Zambian border post | Customs and Immigration

Very friendly border! We had to pay:

- 485 Kwacha Carbon Tax (for private vehicle/ Toyota LandCruiser)
- 305 Kwacha Third Party Insurance (they started saying that they only sold insurance for 3 months (522 Kwacha) and they don't sell comesa. But when we told them that we would go into town to buy comesa, it was possible to pay for 1 month for 305 Kwacha...)
- 55 Kwacha Council Levy (could only be paid online, but because we didn't have an active Zambian SIM-card, the guy paid for us and gave us the papers.
- 20 US Dollar Road Tax.

Don't forget to get your carnet stamped at Interpol, after it is stamped by customs. It is located at the entry side of the building. Interpol just put another stamp on the rear of the top strip of your carnet (don't know why...), but charges nothing.

There is also an official bank where dollars and other currencies can be exchanged. The money exchangers are a bit hectic and you get a slightly better rate at the bank in town (we couldn't find the bank at the border, but there is supposed to be one...).

Nobody checked the car. The total crossing nam --> zam took us 2 hours.

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Road toll for European registered Hilux is 38USD

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Thanks to marc.saperavi for the detailed description!
From Nam to Sambia: be careful at the entrance to the Sambian border. At the gate a guy in some kind of security uniform stopped us and tried to convince us, that it is manadatory to change money to kwachas at one of the changing guys.
I asked, if he were an offical officer and said, that we knew, there’s a bank inside and drove on to the immigration.
There is a bank next to the office, where you must pay the carbontax, we changed there. The bank takes Euro, US Dollars and Rand, doesn’t change Namib dollars.
All officers were extremly friendly and helpfull. It took us only 1 hour and thirty minutes crossing from Namibia to Sambia.
The changing guys wanted to change Namib dollars to Kwacha 1:1, what we didn’t accept and drove on.
The road to Livingston has some potholes and lots of gravelsections, but not that bad.

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It took us also around two hrs to go through all the paper work.

Thats what we paid:
We have an Landrover Defender 110
200zmk interpol
165zmk insurance
20$ carbontax
264zmk roadtay
50zmk citycounsel

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Easy exit from Namibia. Into Zambia, the border is now open 24 hours so was fairly quiet at 9:30 am on a Friday. A bit convoluted but very friendly and helpful officials. For our 6 ton truck we paid the same as friends did for their Land Cruiser. Interpol clearance 500Kw, 650 kw for insurance, 363 kw carbon tax, 20 USD for road tax, 50 kw as you leave the gate. Process took 2 hours. No need for fixers but watch the money changers and check the rate they give you . They changed from Namibian dollars and South African Rands no problem.

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Zambia to Namibia with vehicle and UK passports. All done in under an hour. Be persistent, hold your space and good luck!

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Nam to Zambia.
Nam side all easy as usual. Zambia side still easy, just a bit desorganised and slow going. Expect 2 hours to cross.
Zambia :
We first stamped in at immigration, no visa asked for us (USA, French and Germans).
Then insurance : 304 ZK. Be careful, she told us 480 something first and 5 min later, it was 304... We could pay with our remaining Ndollars for 1 to 1.
Then carbon tax at customs : the custom lady gave us a receipt and we had to go pay near the bank at the carbon taxe office. Be careful here as well : the custom lady couldn't read properly the size of our engine on our CDP and put us first on the next category without asking question : if your engine size is between 2000cc and 3000cc (2L to 3L), its 264 ZK. More than 3L, it's 380 something. We had to pay in Kwacha.
They give you a receipt for the carbon tax, then you go back to the custom lady how will stamp your CDP.
Then road tax : 20 dollars US. It looks like it's a flat tax for tourist like us. They didn't care of where we were going. You have to pay with US$.
For european cars, we didnt have to go see Interpol.
Last thing is the council fee. You pay on your way out, a guard will stop your car. 50 ZK.
Keep all the receipts close by, they will ask for all of it at the last gate.

