Dual Citizenship for Zimbabweans: Who Can Hold Two Nationalities, Risks, and British Naturalisation

Many Zimbabweans in the UK ask whether they can hold British and Zimbabwean citizenship together. The UK allows it. Zimbabwe's position depends on how a person became a Zimbabwean citizen, and the law and day-to-day practice do not fully match. ## Zimbabwe's position (as of October 2026) The position depends on how a person became a Zimbabwean citizen: - **Citizens by birth can hold another citizenship.** The Constitutional Court held in *Mawere v Registrar-General* (CCZ 4/15, decided 26 June 2013, published 2015) that dual citizenship is not prohibited for citizens by birth and that citizenship by birth cannot be revoked (source: https://old.zimlii.org/node/91). - **Citizens by descent or by registration:** section 42(e) of the 2013 Constitution lets Parliament prohibit dual citizenship for these two groups only. The Citizenship of Zimbabwe Act predates the Constitution and has not been aligned with it, and the Registrar-General's office has said that adults may not hold foreign citizenship unless they are citizens by birth. For descent and registration the position is therefore restrictive in practice and legally unsettled. If you are in this group, get advice from the Registrar-General's office or a Zimbabwean lawyer before taking another nationality. - **Citizens by registration** can also lose their citizenship after five years' continuous absence from Zimbabwe (Citizenship of Zimbabwe Act, section 13, with exceptions). Most UK-born children of Zimbabwean parents are citizens by descent (see above), so the second point is usually the one that applies to them. See the guide on registering a UK-born child for how to register the birth with the embassy. If you are not sure which category you are in, confirm it before you apply for British citizenship or renew documents, because the answer decides which of the points above applies to you. Keep your Zimbabwean birth certificate and your parents' documents as evidence. ## Before 2013, and what has not changed Before the 2013 Constitution, the Citizenship of Zimbabwe Act (1984, amended in 2001) required people who held a foreign nationality to renounce it, or lose their Zimbabwean citizenship. The Act has not been replaced. A Citizenship Bill drafted in 2018 to bring it into line with the Constitution had not been enacted when these guides were researched, so check its current status with the Registrar-General's office before relying on anything it proposed. In practice, applicants at the Registrar-General's office, including some who are citizens by birth, report being told to renounce a foreign citizenship before documents are issued. For a citizen by birth that is contrary to the *Mawere* decision. If it happens, ask for the refusal in writing and take legal advice from a Zimbabwean lawyer. If you renounced or lost your Zimbabwean citizenship in the past and want to resume it, ask the Registrar-General's office (the embassy can point you to the process). Do not rely on what the 2018 Bill proposed. ## Renouncing Renunciation is handled by the Registrar-General's office in Zimbabwe. At least one Zimbabwean embassy abroad has said it no longer processes renunciations itself, so confirm the current route with the Zimbabwe Embassy in London before you start. You will typically need your Zimbabwean passport and national ID, your birth certificate, a written statement of your reasons, evidence of the other citizenship and the fee set by the office. Take advice first, because renouncing can be hard to undo. ## The UK side The UK allows dual and multiple citizenship, and you do not have to give up Zimbabwean citizenship to become British. GOV.UK says dual British citizens must use a valid British passport to enter the UK, so do not try to enter the UK on a Zimbabwean passport if you are British. Enter Zimbabwe on your Zimbabwean passport if you hold one: it avoids the visa fees that apply to British passport holders and shows your status at the border. If you are asked to pay visa or residence-permit fees on a foreign passport, show proof of your Zimbabwean citizenship. If you are a Zimbabwean citizen, the UK government may be limited in how much consular help it can give you while you are in Zimbabwe, so factor that in when you plan travel. If you hold both passports, the UK expects names to match across them. If a name change after marriage cannot be updated on your Zimbabwean passport without travelling to Zimbabwe, explain this when you renew your British passport and ask HM Passport Office what it will accept. ## Becoming a British citizen by naturalisation The usual requirements are five years of lawful residence in the UK, Indefinite Leave to Remain held for at least 12 months before you apply (this does not apply to spouses of British citizens), limits on days spent outside the UK (up to 450 in the five years and 90 in the final year), the Life in the UK test, English at the required level and good character. The application is made on Form AN, followed by a citizenship ceremony. Fees, requirements and processing times change, so check the current figures on GOV.UK before you apply. Some people have a claim to British citizenship through a parent or grandparent, or through Southern Rhodesia-era family connections, under routes in the British Nationality Act 1981 such as sections 4K and 4L. A UK Ancestry visa is available to some Commonwealth citizens aged 17 or over with a grandparent born in the UK. These claims depend on documents and family history, so take advice from a UK nationality or immigration solicitor before paying for an application. ## The 2023 Patriotic Act The Criminal Law Codification and Reform Amendment Act (the "Patriotic Act"), which came into force in July 2023, is reported to allow citizenship to be lost by dual citizens and citizens by registration who take part in conduct treated as hostile to Zimbabwe, such as discussions with governments deemed hostile or trade boycotts. If you are active in politics or advocacy, take legal advice first. ## Who to ask - Zimbabwe Embassy in London, Zimbabwe House, 429 Strand, London WC2R 0JR: zimlondon@isp.gov.zw, +44 20 7836 7755 (https://www.zimlondon.gov.zw/). - The Registrar-General's office in Harare, for questions about your citizenship category, renunciation and resumption. - A Zimbabwean lawyer or a UK immigration solicitor, particularly if you are a citizen by descent or registration, or if you previously renounced.