Tanzania Entry Requirements: Visa, Passport, Rules

What you need, in one paragraph

Three things, sorted before you board: a passport valid for 6 months past arrival with a blank page, a tourist visa (USD 50 single-entry, up to 90 days), and entry insurance for wherever you first enter Tanzania. That is NIC if you land on the mainland (from 1 October 2026), or ZIC if you land in Zanzibar. One policy covers the whole journey. Yellow-fever proof only matters if your route touches a risk country. Apply for the visa online and arrivals is a short stamp queue instead of a payment queue plus a stamp queue. If something is still missing when you land, do not panic: the airport can sort out both the visa and the insurance. For flights and airports, see the Tanzania flights guide.

The visa: eVisa beats on-arrival

Apply for the eVisa at visa.immigration.go.tz, the official Tanzania Immigration portal. You upload a passport photo, the passport bio page and a return or onward ticket, pay online, and carry the approval printed or saved offline. Apply early, because a rejected photo or a missing document costs you days, and an eVisa can arrive late. The official portal says applications are processed within ten days, so apply at least two weeks before you fly. If it has not arrived by the time you fly, bring the proof of payment and the application confirmation: the immigration officers at Zanzibar airport process it on the spot, and I have not seen it cause a real problem.

Visa on arrival is possible at Julius Nyerere (Dar es Salaam), Kilimanjaro (JRO) and Abeid Amani Karume (Zanzibar) airports, at the same price, and at Zanzibar it is easy. The catch is two queues: one to pay, one for immigration. Immigration waits at Zanzibar airport are much shorter than they used to be, depending on how many flights land at once.

Use the official portal only. Copycat sites exist and add “service fees” on top of the USD 50. If the address is not visa.immigration.go.tz, close it.

US citizens must buy the multiple-entry visa at USD 100 (12 months) rather than the USD 50 single-entry. A single visa covers both the mainland and Zanzibar; there is no separate Zanzibar visa.

The East Africa Tourist Visa does not cover Tanzania

The East Africa Tourist Visa (USD 100, 90 days) covers Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda only. Tanzania needs its own visa. Combining the Masai Mara with the Serengeti therefore means two visas: your Kenya visa (or the East Africa Tourist Visa) plus the Tanzania tourist visa above.

Passport and photo

Six months of validity from your entry date is the rule airlines enforce at check-in. If the passport runs out in four months, renew it before booking anything else. You also need at least one blank page for the stamp.

The eVisa photo needs a plain light background and your full face. A cropped holiday snap gets the application rejected, so use a proper passport photo.

Yellow fever: when it applies

Tanzania asks for a yellow-fever certificate only if you arrive from, or transit more than 12 hours through, a country with yellow-fever risk. Direct flights from Europe, the UK or Australia need no card. Routing through a risk country, including a long layover in Nairobi or Addis Ababa, is where border staff can ask.

If you arrive from a risk country without the certificate, a 2016 Swiss medical study documented a fine of roughly USD 80, and a doctor’s exemption letter can waive the requirement. The vaccine is valid for life, so if your route touches a risk country, get it. The CDC and UK health authorities do not generally recommend yellow-fever vaccination for a Tanzania trip on its own.

Mainland insurance from 1 October 2026

From 1 October 2026, foreign visitors entering mainland Tanzania by air, sea or land need Inbound Travel Insurance from the National Insurance Corporation (NIC). The rule is Government Notice No. 256, published on 4 September 2026, and the Ministry of Finance confirmed the start date on 25 September.

• Cost: USD 44 per person (charged at the shilling equivalent)
• Validity: up to 92 days, multiple entries
• Where to buy: inbound.nicinsurance.co.tz before you travel, or at the airport, seaport or land border (card or cash)
• Exempt: qualifying travellers from EAC and SADC partner states, for the mainland requirement only

Which insurer you use depends on your first point of entry into Tanzania. Land on the mainland and it is NIC; land in Zanzibar and it is ZIC. According to the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation’s notice of 28 September 2026, nobody has to buy two policies just because the trip includes both Zanzibar and the mainland. A valid policy within its 92-day period also means no new one on a later entry to either side, and one bought from ZIC before 1 October 2026 for a mainland-first itinerary stays valid. Keep the electronic or printed certificate and QR code for the whole trip, because it can be scanned at the relevant entry point. This policy does not replace your own travel insurance either; see the Tanzania travel insurance guide.

Zanzibar’s insurance rule (ZIC)

Since 1 October 2024, non-resident visitors whose first point of entry into Tanzania is Zanzibar (Unguja and Pemba) must hold the mandatory ZIC policy. If you arrive on the mainland first and fly on to Zanzibar, your NIC policy applies and you do not buy ZIC. EAC and SADC travellers who are exempt on the mainland still need ZIC where Zanzibar is the first entry. Rates: USD 44 per adult, about USD 22 per child aged 3 to 17, free under 3, valid up to 92 days. It is better to buy it at inbound.visitzanzibar.go.tz before you arrive. After payment you receive a QR code and an emailed policy document, and the QR code can be scanned at entry. Keep it for the whole trip, not just the airport. You can also buy it on arrival: if you do not have the code, you are sent to a separate counter to apply and pay, then you go on to immigration. I have never seen a guest turned back for a missing ZIC, but the counter costs time after a long flight, so do it at home.

