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Border post · Zimbabwe to Mozambique

Forbes

Manicaland · 19.01°S 32.71°E

Short answer

Forbes border post is open 24 hours a day on the Zimbabwean side (checked 18 October 2026). It crosses to Machipanda in Mozambique.

Hours
Open 24 hoursZimbabwean side · checked
Other side
Machipanda (Mozambique)
Nearest town
Mutare
Road
A3

What to know

  • 24 hours since 15 January 2024, when ZIMRA moved to three shifts; before that it closed at 22:00 (the Herald had 06:00 to 20:00 in December 2019). Machipanda went 24 hours the same week.
  • The Beira corridor border, just east of Mutare where the A3 from Harare ends, and in the words of the Home Affairs permanent secretary Zimbabwe's lifeline to the port of Beira. ZIMRA was clearing about 550 trucks a day in 2024 and more than 2,000 a day pass through Machipanda in 2026, so cars share the approach with long truck queues.
  • Mozambique plans to start a US$37.2 million one-stop border post at Machipanda in October 2026, due in 30 months, with a separate 18,500 square metre facility for travellers. Both governments want Forbes-Machipanda and Nyamapanda-Cuchamano run as one-stop posts.
  • 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.

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 Mozambique asks of your passport: visa, fees and the papers it wants to see

Check the entry rules for Mozambique before you go.

Quick answers

What time does Forbes border post open and close?

24 hours on the Zimbabwean side. 24 hours since 15 January 2024, when ZIMRA moved to three shifts; before that it closed at 22:00 (the Herald had 06:00 to 20:00 in December 2019). Machipanda went 24 hours the same week.

Where does Forbes border post go?

It crosses to Machipanda in Mozambique. The nearest Zimbabwean town is Mutare.

Places to stay within 40 km

8
  • Hivu Nursery and Lodge
    Guest house · Bvumba Road
    +263 71 220 7828visitvumba.com
    13.6 KM
  • Leopard Rock Hotel
    Hotel
    +2638677100700leopardrockhotel.com
    15.6 KM
  • Cuckoo Campground
    Campsite · Champion Mine Road, Odzi
    28.6 KM
  • Holiday Inn
    Hotel
    5.7 KM
  • Homestead Guest House
    Motel · Park Road
    +263 20 206 5870
    4.8 KM
  • Madrugada Lodge
    Guest house
    +263 71 263 0698bvumbamadrugadamagic.com
    10.8 KM
  • Ann Bruce Backpackers
    Hostel · Fourth Street
    +263 77 224 9089
    5.7 KM
  • Pa Browns Holland House
    Guest house · Kipling Ave
    +263 73 300 1001
    8.0 KM

Sources

  1. ZIMRA, Forbes Border Post rolls out 24-hour facility (from 15 January 2024)checked 18 Oct 2026, official
  2. The Manica Post, Forbes Border Post opens 24 hours (12 January 2024)checked 18 Oct 2026, one source only
  3. Torre News, Mozambique-Zimbabwe border open 24 hours to meet demand, on Machipanda (17 January 2024)checked 18 Oct 2026, one source only
  4. Club of Mozambique, Works on US$37.2 million Machipanda one-stop border post to start in October (29 July 2026)checked 18 Oct 2026, one source only
  5. 360 Mozambique, Governments of Mozambique and Zimbabwe aim to establish one-stop border posts by the end of 2026 (23 November 2025)checked 18 Oct 2026, one source only
  6. The Herald, Hive of activity at border posts (23 December 2019)checked 18 Oct 2026, one source only
  7. SADC non-tariff barriers register, NTB-000-075, table of border operating hours (2019 progress report)checked 18 Oct 2026, one source only
  8. Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Getting to Zimbabwe (lists the ten main road border posts, no hours)checked 18 Oct 2026, official
  9. 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
  10. ZIMRA, Temporary Importation for Visitors' Vehicles (undated guide: TIP, third party insurance, carbon tax, road access fee)checked 18 Oct 2026, official
  11. 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
  12. Wikipedia, Roads in Zimbabwe (A-road numbers and end points)checked 18 Oct 2026, one source only
  13. OpenStreetMap, Forbes Border Post buildingchecked 18 Oct 2026, one source only

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