Film fixer in Zambia — Filming permits and locations The other bank of the Zambezi

I offer full fixer and production services in Zambia: permits, locations, crew and logistics. It shares Victoria Falls and the Zambezi with Zimbabwe, and adds some of the wildest parks in Africa.

Film permitMinistry of Information accreditation
ApplicationsThrough a registered local agent
ParksSeparate permit, per park
Pairs withVictoria Falls, Mana Pools

At a glance — Zambia

The short answer

Filming in Zambia needs media accreditation from the Ministry of Information for every crew member, applied for through a registered local agent, plus separate permits for national parks and busy public places. Allow two to three weeks.

Services: Full fixer and production service in Zambia: permits, locations, crew, transport, accommodation and logistics
Accreditation: Ministry of Information and Media, for each crew member
How to apply: Through a registered local agent, with synopsis, crew passports and kit list
National parks: Separate permit from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife
Drones: Zambia Civil Aviation Authority, plus park consent; confirm per project
Visas: KAZA UNIVISA covers Zambia and Zimbabwe for many nationalities
Pairs with: Victoria Falls and Mana Pools

Last reviewed 8 October 2026. Field figures are indicative and confirmed at recce. Rules and lead times change, and I check them for every production.

South Luangwa

The country — Rivers and parks

Why crews film in Zambia

Zambia is a country of big rivers and big parks. The Zambezi forms its southern border, Victoria Falls drops into the gorge at Livingstone, and inland the Luangwa, the Kafue and the Lower Zambezi hold some of the least crowded wildlife country on the continent.

For a crew that matters: fewer vehicles at a sighting, more freedom in the frame, and lodges used to working with film units. South Luangwa is where the walking safari began, the Lower Zambezi faces Mana Pools across the river, and Kasanka hosts one of the largest mammal migrations on earth when millions of straw-coloured fruit bats arrive late in the year.

Permission — Who signs

Filming permits in Zambia

Every member of a visiting crew needs media accreditation from the Ministry of Information and Media. For documentaries and features the application goes through a local agent registered with the ministry, with a synopsis, passport pages and photographs for each crew member, an equipment list and a letter of invitation.

National parks need their own permission from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife, with daily fees per crew member, and busy public places such as markets need permission from whoever runs them. Lead times are usually one to two weeks for accreditation and about a week for parks, but I plan for longer.

Drones need clearance from the Zambia Civil Aviation Authority and the agreement of the park or landowner. The rules have changed more than once, so I confirm the current position for every production rather than relying on last year’s answer.

Locations — Where to point the camera

Filming locations in Zambia

The places briefs ask for most, with what makes each one work on camera.

Livingstone

Victoria Falls, Zambian side

Livingstone Island, the Knife-Edge Bridge and the Eastern Cataract. In low water, roughly late August to January, Devil’s Pool sits at the very lip of the falls.

South Luangwa

Walking country

Leopard, wild dog and huge herds along the Luangwa River, and a long tradition of walking safaris.

Lower Zambezi

Across from Mana Pools

Floodplain and escarpment facing Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools across the river. Canoe and boat work.

Kafue

The big park

One of Africa’s largest national parks, with the Busanga Plains in its north.

Kasanka

The bat migration

Millions of fruit bats fill the evening sky in roughly November and December.

Lusaka

The capital

Markets, government buildings and a growing city. Street filming needs local permission.

From Zimbabwe — Crossing over

Combining Zambia with a Zimbabwe shoot

The simplest crossing in the region is the Victoria Falls Bridge: crew on a KAZA UNIVISA walk or drive across, and the kit is declared out of Zimbabwe and into Zambia. Two-sided coverage of the falls, with the Zimbabwe rainforest one day and Livingstone Island the next, is one of the strongest things the region offers. See filming at Victoria Falls.

Further downstream, Mana Pools in Zimbabwe and the Lower Zambezi in Zambia face each other across the river, and Chirundu is the border between them. Through Kazungula, Botswana’s Chobe is less than an hour away. One production, three or four countries, very short drives.

Questions — Asked most often

What producers ask first

Short answers to the questions that arrive in nearly every brief. For anything specific to your production, ask me directly.

Do you offer fixer services in Zambia?

Yes. I offer the same fixer and production service in Zambia as in Zimbabwe: filming permits and accreditation, location scouting, local crew, transport, accommodation and on-the-ground logistics, for film, documentary, news and commercial crews. You can hire me for a shoot in Zambia alone, or as part of a route across several countries.

Do you need a permit to film in Zambia?

Yes. Each visiting crew member needs media accreditation from the Ministry of Information and Media, and documentaries and features must apply through a registered local agent. National parks need a separate permit.

How long does Zambian film accreditation take?

Usually one to two weeks, with park permits taking about a week on top. Allow two to three weeks in total, and more if a drone is involved.

Can you fly a drone in Zambia?

Only with clearance from the Zambia Civil Aviation Authority and the consent of the park or landowner. The rules change, so confirm them for each production.

Can you film Victoria Falls from both Zimbabwe and Zambia?

Yes. Many productions do. Crew can cross the Victoria Falls Bridge on a KAZA UNIVISA, and the equipment is declared out of one country and into the other.

Field notes — Plan the route

Pair it with

Distances in Zimbabwe are long, so the locations you put together matter as much as the ones you pick. These sit well alongside this one.

Next — Your project

Send the brief and the dates

Tell me what you want to shoot here and when. You will get a straight answer on the permissions, the timing and the cost before you book anything.

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