After several safaris, this is the first one to Zimbabwe. We depart in 8 days. I just read in literature provided by Gracy Travel that upon entering Zim, we must declare money. This seems a little disconcerting with the situation there. Anyone have any suggestions or experience in this regard?

Thanks for any help, D. Nelson

This feels strongly like a don't ask, don't tell situation. I'd strongly consider using a money belt or similar.

Disclaimer: I have zero on the ground experience in Zim.

I have not made a trip to zim in the last 2 years but made 8 prior to that. Always declared monies carried into the country. Have never had a problem,was NEVER checked on exit and the amount was never entered on any document I recieved. I do understand now that you cannot leave Zim with more than $1000 so it might present a problem if they checked upon exit and you had more than $1000. With the forex problem as it is there now I would be vary careful..

I returned from a ten day hunt in Zim with my wife on Saturday. Before we went I read all kinds of reports about Zim on this forum, some constructive and some from sad mischief makers. The facts as we experienced them are these.From the moment we stepped off the plane to the moment we left neither my wife nor I felt one moment of concern.Everyone that we saw and met were courteous and friendly (except perhaps for the lady with the dubious hair piece at the immigration desk in Harare airport, but Im sure I have seen her at other airports in other countries as well)
You refer to being asked to declare the amount of money that you have. This is done by way of a customs declaration form which you fill out on the plane before you land in Zim.In my experience this is also quite common for some other countries and something that did not alarm me. You hand this form to the lady with the fancy hair style at the immigration desk on arrival together with the $55 for your visa. When we went through immigration on leaving Harare we were politely asked if we had any Zim money with us. We said no and were passed through.I am told that you are sometimes asked if you have any US Dollars, but that didnt happen to us.If we had been asked I am advised that we should have given them a figure which was less that $1000.00. On the whole I would be very happy to return to Zim tomorrow without any concern. If you are flying into Harare the biggest problem that you will now have is not staring at the wig of the woman on the immigration desk. Have a great time.

Thanks for all the info....

D. Nelson

I leave for Zim in 3 weeks. I went in '05 and carried 10K in US in various places on my person. I was told by my PH that I was "very naughty", but believe you me he and the staff were very glad to be paid in US script. I too was never asked any questions. I plan on doing the same thing again, but I don't need quite that much.

Hello,
The Zim gov't is trying to help things out a bit and only yesterday issued a $200,000 bill in order to eliminate the bulk pkg. of currency needed to buy anything. The note is worth anywhere from 13.00 USD to $800.00 USD depending upon which goverment official exchange rate is used????? Black market, which is used most by locals, the note is worth $1.00 US. NYT reports this information and another way to look at it is that the note will buy one quart of gasoline, if you can find it, or two pounds of sugar.
Contrary to a previous posting suggesting that false reporting, trouble makers, rabble rousers, etc. are saying "bad things..." about Zim and they are fabrications is not correct. All the negatives I have seen reported, read, etc. by me or others is taken from world news agencies, government announcements, etc. and not fabricated in any respect. Individual personal experience while "on the ground..." may well have gone just as hoped and that is great, but reports of the issues in Zimabwe are not false. A $200,000 note/currency/bill should be evidence enough that something is a long way from OK in Zimbabwe. As to carrying currency undeclared, regardless of the amount, with the conditions in Zimbabwe is not a wise thing to do. Your stay, visit, safari, etc. may well be much longer and less enjoyable than you anticipated. As someone stated above, be very careful of such actions. Most nations feed you in jail only if you can pay for the "service." Good luck.

Lets see here, who do I believe...R Jolly, who just returned from Zim...or Dsiteman the pot stirrer?

Hello Dtala,
Now, now, must not call people names or be an ass either. No one is stirring the pot, just reporting what the press and officials have to say and discouraging anyone from trying to sneak undeclared funds into a place very unstable to say the least. As stated earlier by some, the ostrich has a neat way of avoiding the cold hard facts of life or death as it were.
It may sound very macho to have sneaked funds into a place and get away with it, but the possible consequences are severe to say the least. Anyway I would rather stir the pot than lick it! Have a nice day.

Dont panic Dtala.
dsiteman just makes my point for me.
D Nelson asked for factual experience, which he received and then we had the usual theorists adding their hypothesis.Perhaps I'm wrong, perhaps everyone should only take note of news agencies and government departments. After all we all know that their information is always accurate. Isn't it?
As the old saying goes -- Never let the facts stand in the way of a good story.

My experience in Zim is a year old....but it exactly matches what R.Jolly said.

I have three trips to Zim in the last 4 years. Been in and out of both Harare and Bulawayo.

I accurately record my currency (both in travelers' checks and cash) on the Zim declaration form upon arrival.

I have been asked each time upon departure how much Zim and US currencey I have. I have always done the math properly ahead of time, factoring in all my expenses, and made sure I have no Zim currency and +/- $US 500 going out. Even if a Zim offical "relieves me" of my money, it's not a great loss. Much better than an allegation of smuggling currency out of the country.

Good hunting everyone.

BTW, I forgot to add. I have never been treated by anyone in either Zim airport, or in any shop, or hotel, with other than candid friendliness. I even had an airport porter in Harare refuse a tip! He was more interested in talking about the US and international travel than anything else.

DTala: Upon re-reading over this thread, your first response, by analog_peninsula was a good one - money belt. Short and to the point.