Very friendly people everywhere. Some guys will try to help you during the process but no need for it. Ask them to leave you alone. They are nice and friendly but quite sticky. We changed our remaining ND with them but we needed more ZK so we changed USD at the bank near the carbon tax office. They give you way better exchange rate than those crooks outside. Also take euros, rand and pounds.

We got a Airtel sim card on the next market 500 m right after the gates.

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When leaving Zambia, have passport stamped at immigration, check date is correct! Proceed to customs and hand in Motor Vehicle Levy receipt tiu were given in entering Zambia. Make sure it is stamped correctly. An official will now go with to vehicle to check and will stamp the back of the receipt. Show at gate when exiting. No payment required when exiting. Not sure if same required for non-sad vehicle.

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Entering Zam

Beware when paying USD. Immigration officer himself tried to shortchange my 100 USD note by 50 USD. Even the tourists behind me noticed.

If you drive a SA plate car, police registration is necessary, if not you have to pay 350 kwacha for one. Yes even if you have ALL the documents to prove that you are the owner of the car, the police check is necessary

Insurance wanted 550 kw even though its just 30 days. They said now they only sell by 3 months not 1 month

Lots of persistent touts around. Very annoying border

Be prepared with at least 150 USD or more for 2 people and a car. And that is even though one of is is visa free!

Insurance (if you have comesa there is a discount): 304 kw
Police clearance: 350 kw
Carbon tax: 660 kw
Road tax: 20 USD
Council fee: 50 kw

Visa: 25-50 USD depending or visa free for certain countries

Really expensive

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ROAD TAX: A word of warning!
Obviously they have changed some tarifs recently.
For mobilehomes and small trucks (> 5 tons?) they classify you as a (comercial) truck!. Means they want to charge you for EACH km! Therefore they want to know your exact travel route through Zambia. The software calculates than many hundreds of U$ (0,1 U$ = 1 km ?)!!
We refused of course. Finally we "booked" a tour to Livingston (was than U$ 23). Price and route will be printed than on the Road Tax certificate. Without a certificate you can't leave the border post.
We ignored the destination "Livingston" and drove north to Mongu (risking a potential fine).

New Toll gates and tarifs:
* There are new Toll gates and the way to Mongu (some km before Senanga)
and also between Mongu and Kalao (close to the village of Tafo).
Both roads are pretty new - at least there are not yet in the maps of Ioverlander!

At the toll gates themselves it is pretty relaxed but you have to pay now an ADDITONAL tax for cars (ZMW 20) and trucks (ZMW 50) !
They put also a stamp on the road tax certificate.

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All fine, if going to Zambia, new arrivals entrance:
1. Show Carona cert and get temp checked at health counter, they give you a doc allowing you to pass to your first destination.
Carona tests can be done in Katima at Enkehaus Medical Centre +264 66 254 071 for 1500nad on Fri, Sun, Wed at 8am, you must book and PAY in advance, limited places each day. Takes about 48 hours.
2. $50US in cash (no card) for visa, 30 days, you can easily extend twice for another 30 days. No change, had to wait 30 mins for them to provide change for 100 bill.
3. Insurance is 163kw for 1 month, for a 4x4, cheaper pro rata for 3 months.
4. Customs, tip or carnet.
5. Pay carbon tax with customs (rip off!) Kwacha about 230 or 280, sign lists prices.
6. Pay roads tolls opposite customs, say every road in and out of Lusaka so they load every road into your certificate. US$20. Probably no change.
7. When leaving, 50kw local council tax
8. Every document might be checked at the last gate, polite customs check “What’s inside?”
To change money at the bank, you need a photocopy of your passport, it’s small and crowded, carona risk.
Money changers are ok, be politely firm, take their money first, count it unhurried repeatedly, don’t let them interrupt you. Then count out yours in the same fashion. They are just trying to make a living.
2 hours in total.

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This is the Zambian side. Namibian side is the other check in just across the border line. Turn left at the fuel station check in to get here if leaving Zambia.

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This is the actual location for Zambian border post.

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