Dual Citizenship and British-Zimbabwean Nationality: What the Law Actually Says

For the majority of Zimbabweans in the UK, holding both a British and a Zimbabwean passport is now legally permitted — but the rules depend critically on how you acquired your Zimbabwean citizenship and when you became British. Getting this wrong has caused real problems for diaspora members, so the detail matters. ## The 2013 Constitutional Change The turning point came with Zimbabwe's Constitution of 2013 (Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment No. 20 Act). Section 42 of that constitution explicitly permits dual citizenship for Zimbabwean citizens by birth. This reversed the position under the previous constitution and the Citizenship of Zimbabwe Act [Chapter 4:01], which required citizens to renounce any foreign nationality — with loss of Zimbabwean citizenship as the automatic consequence of failing to do so. Before 2013, Section 9 of the Citizenship Act stated that a citizen of Zimbabwe of full age who voluntarily acquired foreign citizenship would immediately cease to be a Zimbabwean citizen. Many diaspora Zimbabweans naturalised as British citizens during the 2000s believing — or having been told — that this meant they had permanently lost their Zimbabwean nationality. ## Who Can Hold Dual Citizenship The rules now break down by category: **Citizens by birth** — defined as those born in Zimbabwe, or born outside Zimbabwe to a parent who was a Zimbabwean citizen — can hold another citizenship without losing their Zimbabwean citizenship. For most UK-based Zimbabweans born in Zimbabwe or with Zimbabwean-born parents, this is the relevant category. You can be a British citizen and a Zimbabwean citizen simultaneously, hold both passports, and use them as appropriate. **Citizens by descent** — those who acquired Zimbabwean citizenship through ancestry rather than direct birth — face conditional rules and may in some circumstances be required to renounce other citizenships within a specified period. This category requires individual assessment. **Citizens by registration** — those who acquired Zimbabwean citizenship through a formal registration process, typically as spouses or long-term residents — are generally still required to renounce their previous citizenship. The 2018 Citizenship Bill maintained this distinction, and citizens by registration who also hold another nationality risk revocation of their Zimbabwean citizenship. ## What Happened to Those Who Already Renounced Many Zimbabweans naturalised as British citizens before 2013 and, under the law at the time, either formally renounced their Zimbabwean citizenship or lost it automatically. The 2018 Citizenship Bill addressed this directly. It provides that a person who was required to renounce Zimbabwean citizenship as a precondition for acquiring or retaining the citizenship of a foreign country has the right at any time to resume their Zimbabwean citizenship. Separately, a citizen who ceased to be Zimbabwean through renunciation or revocation may apply for restoration of citizenship — after five years in the case of citizenship by registration, and at any time in the case of citizenship by descent. The principle underlying both provisions is the same: Zimbabwe will not render a person stateless, and those who lost citizenship through the operation of old law are not permanently excluded. ## Citizens by Registration: The Ongoing Risk One significant and often overlooked provision concerns citizens by registration who acquire a second nationality after becoming Zimbabwean. Under the Citizenship Act, such a person risks having their Zimbabwean citizenship revoked. The 2018 Bill maintained this position. If you became Zimbabwean by registration (for example, through marriage or a naturalisation process) and subsequently took British citizenship, you should take specific legal advice rather than assuming the 2013 constitution's dual citizenship provisions apply to you. ## Absence from Zimbabwe A separate and often unknown risk affects citizens by registration specifically: Section 13 of the Citizenship of Zimbabwe Act provides that a citizen by registration shall cease to be a citizen if they are absent from Zimbabwe for a continuous period of five years after reaching adulthood. This provision does not apply to citizens by birth. Diaspora members who acquired Zimbabwean citizenship by registration — rather than by birth — should be aware that long periods of absence may put that citizenship at risk. ## Practical Steps for UK-Based Zimbabweans If you were born in Zimbabwe (or have a parent who was a Zimbabwean citizen by birth) and have since become a British citizen, you are entitled to Zimbabwean citizenship and can apply for or renew a Zimbabwean passport through the Zimbabwe Embassy in London. The embassy is located in Strand, London WC2. You will typically need your birth certificate, parents' identity documents, proof of their Zimbabwean citizenship, passport photographs, and a completed application form. If you are unsure of your citizenship category — particularly if your citizenship was acquired by registration rather than birth, or if you formally renounced in the past — seek legal advice before applying for any Zimbabwean travel document or making declarations about your nationality. The consequences of getting this wrong, in either direction, can affect travel, property rights in Zimbabwe, and eligibility to vote. For children born in the UK to Zimbabwean parents, citizenship registration through the embassy is the route to securing their entitlement. Children do not automatically appear on a Zimbabwean register simply by virtue of parentage — a registration process is required.