I hereby never recommend to any traveler to try to lie, dupe, smuggle or otherwise hornswaggle any cash or any type of contraband in or out of any country domestic or foreign or otherwise be disingenuous with any government official, results of which can result in detention and having body orifices probed by said government officials or other inmates with various inanimate or animate objects.

I never lied. They just never asked; and I spent and plan on spending all but the gov't ok'd 1,000.00 before I leave.
'Didn't post earlier to sound "macho". Just trying to help a fellow hunter.

I just got back less than 2 weeks ago. When I was leaving I was asked how much Zim money I had on me. I answered $200,000 and was told that I was only allowed $100,000. She indicated that I should give it to my PH who was standing beside me. No mention was made of ForEx at all, nor did I voluteer any extra info.
As an aside, when going through security at Baywayo they only have 1 tray left for possessions to run through the X-ray machine. If you carry it over when you sign-out on the firearms guest-book, they can't process anyone else until they get it back. Ask me how I know. I know times are tough, but get a another tray or a pail or something.
I actually enjoyed the little Balawayo airport more than the more "modern" ones I've travelled through.

Lets get back to the original thread here for a second. If you are carrying $10,000.00 in cash, how many of you are going to write that figure down on the little sheet and then please add a why or why not.

I will start.

I did carry $10,000.00 cash to Zim last summer. I only declared I had $2500.00 on me and had it seperated and hidden on my person. I am just from the old school and don't like people asking me such questions and don't trust those who do especially in Zim.

Now I will ask, was this a dangerous act?

Dr. J.

Respectfully, I'd say it was an unwise risk. I consult for US State and US Dept of Justice on law enforcement matters abroad and can tell you that your government can and will do NOTHING to help you should you have problems in a country like Zim, or any other country for that matter. To risk a charge of currency smuggling, IMHO, is simply not worth it. I'm answering your question in friendship and pass no judgement on your decisions, they are certainly yours to make.

I carry an AMEX card and a mix of travelers checks and cash, and try to be as accurate as I can so I leave with very little left. I also discuss this matter with my outfitter ahead of time, so that if someone takes my money, we have an agreement as to how I can honor my bill later.

Safe travel and good hunting.

Tom

quote:

I'm answering your question in friendship and pass no judgement on your decisions

No offense taken. I am looking for a frank discussion here. I am not saying I made the best decision. It was just the one I made. Now I am looking for the frank pros & cons.

Thank you for your input! It is well taken.

ledvm: It must be a Texas thing, but I'm with you that I don't like people asking me probing questions. It may be a cultural thing in our beloved state, passed down through generations, that you may find a gun in your face if you ask those kind of questions, or, if you try to tell others how they oughta run their life, for that matter. But, unfortunately, as Tom pointed out, when it comes to international law, it is within that government's right to inquire. I would like to pose the question however, yes to be the devil's advocate, even if you do say exactly how much you're carrying, and its a large amount, and the Zim authorities decide to "detain" you until they can get a slice of it, just how much WILL the US Gov't do when you HAVE done everything according to Hoyle?

Hello,
Short answer, nothing and their response would not be heart warming, but somewhat cold I fear.
When you leave the good ol' US of A, you are pretty much on your own. As many a folk have learned over the years, embassy staff will not loan you money or provide for medical needs overseas. Health care has always been a problem, but today's problems are even greater with rampant HIV issues. The "thin" disease is quite common these days.

C.H.

If you are detained for a criminal violation, and there are no "poliltical implications" or a pattern of fact which may impact the interests of the United States government, about all you can expect is that embassy staff will notify your family of your status. And that might not even happen. Beyond that, you are on your own.

The foregoing presumes, of course, that the local government bothers to notify your embassy, or that you are given the opportunity to make any calls to the outside world.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do Travelers Checks count towards the $1000?

I don't know if TC are considered cash or not. I do not. This spring I hunted Zim for 10 days and the on to RSA for 7 days hunting. I had less than $1,000 in "green backs" but over $5,000 in TC. I wasn't ask about money and didn't speak up about it either. This was thru Bulawayo International Airport. This was only my second hunt in Zim and was not ask about currancy either time. On the first trip I exited from VF and the only problem was the counterman wanted extra because my duffel was over the weight limit. Also the bush airline I used from the Omay to VF wanted "green" not TC. I told them I only had $300 in green and the rest of my funds were TCs which they accepted reluctantly and only because I had not dated the check.

Been to Zim 5 times in last 8 years, most recently last October. No hassles of any kind. Current situation is not good, and am watching. But would go again tomorrow. And plan to do so in May.

As to declaring cash, I absolutely do it. Not worth the risk to try anything different. I don't count traveler's checks. I carry enough cash for tips and a few hundred extra. For the rest, I carry traveler's checks (they come in $1,000 denominations, by the way) and pay the outfitter with those.

Was in a Zim camp a couple of years ago where an American non-hunting lawyer friend went on tour with an apprentice PH. Ignored the silly and arbitrary rules against taking photos of certain things. Ended up in prison for a Friday - Monday weekend. Wasn't fun for him.

Convinced me to never try skirting their laws. If the outfitter or PH does so, that's their choice and besides they know what they're doing. I don't. Besides, I love going on safari there so much, I don't want any of my headstrong notions to interfere with my hunting.

Moneybelt sounds like a great idea, by the way, but only for the cash. I've always carried it in a locked carry-on bag, and as I mentioned earlier, have never had a hint of a problem.