I don’t get the Zimbabwean passport system! I am not usually one to comment on blogs but I am both dismayed and disgusted at the ridiculousness of the situation. I’m in the UK and I have lost my Zimbabwean passport, like most people on here. The consulate keep insisting I go back and get an ID card.
Soooo let me get this right, I am expected to firstly pay for flights in excess of £1000, and let’s not forget accommodation as I have no links there so that will be whatever the daily changing rate is, not to mention food, water, and travel. God only knows how I am meant to get from A-B, and then the cost of both a new passport and the ID card and FINALLY fly back to England and hope and pray that border control will let me in because obviously my VISA won’t be stamped in my new passport! And even the Zim embassy cannot guarantee you will get back in they said it is a matter to take up with the Home Office Immigration (and we all know exactly how happy the current Government will be to lose a few immigrants).
No, I am not playing the violin and I don’t want sympathy but I left Zimbabwe as a very young child I don’t know anyone there, and I cannot just ‘hey ho’ back to some unknown country for a little card and then face the possibility that the UK Home Office make it difficult for me to get back in.
I have a little girl here and I cannot chance leaving her for who knows how long! I don’t really expect any advice from anyone here other than “go back” because truth be told that’s the only option we are given BUT I feel as a citizen I can vent (not that it will do me an ounce of good) but it is a stupid rule imposed by stupid people who really have not got the best interest of anyone other than themselves!
We live in a time of economic crisis – who the heck can afford to make such an expensive trip plus all the costs? And what frustrates me further is having read other blogs some people have had their fingerprints done and passports issues in the UK so I think it’s a “help who we like” policy. The Consulate are unhelpful and when I called the man I spoke to blatantly gave me a false name. What a farce!
I am seeking legal advice and Zimbabwe can keep its passport and absurd policies. I know there is another way round this because there always is another way and I just refuse to do it Zimbabwe’s way I would be happier to fork out £4000 into an immigration solicitors pocket and get my British passport than spend as little £1 on a country that clearly has no respect for her own people! I am sorry if that offends anyone but it’s the naked truth (in my eyes).
Good luck to anyone else in a similar situation and I hope yours is a happier tale to tell of Zimbabwe and it’s frigged up system.
This has been an anonymous submission by Frustrated Citizen.
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I can assure you that trying to get a Zimbabwean passport is no easier for those of us still in Zimbabwe!! Firstly, despite the new Constitution stating our right to hold dual citizenship, we have to produce a Citizenship Certificate to apply for a passport. Both my parents were born outside Zimbabwe so now I must go and renounce foreign citizenship (which I have done already 3 times!) in order to get my certificate! Huh?? So now where is my right to dual citizenship if I have to renounce it? It’s crazy. I have temporarily given up but my war with the Citizenship Office is not over – I will live to fight another day when I have managed to gather both my courage and resources once again!
I feel your pain my sister.l came to UK when l was 15 and now l am stuck with an expired passport.cant find a job because the passport has expired.l am totally upset with my country because other african nationals in UK dont have the same problem we have when trying to
renew passport.zim embassy is punishing us.what is the point of an embassy if people cannot renew their passport and have to travel just to get a national ID you are not doing your own people good.l am fed up and have questions to ask.
they should make it easier for us to obtain a travel document from them so we can get to zim to fix id and passports. or proved a service that has a courier that can help us get documents direct from zimbabwe. like a passport service except across borders. also there r enough of us here for them to process finger prints and bio data for passports and ids. it should work out much cheaper out here.