Beitbridge | Customs and Immigration

February 20th, 2024 by marco

I had no $27 fee mentioned in the last comment. Everything was super quick and efficient going through with a bicycle.

October 18th, 2023 by missesthi

Some updates to the steps described 1year ago:
ZA to ZIM (Zim-border)
- get your TIP online in advance (https://ecustoms.zimra.co.zw/etip/)
The border officials were not willing/able to do it on-site anymore
- You now start the process with Zimborders inside the building, where you have to pay a fee of 27USD per car (supposedly to finance the new building)
- customs and ZRP are in the parking area in containers
- there is now a large screen in the parking area, which will show your number plate, once you have completed all steps.
- once your number plate shows up, you drive up to the boom and the lady will scan your QR-code and you can proceed to the final checkpoint.

ZIM-ZA:
- ZRP and customs are now in a separate room which you pass as you walk the covered walkway from the parking area to the main building. But this is the last step, so finish the steps inside the main-building first.

June 2nd, 2023 by twende_overland

do not recommend this border at all, fees are insane at the Zim side. You have to pay $27 just to enter the border (to pay for their newly constructed building). Border officials also charged 20$ more on insurance fees then on Zimra's website but would not let us pass without paying.

April 15th, 2023 by TheBuffaloOverlander

In a 5 Ton Overlander truck, the ‘fixer’ pretended to be a customs official and ripped us off completely. Zim tourism needs to do do something about these conmen as they destroy all good being done by everyone else . Will not recommend Beit Bridge at all

October 18th, 2022 by missesthi

ZA side - out:
P: Parking infront of customs building
C1: Customes, get gate-pass, stamp Carnet
I: Immigration, additional stamp on gate-pass, get passport stamped
C2: customs check, hand in gate-pass

ZIM side - in:
General: unbelievable amount of steps, the process runs on QR-code system - at each step your QR is scanned and documented in the system, that you passed this step.
very friendly and supportive officals, some runners - but not too pestering
1) Covid check - no uniforms (WHO-shirt), show vaccination cert. and you get some small papers (no-one asked for them later on) -
2) border entry - small building with boom - you get a receipt with QR code, with you vehicle number plate and type of vehicle on it
P) park infront of the new building
walk into the new building. You find a row of counters. Start on the left side with
3) Zimborders - hand in you QR-code and they will print you a new QR-code receipt (which looks nearly the same as the first one)
4) Cashiers - hand in your QR code and pay the bridge fee 125 ZAR (light vehicle), you get a gate-pass
5) Immigration - VISA (if needed, 30US$) and passport stamp. Get you QR code scanned, and a stamp on the gate pass
6) ZIMRA - you pay carbon tax, temporary import permit and roadfee total of 50US$, you can get your carnet stamped (but they wanted to sell a temp.import permit anyway), get you QR code scanned
Before you leave the building, check for a guy in uniform with blue forms - those are needed to declare your goods. Take one (per party not person) and fill it out.
7) ZRP (Police) - they are in a container in the parking area and do not wear uniforms. Best identify the right guy with the tablet style QR-code reader. Get you QR-code scanned and a stamp on the gate pass (the police might check your vehicle)
8) proceed with your car to the boom at the end of the parking area. Hand you QR code to the lady operating the boom. If you completed all steps, the boom will open. We found those ladies operating the boom the most supportive. If you get lost in the process, go and check with them.
9) customs - they might check your vehicle, get QR code scanned, gate pass stamped, blue declaration form stamped.
10) proceed to the boom at the end of customs. The lady will scan your QR and the boom will open if you completed all steps.
11) final step - hand in your QR code and gate pass - final boom will open and you made it into Zimbabwe!

Zim side out:
basically the same as in:
1) small building with boom - you get your first QR code receipt with the vehicle details
P) park your car in front of new building go into the new building, start with the counters to your left
2) Zimborders - hand in QR code and get the new printed QR-code
3) Cashiers - hand in QR code paper, pay the bridge fee and get the gate pass
4) Immigration - get your passport stamped, gate pass stamped, QR code read
5) ZIMRA - hand in your temporary import permit and get your carnet stamped (if needed)
6) ZRP (Police) - again hard to find, due to no uniforms. they were sitting behind a table at the entrance of customs area. Get your QR code scanned, gate pass stamped.
7) go back to your car and drive to the boom at the end of the parking area - hand the QR to the lady operating the boom.¨
8) customs - get your QR code scanned and gate pass stamped.
9) proceed to the final boom, get you QR code scanned, hand in gate pass and you are done.

