Visit World - Gambian Expats in Zambia: Navigating the Residence Permit and Citizenship Process

Travel medical insurance must be purchased prior to arrival in Zambia. Make sure your insurance includes an emergency air evacuation cover if you are going to remote areas of Zambia.

Dual citizenship is now allowed under recently approved amendments to the Zambian Constitution.

Foreigners, whose relative is a citizen of Zambia or its resident, and who have a monthly income of at least $600 (8,500 ZAR), have the right to apply for permanent residence in the territory of South Africa.

Required documents:

A national passport that will be valid for more than 30 days from the date of expiration of the permanent residence;
Photocopy of permanent residence in other countries (if any);
Receipt for payment of duties;
Photo;
Availability of a certificate of vaccination against yellow fever (if you have recently visited the countries of Central Africa);
Certificate of no criminal record;
Certificate of absence of diseases and fluorography for all foreigners over the age of 12 (can be submitted electronically in English. Documents are submitted with a doctor's signature);
Birth certificate of minor children (if any);
Marriage/divorce certificate (if any).

All documents must be translated into English and notarized.

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Zambian residence permit for a husband

The permit allows its holder to enter and re-enter Zambia and remain in Zambia until the permit expires. However, if the application is being submitted for the first time and the applicant needs a visa to successfully enter Zambia, then such a person must still apply for a visa to enter the country for the purpose of obtaining a permit.

A husband's residence permit is issued to the spouse of: a citizen of Zambia; a permanent resident who has a certificate of permanent resident status; and the holder of a residence permit.

Note: All applicants must remain outside Zambia until the permit is approved.

Documents required for Zambia husband's residence permit

The processing time for obtaining a Zambian residence permit for a husband

The average processing time for a Zambian residence permit for a husband is 5-21 working days.

The Zambia residence permit visa fee for a husband is K 2,261.00 (approx. USD 106) (The fee may vary depending on your nationality or country of application). In addition, you may also need to pay other fees, courier fees, etc., depending on the country and location of your documents.

Where to apply for Zambia residence permit for husband?

You will apply for a Zambian residence permit for a spouse at the Zambian visa centers, embassies or consulates, depending on which ones accept visa applications in your country of residence or you can apply online through the official government website.

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Zambian residence permit for parents and wives

The permit allows its holder to enter and re-enter Zambia and remain until the permit expires. However, if the application is being submitted for the first time and the applicant needs a visa to successfully enter Zambia, then such a person must still apply for a visa to enter the country for the purpose of obtaining a permit.

Note: All applicants must remain outside Zambia until the permit is approved.

Documents required for obtaining a Zambian residence permit for parents and wives

The processing time for obtaining a Zambia residence permit for parents and wives

The average processing time for a Zambian residence permit for parents and wives is 5-21 working days.

The Zambia residence permit visa fee for parents and wives is K 2,261.00 (approximately US$106). The fee may vary depending on your nationality or country of application. In addition, you may also need to pay other fees, courier fees, etc., depending on the country and location of your documents.

Where to apply for a Zambian residence permit for parents and spouses?

You will apply for a Zambian residence permit for parents and spouses at the Zambian visa centers, embassies or consulates, depending on which ones accept visa applications in your country of residence, or you can apply online through the official government website.

Residence permit gives the right to permanent residence and is issued to a foreigner who:

has a work permit for a continuous period exceeding ten (10) years;
is a dependent (aged 21 or younger) of a person with a valid residence permit or a permanent resident;
has an investor permit for more than three (3) years;
has the permit of a husband (spouse) for at least five (5) years;
is a person (regardless of age) born to a citizen;
is a dependent of foreign origin who is in the care of a citizen; i
intends to retire in Zambia and provides proof of sufficient funds (pension, irrevocable annuity, retirement account);
is the holder of the entry permit (provided there are reasonable and justified reasons for the delayed changean

To obtain a residence permit in Zambia, an application must be submitted to the Department of Immigration Control of the Ministry of the Interior of Zambia. The residency requirement is 10 years. Fee - 5,000 kwacha (about 280 US dollars).

A foreigner who has officially lived in Zambia for 5 years has the right to obtain citizenship.

If a foreigner is married to a South African citizen, the period for applying for citizenship is reduced to 2 years.

To obtain citizenship through naturalization, you must:

Officially live in the country for at least 10 years;
Provide officials with all necessary information about the applicant;
Provide a certificate of no criminal record, as well as a letter with permission to obtain Zambian citizenship from the native country;
Successfully pass a test on knowledge of one of the official languages of South Africa;
Pass the citizenship ceremony and appear before the judge who issues the country's passport (refusal to participate in the ceremony can be a valid reason for refusing to issue the country's citizenship).

Migrants who wish to open their own business on the territory of the Republic can also obtain a residence permit. But in this case, you will need to provide a business plan that confirms the profitability of the future project. One of the options for obtaining permanent residency is to invest in someone else's business as a co-owner or investor.

An investor's permit is issued to a foreigner (over 18 years of age) who intends to open a business or invest in Zambia, has already opened or invested in a business in Zambia, or is joining an existing company.

But it should be taken into account that the investment cost should not be less than 45 thousand dollars. To purchase a ready-made business for the purpose of obtaining a permanent residency you need to spend at least $200,000.

It is also possible to automatically obtain a residence permit by investing funds in shares of state-owned companies. But the amount must be at least 150 thousand dollars. If you are buying property in Zambia for this amount, you can expect to get a viewing permit. As practice shows, a person can easily get a residence permit three years after purchasing real estate. Buying real estate worth less than $150,000 cannot be used as a basis for obtaining a residence permit.

These procedures are not directly related. Having received a residence permit, the investor remains a foreigner. However, if the relevant requirements are met, it is possible to first obtain a permanent residence permit, and then a Zambian passport (in the usual manner).

Foreign pensioners who choose to live in Zambia are eligible for a residence permit if they prove that their monthly income is at least 37,000 ZAR ($2,600). Income is documented.

A diplomatic permit is issued to ambassadors; ministers of foreign countries; career diplomats; consular employees; representatives of proposed international organizations; officials and employees of foreign governments or international organizations recognized by the Zambian government; members of the immediate family of a diplomatic permit holder; personal/domestic staff of a diplomatic permit holder.

This is any type of visa issued without paying a fee. It can be issued at Zambian missions abroad or at ports of entry to members of the diplomatic community on presentation of letters of accreditation and/or diplomatic passports. It is also issued to diplomats who are not accredited to Zambia but are visiting Zambia on official business, provided they present invitations.

An asylum seeker permit is issued to a person seeking asylum in Zambia and is valid for thirty (30) days from the date of issue. These 30 days are given to determine refugee status.

Immigration to Zambia for Gambia citizenship