Most visitors from outside southern Africa need a visa to see the Zimbabwean side of Victoria Falls. British, American, Canadian and most European passport holders can buy one on arrival at the Victoria Falls border post or airport, or apply online in advance. The fee depends on your nationality. If you are also visiting Zambia, the US$50 KAZA UniVisa often makes more sense.
Who needs a visa
Zimbabwe groups nationalities into three categories:
- Category A: no visa required. This includes South Africa and most other SADC countries, plus some Commonwealth and other states.
- Category B: visa on arrival. Most Western passports, including the UK, Ireland, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most of the EU. You can buy the visa at the border or airport, or apply online.
- Category C: visa in advance. You must apply and get approval before travelling.
The category lists change. Check your nationality on Zimbabwe's official e-visa site (evisa.gov.zw) or your government's travel advice before you go.
Fees at the time of writing
Zimbabwe charges different fees for different nationalities, mostly on a reciprocal basis. Figures reported by embassies and travel advisers in 2026 include:
| Passport | Single entry | Double entry |
|---|---|---|
| UK and Ireland | about US$55 | about US$70 |
| United States | about US$30 | about US$45 |
| Most other Category B | usually US$30 | usually US$45 |
Canadian passports have historically paid more than most. These figures come from secondary sources, not an official schedule, and they change without much notice. Confirm on the official e-visa site before you travel.
Pay in US dollars cash. Notes should be clean and not too old, and small denominations help because the counter may not have change. The UK government specifically advises small notes.
Which visa for which trip
A morning on the Zimbabwean side from Livingstone. If your passport gets you into Zambia free, a Zimbabwe single-entry visa is all you need. You leave Zambia, enter Zimbabwe, come back and re-enter Zambia visa-free. If you need a Zambian visa as well, buy the KAZA UniVisa on arrival in Zambia instead; it covers both.
Flying into Victoria Falls Airport and staying in Zambia. You enter Zimbabwe at the airport, leave it at the bridge, and come back through Zimbabwe to fly home. That is two entries. Ask for a double-entry visa or the KAZA UniVisa on landing, not a single entry, or you will pay again on the way back.
Staying in Victoria Falls town with a day in Chobe. The KAZA UniVisa allows a day trip into Botswana through Kazungula and back. A Zimbabwe single-entry visa ends when you leave. Do the sums for your passport.
Staying a week or more on both sides. The KAZA UniVisa lasts 30 days with unlimited crossings between Zambia and Zimbabwe, which is hard to beat. See the KAZA UniVisa guide.
The e-visa
Zimbabwe's e-visa portal lets Category B and C travellers apply before travel. You upload a passport scan and photo, pay online, and receive an approval letter to print. Apply at least ten working days ahead; approvals can take longer around holidays.
The e-visa approval is not a visa in itself. At the border you hand over the letter, and the officer puts the visa in your passport. For a simple day trip, buying on arrival is usually just as quick.
Passport requirements
The UK government advises at least six months' validity from the date you arrive and three blank pages for Zimbabwe. A day trip from Livingstone adds four stamps to your passport (out of Zambia, into Zimbabwe, and back), and a visa sticker takes a page of its own.
At the border
At the Victoria Falls post, fill in the arrival form, queue for immigration, and pay the visa fee at the same counter or a cashier's window. Keep your receipt. If you plan to come back to Zimbabwe later on the same visa (double entry or UniVisa), make sure the officer records it correctly.
Zimbabwe's Victoria Falls post moved to 24-hour operation in November 2025. The Victoria Falls border crossing guide covers the walk across the bridge, bridge passes and driving across.
What to do once you are in
The Zimbabwean side has the longer, front-on view of the falls and a trail of about 16 viewpoints. Victoria Falls town is a short walk from the park entrance. A half day is enough for the falls; a full day lets you add lunch in town and the craft market. The Zimbabwe side day trip suggests a plan. Lodges on the Zambian side, Zambezi Dusk among them, arrange Victoria Falls visits through local partners if you would rather not organise it yourself.