ZIC is not a replacement for your own policy. Its medical cover is limited (about USD 50,000), and a German Auslandskrankenversicherung or UK travel policy is not accepted in its place. You need both. For the airport process on the island, see the Zanzibar entry requirements guide.

By nationality: what changes

For most passports nothing changes: USD 50, single entry, up to 90 days, eVisa recommended.

• UK, EU, Australia, Canada, New Zealand: standard USD 50 single-entry visa. Yellow fever only if your route touches a risk country.
• Germany, Austria, Switzerland: a visa is required. Condor flies direct to Zanzibar from Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf and Zurich (seasonal), and direct arrivals from Europe need no yellow-fever card. Check the Auswärtiges Amt advisory before you leave.
• United States: the USD 100 multiple-entry visa, by rule, not by choice. You cannot buy the USD 50 single-entry on a US passport.
• Visa-exempt passports: the official guidelines say nationals of East African Community states, SADC states except Comoros, and Commonwealth states except the UK, Canada, Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand need no visa. Check the Tanzania Immigration portal for your passport before you rely on this.

Extending your visa inside Tanzania

Tourist visas can be extended in person at Immigration offices in Dar es Salaam, Arusha or Zanzibar. Fees and paperwork change, so confirm the current procedure with Tanzania Immigration or your embassy before you turn up. The simpler route is to request the full 90 days on entry.

At the airport, step by step

At Kilimanjaro (JRO) and Dar es Salaam (DAR):

1. Arrivals card. Name, address of your accommodation, length of stay. Fill it in on the plane if you can.
2. Immigration. Show the passport, eVisa approval and onward ticket. If you are paying for a visa on arrival, pay at the signed counter first, then queue for immigration.
3. Stamp. Keep the stamped page in your passport; hotels and car-hire desks sometimes ask for it.
4. Bags and arrivals hall. If you booked a transfer, the driver waits past the barriers with a name sign.
5. Customs. Travellers aged 18 and over may bring in duty-free 2 litres of spirits or wine, 250 g of tobacco products in total, and 0.5 litre of perfume and toilet water (no more than 0.25 litre of it perfume). Goods up to USD 2,000 per traveller are duty-exempt if you declare them and were outside the East African Community for more than 24 hours.

Transiting Dar es Salaam on the way to Zanzibar or a safari? The Dar es Salaam guide covers the airport, the ferry terminal and whether a layover night is worth it. The Dar to Zanzibar fast ferry is scheduled at 1h30 to 1h45, about 2 hours dockside to dockside; the overland guide has the other routes.

Cost of entry in one table

Since the Bank of Tanzania Foreign Currency Regulations took effect on 28 March 2025, local transactions must be priced and paid in Tanzanian shillings; USD is accepted unevenly and often at poor rates. For cash and cards on the ground, see the currency and money guide.

Common mistakes

• Wrong photo on the eVisa. Plain light background, full face. A cropped selfie gets rejected.
• A third-party “visa service”. Same visa, extra fee. Use visa.immigration.go.tz.
• Skipping the entry insurance. The rule is recent, and many pre-departure checklists still omit it. If you land in Zanzibar first, you can still buy ZIC on arrival at a separate counter, but it adds a queue.
• Treating ZIC as your travel insurance. It is not accepted as a substitute for a private policy, and your own policy does not satisfy the ZIC requirement.
• A full passport. No blank page, no stamp, even if the passport is valid.

Embassy contacts in Dar es Salaam

• United States: +255 22 229 4000
• Germany: +255 22 2212300. Out-of-hours emergencies only: +255 786 971692 (0786 971692 inside Tanzania). Phone enquiries about passports and visas are generally not answered.
• Switzerland: +255 22 266 60 08 or +255 22 266 60 09
• Austria: no embassy in Dar es Salaam. The honorary consulate takes visits by appointment on +255 745 909 101 or +255 768 782 821, and the Austrian Embassy in Nairobi is responsible for Tanzania.

Before you fly: do these six in order

1. Check the passport. Six months past arrival, one blank page. Renewing takes weeks, so do this first.
2. Apply for the eVisa at visa.immigration.go.tz with the bio page, a plain-background photo and your onward ticket. Save the approval offline.
3. Buy the entry insurance for your first point of entry. Mainland first (from 1 October 2026): inbound.nicinsurance.co.tz. Zanzibar first: inbound.visitzanzibar.go.tz. One policy per journey. Keep the QR code or certificate, electronic or printed, for the whole trip.
4. Check yellow fever against your routing. If a risk country is on it, carry the yellow card.
5. Save proof of onward travel offline.
6. Pre-book the airport transfer. ZNZ to Stone Town is about 15 to 20 minutes; to the east coast (Michamvi, Paje) allow 1h15 to 1h30.

Keep these on your phone, not just in email: visa approval PDF, insurance certificate or QR code, onward ticket, accommodation address and phone number, and your transfer contact. Mobile data at arrivals is patchy.

Once you are through immigration, the SIM card and eSIM guide covers getting a working connection. For vaccinations and malaria, read the Tanzania health guide. To plan the rest of the trip, start with the Tanzania travel overview.