ZA side - in:
P: Parking infront of customs building
I: Immigration, get gate-pass, get passport stamped
C1: to find the customs counter, you have to cross the inner courtyard of the customsbuilding, get gate-pass stamped, stamp Carnet
Proceed to exit, where you hand in the gate-pass.

September 19th, 2022 by Martin the Metalhead

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June 24th, 2022 by a.hinauri

Be wary of people pretending to be police at this border crossing! I was robbed as someone pretended to be an intelligence worker and claimed to see me urinate behind a tree on camera. Toilets were all locked and was an organised robbery due to another man claiming to be a worker on the bus I was on. Said they would deny me entry without a bribe. Be wary and make sure to ask for ID if in trouble!

April 26th, 2022 by Elki

Whether a border crossing goes easy or not is probably always a bit of luck … for us it was quite easy, crossing from RSA to ZIM
- RSA: Carnet and Immigration 10 min, then we were taken past the line of waiting trucks and could pass over the bridge
- ZIM: they are building a totally new border post, so at this moment it is all between old counters and provisional cabins and therefore a bit confusing … although not overly many travelers, everything was quite slow … but everybody is friendly and helpful (and just ignore the ‚helpers‘),
• bridge toll for big rig R350 or USD23
• visa USD30 pp (30 days, single entry; we gave a 100 bill … they would have preferred the correct amount … but they gave us change 2x$20
• to get the carnet done took a bit longer; at the same counter pay for Carbon Tax (USD10) Insurance (USD50) and RAF-Pvt‘ (USD10), all for a 12t vehicle
• check for Covid vaccination certificate, 5min
• brief police vehicle inspection (very friendly!)
• very brief customs check (but not the vehicle)
Totally a bit over 2 hrs … and basically no stress

21 km up the A6 (which was virtually empty … but partly lots of potholes), at the first toll gate, we were asked to present a ‚coupon‘ (for vehicles >2300kg) which we were supposed to buy at the border … but nobody told us and we did not see anything. But the very friendly officer issued us such a ‚coupon‘ (essentially just a paper receipt) for the whole way up to Vic Falls (for foreign registered vehicles >3.5t: USD60, apparently it is USD8/100km; the $5 is apparently only for ZIM-registered vehicles …)

August 5th, 2019 by our_african_odyssey

Worst border crossing we’ve done! On SA side it took about 4 hours. Plenty of people trying to get into Zim. Huge line and only 2 staff stamping passports. To make things worse, some people (mainly white tourists by the looks of it) were paying fixers so they could push in line in front of everyone who had been waiting for hours! And the officials let this happen! Infuriating. Please don’t do this - just wait in line like everyone else and the line will go quicker if nobody pays the fixers.

Zim side was quicker. If you have a passport that doesn’t need a visa to enter Zim (check their government visa website and print this out), you might have a little trouble using it if you used a different passport to stamp out of SA. Therefore try to use the same passport for both SA and Zim. You can use card to pay for mandatory car insurance and road/carbon tax so as not to eat into your US$.

April 19th, 2018 by haakrd

To add to the below: toll rate going out Zim for normal vehicles is USD 9 (heavy vehicles are USD 23). We paid cash- not sure whether it is possible to swipe. We crossed on a Thursday at 6 in the morning and although it was quite busy already we were out in no time. Getting in SA indeed took a bit longer. Long ques.

If your travelling to Zim bring plenty of cash money. Banks are completely out of cash and it is not always possible to swipe, especially if you have an international credit card (although VISA is a bit more widely accepted). If you are staying in Zim a bit longer, ecocash might be a good option. Just ask around.

February 9th, 2018 by keyznking.nl

Going out Zimbabwe
Zim side is very straightforward (under 20 minutes);
1. Pay bridge toll fee R350 /USD 23
2. Stamp pasport at immigration
3. Gate pass stamped outside at police check point
4. Drive to customs check point to have carnet filled out

SA side took over an hour....