Zimbabwe Borders

[MikevR]

It sounds like Zimbabwe borders will be open to vehicle traffic on 1st December 2020

[jelo]

Good, hopefully some of the illegals can be sent back over the border.

[RossJ]

This is about the comesa card

would seem to indicate that SA is now part of this but cant see any other sites reporting this

https://www.herald.co.zw/comesa-yell...comesa-region/

[Stan Weakley]

Ross, wouldn't that be nice if Moz and Zimbabwe became part of the Comesa Yellow Card third party insurance arrangement, linking up with East Africa.

However I see Askari Insurance appears to only be registered in Moz and I certainly would not lay out any money until there was more clarity. Interesting though, thank you.

[RossJ]

Would that then negate the need for the carnet as it would seem that all the countries incl sudan and ethiopia are in this comessa group

[Stan Weakley]

Ross, the carnet has nothing in common with the Yellow Card Comesa. The carnet is a customs document to make it difficult to illegally import vehicles into countries without paying import duties (consider it akin to a passport for your vehicle). If you do not have a carnet most African countries will allow you to temporarily import your vehicle on buying what is known as a Temporary Import Permit (TIP) at your point of entry (border post). A few of the countries I can recall that are difficult to enter without a carnet are Kenya and Egypt. There may well be others as the rules and the application thereof change all the time.

If you want to find out more about a carnet contact the Automobile Association of South Africa who organize carnets for South African registered vehicles.

The Yellow Card Comesa is a Third Party Insurance document, covering a whole bunch of African countries, which in the past never included SADC members, only those north of Zambia and in East Africa.

[RossJ]

So the carnet doesnt have any insurance and that I assume means one still needs to purchase whatever insurance is forced on you at the border say like from SA into Bots

I would hope that having the comesa at least means one can skip that que at the border posts but I somehow doubt that

[Stan Weakley]

Comesa and Carnet do usually speed up your passage through most border posts, but the two have nothing to do with each other.

[MikevR]

Hi Stan and Ross, Can't you pre buy insurance for Zimbabwe via AA or any travel agent or is that now discontinued

[Stan Weakley]

Hi Mike, not sure about pre-buying third party insurance for Zimbabwe, never done that. But can pre-buy for Mozambique from the Drivemoz Facebook site.

[Kobus P Venter]

Until about two or three years ago you could buy insurance for Zim and Moz at the AA or at Outdoor warehouse. Now only for Moz.

The COMESA will be very nice. For long trips we would pay for a TIP at Kazungula border in Zambia from say Goldmans and then get a COMESA for Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania etc at the Goldman office in Livingstone.

Ten years or so ago you could buy COMESA at the AA but then it was stopped because RSA is not a member.

[Kobus P Venter]

Sorry for my stupid error. I just noticed it.
TIP and Carnet go together as it relates to import of the vehicle into a country as does insurance and COMESA. We bought the insurance from Goldmans and then the COMESA for the countries at Goldmans in Livingstone.
A Mayfair insurance was once forced onto me at Kazungula border and then I had to repurchase at Goldmans in Livingstone as Mayfair does not have an office in Livingstone.
It will be interesting to hear if someone obtained a Comesa insurance for other countries recently,or at another border crossing,using the same method.
I went into Zambia last year through Chirundu but bought insurance at the Phoenix office near customs. We did not need Comesa as we did not go to other Comesa affiliated countries.

[Tedx2]

Ross, wouldn't that be nice if Moz and Zimbabwe became part of the Comesa Yellow Card third party insurance arrangement, linking up with East Africa.

However I see Askari Insurance appears to only be registered in Moz and I certainly would not lay out any money until there was more clarity. Interesting though, thank you.

Hi Stan, did you mean Moz and South Africa rather than Moz and Zimbabwe? I'm fairly certain that Zimbabwe are already members of Comesa.

[Wazungu Wawili]

Hi Stan, did you mean Moz and South Africa rather than Moz and Zimbabwe? I'm fairly certain that Zimbabwe are already members of Comesa.

Zimbabwe is a member of COMESA. Please see this from the COMESA Secretariat. https://www.comesa.int/members/

When we get a COMESA Yellow Card in Kenya for third party insurance outside of Kenya, our insurance brokers do the necesssary for us. I would imagine that is how it is done in Zimbabwe too.

[sparewheel]

It sounds like Zimbabwe borders will be open to vehicle traffic on 1st December 2020

Wasn't aware there was still a border.

[Stan Weakley]

Hi Stan, did you mean Moz and South Africa rather than Moz and Zimbabwe? I'm fairly certain that Zimbabwe are already members of Comesa.

Yea, sorry my wrong, should have written Moz and SA.