Opinion / Columnist
NOTICE: Temporary importation permit for visitors' cars
17 Dec 2015 at 04:59hrs | Views
WE have come to that time of the year again - the festive season - when our relatives and friends living outside the country's borders come home to visit. Some will bring their vehicles for ease of travelling from one place to another while in Zimbabwe.
It should be noted that a visitor coming into Zimbabwe with a foreign registered private vehicle may be issued with a Temporary Import Permit (TIP) by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) upon entry into Zimbabwe.
Who is a visitor?
A visitor is any person who is not resident in Zimbabwe but travels to Zimbabwe for a period of time specified at the time of their arrival. This includes Zimbabweans working or living in other countries and with valid residence or work permits of those particular countries.
Types of vehicles eligible for TIP
- Passenger type motor vehicles commonly known as saloon cars or sedans and station wagons
- Goods carrying motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight not exceeding five tonnes, such as pick-ups and double- cabs
- Passenger carrying motor vehicles with a seating capacity not exceeding 15 people including the driver
- Trailers and caravans pulled by the above-mentioned vehicles
Please note that any other vehicles which do not fit the above descriptions, for example a passenger-carrying vehicle with seating capacity exceeding 15 people, would require a Commercial Temporary Import Permit (CTIP) covered by a Commercial
Vehicle Guarantee obtainable from a Zimbabwean registered clearing agent with the relevant bond.
Documentation to be produced on application for a TIP
- Valid passport of the driver.
- Vehicle registration book in the name of the driver.
- Letter of authority from the registered owner, if the vehicle is not owned by the driver.
- Temporary exportation document from the Customs authorities in the country from where the visitor is coming.
What are the fees and charges payable?
Please note that there is no charge for issuance of a TIP per se. However, there are other fees that are payable at the point of entry such as third party insurance, Carbon Tax and Road Access Fees.
Third party insurance is payable at US$30 per month for small private vehicles.
Road Access Fees are now being administered by the Zimbabwe National Road Authority (Zinara).
Conditions governing TIP
- The vehicle should be for personal use of the visitor
- The driver should undertake to remove the vehicle from Zimbabwe at the expiry of the HP or at the time they leave Zimbabwe, whichever occurs first
- No visitor shall sell, offer, or display for sale, lease, hire, lend, pledge or dispose of the vehicle in any other manner to any resident in Zimbabwe without prior written authority of the Zimra Commissioner General, and payment of full duty applicable at the time the vehicle was imported into Zimbabwe
- In the event of extended stay of the visitor, the TIP holder should approach the nearest Zimra office for extension of the TIP upon payment of Carbon Tax and insurance
- In the case of a breakdown or an accident, the holder of the TIP should report to the nearest Zimra office immediately.
The following are applicable rates for Carbon Tax
Type of vehicle Amount
Less than or equal to 1500cc $6
Exceeds 1500cc but does not exceed 2000cc $11
Exceeds 2000cc but does not exceed 3000cc $15
Exceeds 300cc $30
Points to note:
Drivers of the foreign registered vehicles should read and understand the declaration and undertaking at the bottom of the TIP before signing it and ensure all details entered are true and correct. Any breach of the conditions governing the temporary importation of visitors' vehicles will result in the vehicle being confiscated (seized).
Zimra wishes all its valued clients a Joyous Festive Season and a Prosperous and Tax-Compliant 2016.
It should be noted that a visitor coming into Zimbabwe with a foreign registered private vehicle may be issued with a Temporary Import Permit (TIP) by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) upon entry into Zimbabwe.
Who is a visitor?
A visitor is any person who is not resident in Zimbabwe but travels to Zimbabwe for a period of time specified at the time of their arrival. This includes Zimbabweans working or living in other countries and with valid residence or work permits of those particular countries.
Types of vehicles eligible for TIP
- Passenger type motor vehicles commonly known as saloon cars or sedans and station wagons
- Goods carrying motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight not exceeding five tonnes, such as pick-ups and double- cabs
- Passenger carrying motor vehicles with a seating capacity not exceeding 15 people including the driver
- Trailers and caravans pulled by the above-mentioned vehicles
Please note that any other vehicles which do not fit the above descriptions, for example a passenger-carrying vehicle with seating capacity exceeding 15 people, would require a Commercial Temporary Import Permit (CTIP) covered by a Commercial
Vehicle Guarantee obtainable from a Zimbabwean registered clearing agent with the relevant bond.
Documentation to be produced on application for a TIP
- Valid passport of the driver.
- Vehicle registration book in the name of the driver.
- Letter of authority from the registered owner, if the vehicle is not owned by the driver.
What are the fees and charges payable?
Please note that there is no charge for issuance of a TIP per se. However, there are other fees that are payable at the point of entry such as third party insurance, Carbon Tax and Road Access Fees.
Third party insurance is payable at US$30 per month for small private vehicles.
Road Access Fees are now being administered by the Zimbabwe National Road Authority (Zinara).
Conditions governing TIP
- The vehicle should be for personal use of the visitor
- The driver should undertake to remove the vehicle from Zimbabwe at the expiry of the HP or at the time they leave Zimbabwe, whichever occurs first
- No visitor shall sell, offer, or display for sale, lease, hire, lend, pledge or dispose of the vehicle in any other manner to any resident in Zimbabwe without prior written authority of the Zimra Commissioner General, and payment of full duty applicable at the time the vehicle was imported into Zimbabwe
- In the event of extended stay of the visitor, the TIP holder should approach the nearest Zimra office for extension of the TIP upon payment of Carbon Tax and insurance
- In the case of a breakdown or an accident, the holder of the TIP should report to the nearest Zimra office immediately.
The following are applicable rates for Carbon Tax
Type of vehicle Amount
Less than or equal to 1500cc $6
Exceeds 1500cc but does not exceed 2000cc $11
Exceeds 2000cc but does not exceed 3000cc $15
Exceeds 300cc $30
Points to note:
Drivers of the foreign registered vehicles should read and understand the declaration and undertaking at the bottom of the TIP before signing it and ensure all details entered are true and correct. Any breach of the conditions governing the temporary importation of visitors' vehicles will result in the vehicle being confiscated (seized).
Zimra wishes all its valued clients a Joyous Festive Season and a Prosperous and Tax-Compliant 2016.
Source - Zimra
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