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Saturday, March 16, 2013

How to Renew a Zimbabwe Passport at the Zim Embassy – For Zimbabweans Living Abroad

Renewing a Zimbabwean Passport at the Zimbabwe Embassy is a breeze if you have all the required documents. It is wiser to renew your passport 12 months or 8 months before the expiry date. Most countries require a passport to be at least 6 months valid in order to issue or renew an Employment Permit.

This article is divided into 5 Sections:

1.    Documents to bring to the Zim Embassy
2.    What the Embassy will do
3.    Documents to Send to Zimbabwe
4.    Expenses
5.    What You Will Collect

Zimbabwe Passport

Documents to Bring to the Zim Embassy:

To renew your Zimbabwean Passport from a foreign country that you are currently residing in, you must visit the Zimbabwe Embassy or High Commission with the following original documents and their photocopies where applicable:

1-    Zimbabwe National Identity Card – Plastic ID card + 1 x black/white photocopies of both sides
2-    Long Birth Certificate + 1 x black/white photocopy.
3-    Current Passport. This will be your old passport if it has already expired. Also make photocopies of your current passport as follows:

-    1 x black/white photocopy of back page of your passport. This is the hard covered back page of your passport containing your passport photo, passport number, signature, expiry date, date of issue, identity number, fingerprint and other personal details.
-    1 x black/white photocopy of your latest VISA and residential permit (e.g. Work Permit) that is stamped in your passport.

4-    If you are married, then you will also need to bring your Marriage Certificate and a National Identity Card with your new marriage name + 1 x black/white photocopy of each document. Divorced persons should also bring a Divorce Order + 1 x photocopy.

5-    2 x Passport size colour photos (3.5 x 4.5cm).You must wear a black top on your upper body (neck to waistline) and the photo must be taken behind a white background. Your face and hair must be natural – avoid dreads, locks, braids, earrings and face ornamentation like nose rings, tattoos and lip rings. Ladies, do not apply makeup:

Wear a black top and take photo behind white background - Photo Credits
Don't apply make-up when taking a passport photo. 
6-    If you are sending the documents to your family or relatives in Zimbabwe via a courier (e.g. DHL or FEDEX) so that they can submit the application for you, then you should write a Letter of Submission and a Letter of Collection explaining why you won’t be physically available to submit and collect the documents. You must take these two letters with you to the Zim Embassy so that they can be stamped. For those who want to know how to write a letter of submission and letter of collection, examples are given at the end of this post.

Please note that it is IMPORTANT to have all the documents above before you go to the Embassy. This will save time for many foreign-based Zimbabweans who are new to the passport renewal procedure outside of Zimbabwe. It will help you avoid many unnecessary trips to and from the Embassy just because you forgot to bring some of the required documents. In case you don’t have some of the required documents above, then you should consult the Zim Embassy for special advice. Now that you have all the documents mentioned above, you should go to the Zimbabwe Embassy or High Commission to get your Passport Application Form.

Passport Application Form


Documents the Embassy will Give You & What they will Do

When you bring the above documents to the Zim Embassy, the following will happen:

1.    The Embassy will give you a Passport Application Form “Application for a Zimbabwe Passport”.
2.    They will take your fingerprints on the back page of the application form.
3.    The cost of the Application Form and Fingerprints is $20.00 which is equivalent to R200.00 (South African Rands).You must pay in cash at the Embassy and they will give you a receipt.
4.    The Embassy will certify photocopies of your Passport, Birth certificate and National ID Card.
5.    The cost of certifying is $10.00 or R100.00.You must pay in cash at the Embassy and they will give you a receipt. You get one receipt for the Application form, Fingerprints and Certification, so the total cost is R300.00.This receipt will be stamped and signed by the Zim Embassy.
6.    The Embassy will sign your Letter of Submission and Letter of Collection and put a stamp of approval on each of your letters.
7.    The Embassy will give you a form (a questionnaire) to be filled by the applicant.
After the above procedure, the embassy will give back your original documents and certified photocopies, as well as the receipt, passport application form,questionnaire,letter of submission and collection. You must make photocopies of your receipt and keep them. Your receipt is required as proof of payment. Do not lose it.

