Before you start

A contract of employment with a Zimbabwe-registered entity
The post advertised in a local newspaper, with the shortlisted candidates' CVs and contact details
Police clearance from your country of origin or last permanent residence, not older than six months
A radiological certificate
Notarised academic and professional certificates
Employer documents: certificate of incorporation, entity summary, ZIDA licence and ZIMRA tax clearance

Step-by-step

1
Employer advertises the post
The advertisement in a local newspaper is a document you submit, not a formality you assert. The Department also wants the CVs and contact details of the shortlisted local candidates, so the recruitment has to have actually happened before the immigration file opens.
Via employerWho: Your employer
2
Assemble and authenticate the documents
Anything issued outside Zimbabwe must be notarised; anything issued inside Zimbabwe must be certified by a Commissioner of Oaths. Everything must be in English, and copies are tendered with the originals. Applications go in duplicate.
In personWho: YouStart early — police clearance expires at six months
3
File form I.F.5 with a letter to the Chief Director
The residence permit application form I.F.5, fully completed, plus a covering letter addressed to the Chief Director of Immigration. The head office is at Chingaira Building, corner Leopold Takawira and Herbert Chitepo, Harare — which is a genuine advantage of living in the capital.
In personWho: You and your employer
4
Pay the statutory fee
US$500 non-refundable for the principal applicant and US$300 for each dependant. The Department's published schedule is denominated in US dollars throughout.
In personWho: You or your employerUS$500 + US$300 per dependant
5
Plan the renewal from day one
Extending a temporary employment permit costs another US$500 and requires the CVs of your understudies. Zimbabwe's renewal test is skills transfer, so an employer with no named successor for your role has a renewal problem long before the expiry date.
Via employerWho: You and your employerUS$500 to extend

Documents you’ll need

Form I.F.5, completed in duplicate
Letter to the Chief Director of Immigration
Contract of employment
Newspaper advertisement plus shortlisted candidates' CVs
Notarised academic and professional certificates and a CV
Police clearance not older than six months
Radiological certificate
Certified passport bio-data page and two certified photographs
Employer's certificate of incorporation, entity summary, ZIDA licence and ZIMRA tax clearance

Things most newcomers don’t know

There is no digital nomad permit, whatever an aggregator tells you.

The Department's own permits page lists five categories: scholars, student, investor, temporary employment and spouse. A remote-work or nomad route is not among them. If you are coming to Harare to work remotely for a foreign employer, you are coming as a visitor with no right to reside, and that is a materially different plan.

Source: Department of Immigration — Permits

Every permit fee in the schedule is a US dollar figure.

Not an equivalent, not an indexed amount — the published list is US$500, US$300, US$200, US$100, US$1,000. Zimbabwe has a local currency and the immigration service does not price in it. This is the clearest single indication of which unit the state actually wants, and it should shape how you hold your money before you arrive.

Source: Department of Immigration — schedule of fees

The advertisement requirement puts a month between the offer and the application.

Most guides describe a labour-market test as something the employer certifies. Zimbabwe wants the advertisement and the shortlisted candidates' CVs in the file. An employer who has never hired a foreigner will not have budgeted that time, so ask at offer stage whether the post has already been advertised.

Source: Department of Immigration — Temporary Employment Permit requirements

Everything is addressed to one office, and it is in Harare.

Requirements pages for every category specify a letter to the Chief Director of Immigration. Living in the capital means that office is a drive rather than a trip, which matters more in a paper-based system than it sounds.

Source: Department of Immigration — permit requirement pages

Common mistakes to avoid

Arriving on a visitor entry and assuming the permit can be sorted from inside — the file needs a job offer and an advertisement that has already run.
Letting the police clearance age past six months while other documents are notarised.
Budgeting the permit fees in local currency. They are US dollar amounts.
Treating the extension as a formality — it asks for your understudies' CVs.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.