The univisa for Zambia and Zimbabwe cannot be obtained at all entry points, due to budget limitations and because the system is still in the pilot phase.

This was according to Chilala Mayanda Habasimbi, Acting Principal Tourism Development and Research Officer for the Zambian Ministry of Tourism and Arts, who added that there was also the assumption that, by the time visitors came to these entry points, they would have already purchased the univisa at the main ports of entry.

The Kaza univisa, which rolled out towards the end of last year, allows people to receive a single visa for entry into both Zambia and Zimbabwe. The visa can currently be purchased at the following border posts: Harry Mwaanga Airport (Livingstone), Victoria Falls land border, Kazungula land border (border with Botswana), Kenneth Kaunda Airport (Lusaka), Victoria Falls Airport, and Harare Airport.

Entry points that do not offer the univisa at this stage are Kariba, Chirundu and the Beitbridge border posts.

However, Sally Wynn, Director at Wild Zambezi, said visitors who had already been issued with a univisa and who tried to exit or enter through Kariba and Chirundu, were discovering that their univisa was not applicable, and they were being forced to pay for another visa. 

Habasimbi said this should not be the case. “Once someone gets a Kaza visa they can exit from anywhere and enter the two countries multiple times within the borders of the two countries.” She told Tourism Update that she would follow up with the Immigration Department to find out why this was happening.

“It is not helpful to our visitors when they are promised one visa for both countries but are faced with having to purchase yet another one at an extra cost because the system has not considered travel from the Kaza area into and out of other border posts linking Zimbabwe with Zambia,” Wynn said. “Self-drive visitors are also unable to purchase a Kaza univisa at the Beitbridge border post, so they have the same problem if they have plans for onward travel through into Zambia.”

Habasimbi said they were still learning in the pilot phase of the univisa and, in time, would consider introducing the univisa at other entry points.