passport dilema

[sparky]

Hi All,

I was wondering if anyone could give me advice on my passport.
I have a British Passport with a permanent resident stamp inside [ zimabwe ].
I left the country 4 years back, well did not leave but just came away on long holiday.
I am thinking of returning and am now wondering if there will be problems getting a permanent status again as my passport has not been stamped for 4 years.
A friend of mine has just gone back on holiday and when they arrived in babwe his wife had to purchase a visa as she had been out for 7 years.
Any advice would be appreciated.

[Tricky Nicky]

As far as I can remember - the "returning resident" stamp in your British Passport had to be re-newed each year - i.e. you had to return to Zim every year if you wanted to remain a resident. The law may have changed in the 12 years I have been here but I suspect it will no longer be valid!

[sparky]

Thanks for that Nicky

[Tricky Nicky]

You're welcome! :smiley20:

[zimboykie]

Are they still stamping Brit/European passports with 'RR' at the airport as when l went back last year within the 'allocated' year, upon arrival at Harare airport l was told to report to the immigration office in Liquenda House with my Zim ID card get it there instead? I'm wondering if this is now a regular thing or a 'feel like doing it today' sort of thing?

[yarrumsg]

i think it depends on the day, and the person they all suck. up side once your in you can always pay to get it done. i think they have relaxed the 1 year thing and you can get away with it, especially if you give them a sob story how crap the brittish are and you can't afford to come home to you country and how you have been missing the shit that happens there and how much you love bob, ok loving bob might be going overboard but still, lol and also depends on how much u have travelled in the mean time, you can't quite complain u can't afford to come home when you have been to oz :P

on a sperate note, i've been told you need to if you are on a zim passport claim that you are on holiday and not a returning resident as you are technically just visiting, but more importantly if you get a crap dude at customs he can cancel ur visa, however as the uk agents can't find mine i wish the zim side luck...

actually i have a question probably best for another posting but as we are talking passport please excuse my hijack...

I'm about to apply for my pome passport, do i have to renounce my zim one? don't they ask you to obtain a letter to apply for dual citizenship?

[pennymac]

basically it depends on who you get on the day. I went back every year within my allocated 12 months and after a while they wouldn't renew it, but I'm sure if you go over with a $100 note tucked neatly in your passport and tell him it's so he can buy his children some new clothes...you'll get stamped as a returning resident!

[gertrude]

yarrum, my understanding is that the Brits don't care how many citizenships you have...it's the Zim guys that want you to renounce your citizenship if you want a Zim passport.

[Tricky Nicky]

I think you are right there Gertie - you can have dual passports here - but not in Zim.

My advice would be to get a British Passport if you are eligible for one - it is good to have as a safety net!

[Belladonna]

I have a Zim and a British passport. Britain does not have a problem with dual nationality. When I came over from Zim they even agreed to stamp both passports on entry so that I legally entered as a pom, but would still have the stamp in my Zim passport if I returned there.

[sparky]

Thanks for all the advice friends. It seems like it is the luck of the draw.
I do know that at one time if you hand in your brit passport to zim authorities to renounce it the brits would send it back to you as you had not actually denounced it to the brits.

[Tricky Nicky]

Both my sisters gave their British Passports up when they got Zim ones and they took them to the British embassy I think - however, my eldest sister got hers back and dumped her Zim one after a few years - she is now living in Aus, is an Aus Citizen but still has her Brit passport - so has dual nationality. :smiley20:

[yarrumsg]

if you denounce ur brit one, u can claim it back but the problem is that if you have denounced it before they might not give it back to you. you also needed to change ur id to alien if you kept ur zim one, basically give it a go, stand in the zim queue, if they query it, just tell them u didn't know u love ur home country and u weren't aware of the law, face it they floute it all the time.

[Doro]

I know a couple in Zimbabwe (I am not saying names for good reasons) who the wife has a South African passport and the husband has a European passport (am not saying which country in the EU also for good reasons). They have a returning residence stamped in their passports by a guy in Harare and it costed them US$600 each. They have lived in Zimbabwe all their lives but they travel once every couple of years to UK and Europe. They also hold Zimbabwean passports. So it is just who you know and where to go to get a RR stamp in your passport... sorry guys that is far as I know and am not risking it to phone / e-mail the people involved above for further information.....