The Zimbabwean government has introduced new passport fees starting from January 2024. The Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage has issued Statutory Instrument 1 of 2024 to announce these changes. The regulations state that the fee for an ordinary passport will be USD 150, while an emergency passport will cost USD 250. Additionally, an extra fee of USD 20 will be charged for every electronically readable passport application to obtain a quick response (QR) code. Read the SI:
Citizenship (Passport Fees) (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (No. 1)
IT is hereby notified that the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, in terms of section 22 of the Citizenship of Zimbabwe Act [Chapter 4:01], has made the following regulations:—
1. These regulations may be cited as the Citizenship (Passport ees) (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (No. 1).
2. The Schedule to the Citizenship (Passport Fees), 2022, published in Statutory Instrument 16 of 2022, is repealed and the following is substituted—
“Schedule (Section 13) Fees
The fees payable for obtaining one passport shall be:
(a) ordinary-passport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . USD150”.
(b) emergency-passport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . USD250”.
(c) the following additional fee shall be charged for every electronically readable passport application to obtain a quick response (QR) code . . . USD20”.
Originally, the Finance Minister, Mthuli Ncube, had proposed higher fees of USD 200 for ordinary passports and USD 350 for emergency passports in the 2024 budget statement. However, after facing public criticism and opposition, he revised his tax proposals before the budget was passed.
Parliament passed the revised budget. During the parliamentary session, only members of the ruling ZANU PF party were present, as opposition MPs from the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) were ejected and banned for four sittings. This action was taken after the opposition MPs disrupted proceedings when a new MP for the Mabvuku-Tafara constituency was announced.
The seat was won by Pedzai Sakupwanya by default, as the CCC candidate, Munyaradzi Kufahakutizwi, who had previously defeated Sakupwanya in August, was prevented from contesting due to a controversial recall by Sengezo Tshabangu.