-data page and two passport photographs

How long it lasts: Not published on the Department's requirements page. Treat it as a renewable permit and confirm the term in the approval letter.
Path to permanent residence: There is a dedicated investor rate for permanent residence — US$1,000 against US$500 for a non-investor — so the investor route has its own permanent-residence track. The qualifying period is not published.
Cost: Statutory non-refundable fee of US$500, plus US$300 per dependant. Permanent residence as an investor is US$1,000.
Processing time: Not published.

Worth knowing

The Department asks for proof of funds available for transfer and of equipment to be imported. It is assessing whether capital and plant will actually arrive in Zimbabwe, which is a different test from proving you own money elsewhere.
The employee roster splits expatriate from local staff. As with the employment permit, local hiring is part of the assessment rather than a formality.
No minimum investment figure is published on the requirements page. Anyone quoting one to you is quoting something other than the Department.

Sources:Department of Immigration — Investor Residence Permit requirements Department of Immigration — schedule of fees

FamilyMedium confidenceVerified August 2026

Spouse Residence Permit

Foreign spouses of Zimbabwean citizens or of permit holders. The cheapest durable status in the system once you are past the first application.

What you need

Residence permit application form I.F.5, plus a close-relative guarantee form completed by the local spouse
An application letter from the foreign spouse and a supporting letter from the local spouse, both addressed to the Chief Director of Immigration
Marriage certificate, and birth certificates or passports for any children
Proof of accommodation and proof of funds from the guarantor
Police clearance not older than six months, and a radiological certificate
Certified passport bio-data page and two passport photographs

How long it lasts: Renewed by extension. The Department publishes an extension fee lower than the initial fee, which is the only route in the schedule where that is true.
Path to permanent residence: Permanent residence on this route is charged at US$500 plus US$300 per dependant, the same as the initial permit. The qualifying period is not published.
Cost: US$500 plus US$300 per dependant for the first permit; US$300 plus US$300 per dependant to extend; US$500 plus US$300 per dependant for permanent residence. All non-refundable.
Processing time: Not published.

Worth knowing

The guarantee form and the proof of funds are the Zimbabwean spouse's obligations, not yours. If the local spouse cannot document accommodation and means, the application stalls on their side of the file.
The Department's page does not state whether the permit carries the right to work. Get the endorsement confirmed in writing before you accept a job on the strength of a spouse permit.
This is the only category where the renewal fee drops. Every other permit renews at the full US$500.

Sources:Department of Immigration — Spouse Residence Permit requirements Department of Immigration — schedule of fees

StudentMedium confidenceVerified August 2026

Students Permit

Students admitted to a Zimbabwean university or tertiary institution. Zimbabwe's universities draw regional students, and the permit is the cheapest in the schedule.

What you need

Residence permit application form I.F.5 and a letter to the Chief Director of Immigration
Letter of acceptance from the institution
A clearance letter from the Ministry of Education
Proof that fees have been paid in foreign currency
Proof of accommodation
Police clearance from the country of origin not older than six months, and a radiological certificate
Certified passport bio-data page and two passport photographs

How long it lasts: Extended for the length of the programme. Extension requires a current letter from the institution and your previous academic results, so the permit is tied to progressing, not just enrolling.
Path to permanent residence: None directly. A graduate who wants to stay has to move onto a Temporary Employment Permit, with its newspaper advertisement and shortlist, like any other hire.
Cost: Statutory non-refundable fee of US$200, plus US$300 per dependant. A scholars permit — for school pupils rather than tertiary students — is US$100.
Processing time: Not published.

Worth knowing

Fees must be shown to have been paid in foreign currency. This is the clearest single statement in the immigration file about which currency the state actually wants.
Renewal turns on your results. A failed year is an immigration problem as well as an academic one.
The Department's page does not say whether part-time work is permitted. Assume not until you have it in writing.

Sources:Department of Immigration — Students Permit requirements Department of Immigration — Scholars Permit requirements Department of Immigration — schedule of fees

StudentLow confidenceVerified August 2026

Scholars Permit

Children of foreign residents attending school in Zimbabwe, and school-age pupils coming for Zimbabwe's private schools — a real draw for the region.

What you need

Residence permit application form I.F.5 and a letter to the Chief Director of Immigration
Letter of acceptance from the school
Proof of accommodation and of a guardian in Zimbabwe
Certified passport bio-data page and two passport photographs
Radiological certificate

How long it lasts: Extended alongside the child's schooling.
Path to permanent residence: None. It is a permission to be schooled here, not a residence track.
Cost: Statutory non-refundable fee of US$100 — the cheapest permit in the Department's schedule.
Processing time: Not published.

Worth knowing

A scholars permit is not a students permit and the two carry different fees. Applying under the wrong one is a rejected file rather than a corrected one.
If you are moving on an employment permit, your children are dependants on that permit at US$300 each — the scholars permit is for a child whose stay is not covered by a parent's permit.

Sources:Department of Immigration — Scholars Permit requirements Department of Immigration — Permits Department of Immigration — schedule of fees

FamilyLow confidenceVerified August 2026

Permanent Residence

Long-staying permit holders, investors and spouses of citizens moving off a renewable permit. It is a separate application to the Chief Director of Immigration, not an automatic upgrade.

What you need

An application to the Chief Director of Immigration — the Department publishes the fee in its schedule but does not publish a consolidated requirements page for this category
Expect the standard file: police clearance, radiological certificate, certified passport bio-data page and photographs
Evidence of your existing lawful status in Zimbabwe

How long it lasts: Permanent, subject to the conditions in the grant.
Path to permanent residence: This is it. Citizenship is a separate matter under the Constitution and is not administered through this permit.
Cost: US$500 for a non-investor; US$1,000 for an investor. Both non-refundable.
Processing time: Not published.

Worth knowing

The qualifying period is the one number that matters here and the Department does not publish it on the pages that resolve. Ask the Chief Director's office directly and get the answer in writing; do not plan a move around a figure from a relocation blog.
The investor rate is double the ordinary rate, which is the only fee in the schedule that varies by the applicant's category rather than by the permit.
A duplicate permit, if you lose the document, is US$100.

Sources:Department of Immigration — schedule of fees Zimbabwe Department of Immigration

On the ground

Where you'd land in Zimbabwe

Harare

Jacaranda suburbs at 1,490 metres, where the rent is quoted in US dollars and the change comes back in ZiG.

Full Harare guide

Bulawayo

Zimbabwe's Ndebele-speaking second city — streets laid out for an ox-wagon to turn, and a water supply the council rations by the hour.

Full Bulawayo guide

Chitungwiza

371,000 people, 25 km south of Harare, who mostly work in Harare — Zimbabwe's cheapest urban rent bought with the country's longest commute.

Full Chitungwiza guide

Zimbabwe at a glance

Capital: Harare
Population: 17.0M
Languages: English, Shona, Ndebele
Currency: ZWG, USD