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Border post · Zimbabwe to South Africa

Beitbridge

Matabeleland South · 22.21°S 29.98°E

Short answer

Beitbridge border post is open 24 hours a day on the Zimbabwean side (checked 18 October 2026). It crosses to Beitbridge in South Africa.

Hours
Open 24 hoursZimbabwean side · checked
Other side
Beitbridge (South Africa)
Nearest town
Beitbridge
Road
A4 / A6 (N1 on the South African side)
Vehicles
The Alfred Beit Road Bridge over the Limpopo carries the only road between the two countries. The Herald put the ZINARA bridge toll for a light vehicle at US$10 in July 2026. Commercial vehicles also pay the Zimborders border access toll, in US dollars or rand.

What to know

  • Both sides run 24 hours. In September 2021 transporters said some agencies on the Zimbabwean side, including EMA and ZIMRA at the container depot, shut at 22:00 even though the border itself stayed open.
  • The only road crossing between Zimbabwe and South Africa, and Wikipedia calls it the busiest road border post in southern Africa: in December 2019 it cleared about 4,000 light vehicles and 25,000 travellers a day, half that off peak. Expect queues in the second half of December.
  • The Zimbabwean side was rebuilt for US$300 million by the Zimborders consortium under a 17 and a half year concession, with the consortium paying for the work and keeping the border use fees. The freight terminal was due to open on 6 October 2021, the first two of three phases were open to traffic by June 2022, and the President commissioned the finished post in 2023. In June 2022 the Zimborders toll was US$40 for light delivery vehicles, US$80 for buses and US$175 to US$200 for trucks, payable in US dollars or rand from 1 December 2022, and the Herald expected private motorists to pay about US$150 for the round trip once their toll began.
  • Foreign-registered cars need a Temporary Import Permit from ZIMRA at the border (ZIMRA says its services are free; hired cars need a Commercial TIP backed by a clearing agent's guarantee) and pay carbon tax and third party insurance at the ZIMRA counter, in US dollars. ZIMRA's own guide puts the two at US$10 and US$30 a month and the Herald (July 2026) at about US$40 together for a car. The US$10 road access fee that light vehicles paid on each entry was scrapped by Statutory Instrument 113 of 2026, gazetted on 24 July 2026, because ZINARA's toll gates already charge for the road.
  • Carry US dollar cash. Border charges in Zimbabwe are quoted in US dollars; the ZiG has been the local currency since 8 April 2024, and paying in foreign currency stays legal until the end of 2030.
  • Bulawayo is 321 km up the A6 and Victoria Falls 758 km; the A4 goes north to Masvingo and Harare.

Bring with you

  • Your passport
  • The vehicle's registration papers
  • For a hired car, the rental company's letter of authority to take it across
  • Whatever South Africa asks of your passport: visa, fees and the papers it wants to see
Entry rules for South Africa

Quick answers

What time does Beitbridge border post open and close?

24 hours on the Zimbabwean side. Both sides run 24 hours. In September 2021 transporters said some agencies on the Zimbabwean side, including EMA and ZIMRA at the container depot, shut at 22:00 even though the border itself stayed open.

Where does Beitbridge border post go?

It crosses to Beitbridge in South Africa. The nearest Zimbabwean town is Beitbridge.

Places to stay within 40 km

8
  • Nottingham Retreat
    Guest house · Nottingham Estate, Sentinel Road, Beitbridge
    +263 71 979 7299nottinghamestate.com
    27.2 KM
  • Kuduland Safari Lodge
    Wilderness hut
    22.9 KM
  • Archie Beitbridge
    Campsite
    2.6 KM
  • Backpackers' Lodge
    Hotel
    16.0 KM
  • Bako Lodge
    Motel
    1.9 KM
  • Beitbridge Express
    Motel
    3.1 KM
  • Beitbridge Inn
    Motel
    1.3 KM
  • Beitbridge Inn & Casino
    Hotel
    1.2 KM

Sources

  1. Border Management Authority (South Africa), ports of entry hours listchecked 18 Oct 2026, official
  2. The Herald, Hive of activity at border posts (23 December 2019)checked 18 Oct 2026, one source only
  3. The Herald, Efficiency to improve at modernised Beitbridge port (5 September 2021)checked 18 Oct 2026, one source only
  4. The Chronicle, Staff reformation key to Beitbridge border transformation, on the US$300 million upgrade and the 17 and a half year Zimborders concession (7 June 2022)checked 18 Oct 2026, one source only
  5. The Herald, Concern over Beitbridge toll fees (6 June 2022)checked 18 Oct 2026, one source only
  6. The Chronicle, Border access fees now payable in forex, on Statutory Instrument 192 of 2022 (14 November 2022)checked 18 Oct 2026, one source only
  7. The Sunday Mail, Ports of entry get boost (27 August 2023)checked 18 Oct 2026, one source only
  8. The Herald, Govt scraps duplicative access fees in transport sector, on Statutory Instrument 113 of 2026 (28 July 2026)checked 18 Oct 2026, one source only
  9. ZIMRA, Temporary Importation for Visitors' Vehicles (undated guide: TIP, third party insurance, carbon tax, road access fee)checked 18 Oct 2026, official
  10. Wikipedia, Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG official currency since 8 April 2024; foreign currency payments valid until 31 December 2030)checked 18 Oct 2026, one source only
  11. Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Getting to Zimbabwe (lists the ten main road border posts, no hours)checked 18 Oct 2026, official
  12. Wikipedia, Beitbridgechecked 18 Oct 2026, one source only
  13. Wikipedia, South Africa and Zimbabwe borderchecked 18 Oct 2026, one source only
  14. Wikipedia, Roads in Zimbabwe (A-road numbers and end points)checked 18 Oct 2026, one source only
  15. OpenStreetMap, Beit Bridge Border Control node (Zimbabwean side)checked 18 Oct 2026, one source only

Cite as: Travel Africa Guide, "Beitbridge border post hours", checked 18 October 2026, https://travelafrica.guide/zimbabwe/border-posts/beitbridge/