Zambia passenger data record
- Data protection authority
- Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, in the Ministry responsible for communications, section 4 1
- Agency that receives API/PNR
- Not published. The planned APIS is to sit in the Department of Immigration's ZIMS 3
The Data Protection Act, 2021
The National Assembly lists the Data Protection Act, 2021 as Act No. 3 of 2021 2. It creates the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, requires data controllers to register and requires data auditors to be licensed 2. The Act was assented on 23 March 2021 and takes effect on a date the Minister sets by statutory instrument 1.
Section 4(1) places the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner within the Ministry responsible for communications 1. Under section 5(1) the President appoints the Commissioner through the Civil Service Commission 1. The Office registers controllers and processors, keeps the register and receives and investigates complaints 1.
- Registration: section 19(1) bars processing personal data without registration 1.
- Retention: section 51(1) limits keeping data to the period it serves its purpose, plus at least one year or a period set by regulation 1.
- Breaches: section 49(1) requires notice to the Commissioner within 24 hours 1.
- Penalties: a body corporate breaching Part IV faces a fine of up to 100 million penalty units or 2% of the prior year's turnover, whichever is higher 1.
Where passenger data must be stored
Section 70(1) says a data controller shall process and store personal data on a server or data centre located in Zambia 1. Section 70(3) requires sensitive personal data to be processed and stored in Zambia 1. The Minister may prescribe categories of data that can be stored abroad under section 70(2) 1.
Section 71(1) allows a transfer abroad only where the data subject consents and the transfer uses contracts or schemes approved by the Commissioner, or the Minister has declared transfers permissible 1. The Commissioner may approve specific transfers on grounds of necessity 1.
Advance passenger information plans
At a press briefing in Lusaka on 18 December 2024, Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security Jack Mwiimbu announced a visa waiver for nationals of 53 countries from 1 January 2025 under Statutory Instrument No. 78 of 2024 3. In the same statement he described the planned introduction of an Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) into ZIMS 3. The statement says APIS would allow immigration officers to pre-screen travellers before they arrive 3.
As reported by Augustine Sichula in Zambia Monitor on 19 December 2024, the Minister said the system would let officers work ahead of time and prevent inadmissible travellers from boarding 4. The report did not name a vendor, a fee or contract terms 4.
An ICAO Africa facilitation session on 18 July 2024 listed Zambia among 19 African states developing a legal basis for API or expecting to do so soon 5. This page found no official record of a PNR programme, a passenger data fee or a contract for API or PNR in Zambia as of 21 October 2026.
E-visa and the Department of Immigration
The Department of Immigration runs an online visa service at eservices.zambiaimmigration.gov.zm, linked from its website 6. Its website posted revised fees for immigration services taking effect on 19 August 2024 6. The pages checked do not state what data e-visa applicants give, where it is hosted or how long it is kept 6.
Common questions
Does Zambia collect advance passenger information?
Not confirmed as live. The Minister announced a planned APIS on 18 December 2024 3.
Does Zambia collect PNR data?
No official record of a PNR programme was found. ICAO listed Zambia in July 2024 only as developing an API legal basis 5.
Who is Zambia's data protection authority?
The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, set up by section 4 of the Data Protection Act, 2021 1.
Must Zambian personal data stay in Zambia?
Section 70 requires personal data to be processed and stored in Zambia, with exceptions the Minister may prescribe 1.
Where do I apply for a Zambian e-visa?
Through the Department of Immigration online services portal linked from zambiaimmigration.gov.zm 6.
Rules and fees change. Check the official site linked above before you apply or pay. Spotted an error? Email [email protected] with the official link.
Sources
- ZambiaLII: Data Protection Act, 2021 (Act No. 3 of 2021)
- National Assembly of Zambia: The Data Protection Act, 2021 (checked 21 October 2026)
- Department of Immigration: Zambia waives visa requirements for nationals of 53 countries to boost tourism (25 December 2024)
- Zambia Monitor, Augustine Sichula: Zambia waives visa requirements for 53 countries, effective January 2025 (19 December 2024)
- ICAO ESAF: AFI Aviation Week Symposium, AVSEC and FAL session slides (18 July 2024)
- Department of Immigration: home page and e-visa links (checked 21 October 2026)
Related
- Advance Passenger Information (API) explained
What API data is, which fields airlines send, who receives it, the legal basis, how long it is kept, and examples from four jurisdictions.
- E-visa and electronic travel authorisation data
What US ESTA, UK ETA, Canada eTA, Kenya ETA, EU ETIAS and India e-Visa collect from travellers, and how long the data is kept.
- Where passenger data is hosted
Where governments store API, PNR and biometric passenger records, what laws say about servers and location, and how donated and vendor systems fit in.
- Data sovereignty and border systems
Where border and passenger data must be stored, who can reach it, and what Kenyan, EU, Philippine and UN rules say about hosting and transfer.
- Who oversees passenger data
The bodies that check how governments use API and PNR data: data protection authorities, data protection officers, courts and UN standards.