Documents to Send to Zimbabwe

When you get your things done at the Embassy, you will be required to send your documents to your family or relatives in Zimbabwe. Your family member or relative who is required to have the same surname as you should submit the documents for you at the Passport Office in Harare or Bulawayo. You can send your documents to Zimbabwe via DHL or FEDEX.DHL is the widely used and trusted courier. Your family member or relative must bring his or her ID for identification on submitting and collecting the documents at the Passport Office.

The following are documents to send to Zimbabwe. The assistant at the Zimbabwe Embassy will help you organize your documents and attach them accordingly.

1.    Passport Application Form with fingerprints. You must fill the form.
2.    Inside the passport application form, you will attach the following documents with a paper clip:
-    Original letter of Submission (signed and stamped by the Embassy)
-    Original letter of Collection (signed and stamped by the Embassy)
-    Original Receipt (for passport form, fingerprints and certifying) – signed and stamped by the Embassy.
-    Certified photocopy of your Passport (certified by the Embassy)
-    Certified photocopy of your National Identity Card (certified by the Embassy)
-    Certified photocopy of your Long Birth Certificate (certified by the Embassy)
-    2 x Passport size colour photos (3.5 x 4.5) cm inside a small envelope.
-    Questionnaire to be filled by the applicant.

3.    Your Current or Expired Passport. If your passport is lost, then you must consult the Zim Embassy for special advice.

Expenses of Renewing, Sending and Collecting Your Passport: (Zim Embassy)

Passport Application Form and Fingerprints – R200.00
Document Certifying – R100.00
3 Day Passport – US$315.00
1 to 2 Week Passport – US$250.00
1 Month Passport – US$50.00
DHL (Country X to Zimbabwe) – R350.00 (it depends)
DHL (Zimbabwe to Country X) – R700.00 (it depends)

What You will Collect

When your passport application has been processed and completed, you will receive your new passport along with your old passport. Your family or relatives in Zimbabwe will send the documents to you via DHL.


SAMPLE LETTER OF SUBMISSION

Attention:
The Registrar General,
Central Registry Office,
Makombe Building,
Harare,
Zimbabwe

To Whom It May Concern

REF:  LETTER OF SUBMISSION – APPLICATION FOR PASSPORT RENEWAL

I hereby submit my documents for renewal of my passport. Due to work commitments [or any plausible reason / circumstance], I will not be physically available to submit or collect my passport documents.

My sister [father, mother, brother, uncle or any relative who shares your surname] Florence Brown will be there to submit and collect the documents on my behalf.

Florence Brown I.D. Number – 09 5454 06 K27

Yours Faithfully,

[Your Signature Here]

Mr Tawanda Brown
..............................................................................................


SAMPLE LETTER OF COLLECTION

Attention:
The Registrar General,
Central Registry Office,
Makombe Building,
Harare,
Zimbabwe

To Whom It May Concern

REF:  LETTER OF COLLECTION – APPLICATION FOR PASSPORT RENEWAL

I hereby submit my documents for renewal of my passport. Due to work commitments [or any plausible reason / circumstance], I will not be physically available to submit or collect my passport documents.

My sister [father, mother, brother, uncle or any relative who shares your surname] Florence Brown will be there to submit and collect the documents on my behalf.

Florence Brown I.D. Number – 09 5454 06 K27

Yours Faithfully,

[Your Signature Here]

Mr Richard Brown
..............................................................................................


NOTES: The Letter of Submission and Letter of Collection are basically the same except for the reference heading. These letters are required separately, and they should be stamped by the Embassy in your country.State the ID number of your relative or family member who will submit and collect the documents for you.

Conclusion: I hope Zimbabweans living abroad will be satisfied with the above steps to renew a Zimbabwean Passport at the Zim Embassy.

Download the Passport Application Form
Download the Instructions (for Zimbabweans in the USA)
Registrar General Office - Zimbabweans Living Abroad




   
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