Rules for overlanding in Zambia

Our summary of the country advice published by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Viaggiare Sicuri) on 26 March 2026.

Which licence you need

All vehicles — An Italian licence can be used for a maximum of 90 days from entry, while an International Driving Permit can be used until its own expiry date. Check what applies to the licence you hold.

An International Driving Permit states the categories it covers: check yours covers what you will actually drive. A car licence does not cover a motorcycle, and a heavy camper or a truck can need a higher category.

At the wheel

Temporary import — A Carnet de Passages en Douane is recommended for a vehicle brought in temporarily.
Roads and animals — The road network is in poor condition and calls for careful driving. Outside towns, wild animals and grazing livestock cross the road.
After dark — Driving gets far more dangerous after sunset: there is no street lighting, no road markings, and vehicles circulate with no headlights, in towns and even more so outside them.
Abandoned trucks — Trucks and broken-down vehicles left sitting in the carriageway with no warning markers are singled out as a major hazard.
Routes to the parks — The main roads to the tourist areas — Livingstone for Victoria Falls, Luangwa and Kafue national parks, Lake Kariba — are reasonably safe. Stay alert when you stop, even though theft along them is not frequent.

What catches travellers out

Drugs and medicines — Possession or use of any narcotic carries up to 15 years and trafficking up to 25, applied to visitors exactly as to locals. Common tranquillisers and antidepressants count as narcotics without a prescription, so carry a prescription translated into English and only the quantity it states — people have been charged with trafficking for holding limited amounts in excess of their prescription.
Photography — Photographing military areas, police stations, broadcasting installations and centres, airports and police-guarded bridges is prohibited.
Obscenity and morality law — Bringing in pornographic material of any kind is strictly banned, and the rules are severe enough that even personal images can be judged obscene: possession can mean arrest, a fine and six months to five years. Same-sex relations are a criminal offence under article 155 of the penal code, punishable by up to 14 years.
At customs — Foreign currency must be declared on entry if it exceeds the equivalent of 5,000 USD, and must be declared on exit, where 5,000 USD equivalent is the maximum you can take out. Do not buy souvenirs made from animals — teeth, bone, horn, skin — unless the seller gives you a proper receipt, and note that wildlife, hunting and trophy rules are enforced.

Before you rely on this

This is our summary of advice written by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Italian travellers, published on 26 March 2026. We summarise in good faith, but we cannot guarantee it is accurate, current or complete, and we take no responsibility for decisions made on the basis of it. Rules change without notice and are applied by officials at the border, not by websites. Always read the original source and the travel advice your own government publishes for Zambia before you travel. GuideMeet has no way of checking whether an individual guide meets any standard mentioned here — ask them directly.

Source: Viaggiare Sicuri — Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, updated 26 March 2026. Last checked by GuideMeet on 2026-09-20.