Tanzania Entry Requirements: Visa, Passport, Rules

What you need, in one paragraph

To enter Tanzania you need three things sorted before you board: a valid passport, a tourist visa, and (if you are heading to Zanzibar) the island’s separate insurance. The visa is USD 50 for a single entry and covers stays up to 90 days. Your passport must run at least 6 months past your arrival date and carry two blank pages. Yellow-fever proof only matters if you are coming from a risk country. Get the visa online in advance, and you will walk through Kilimanjaro or Zanzibar arrivals far faster than the people filling in forms at the desk. Once your documents are sorted, the next step is the flight itself — see the Tanzania flights guide for airlines, routes, and which airport to book.

The visa: eVisa beats on-arrival

There are two ways in. The official eVisa is applied for at evisa.immigration.go.tz — the only legitimate government portal. You upload a passport photo, your passport bio page, and a return or onward ticket. Processing is typically 1–3 business days, though it can stretch to a week in peak periods, so apply at least one week before departure and build in time for any corrections. Print the approval and carry it.

Visa-on-arrival still exists at Julius Nyerere (Dar es Salaam), Kilimanjaro (JRO) and Abeid Amani Karume (Zanzibar) airports. Same price, but you queue twice: once to pay, once at immigration. After a long-haul flight that can mean 45 minutes to over an hour of standing around while the pre-approved travellers walk straight to the desk.

One honest warning on payment: use the official portal only. The genuine site is run by Tanzania Immigration, and there are convincing copycat sites that overcharge. If a site asks for a “service fee” well above the headline price, close it.

US citizens are a special case. US passport holders are required to purchase a multiple-entry visa at USD 100 rather than the standard single-entry tourist visa, which is worth knowing before you balk at the price difference.

The East Africa Tourist Visa: worth it for combined trips

If your itinerary combines Tanzania with Kenya and Uganda, the East Africa Tourist Visa is worth considering. It costs USD 100, covers all three countries on a single/multiple-entry basis, and is valid for 3 months. You apply through any of the three countries’ immigration portals and can enter via any of the three. For a classic Kenya–Tanzania itinerary — crossing from the Masai Mara to the Serengeti, for example — it removes the per-country visa cost and the border paperwork friction. It does not cover Rwanda, Burundi or Ethiopia; for those you will still need separate visas.

Passport, photos and the small print

Six months’ validity from your entry date is the rule airlines enforce hardest. If your passport expires in, say, four months, you will be stopped at check-in long before Tanzania ever sees you. Renew first.

You also want two genuinely blank pages, side by side. Immigration stamps are generous with space, and if you are combining Tanzania with another stamp-heavy itinerary you do not want to run out.

The passport photo for the eVisa trips people up more than anything. It needs a plain light background and your full face; a cropped holiday snap gets the application rejected and costs you days. Take two minutes to do it properly.

Yellow fever: when it actually applies

This is the most misunderstood requirement. Tanzania does not demand yellow-fever vaccination from everyone. It is required only if you are arriving from, or have transited for more than 12 hours through, a country with yellow-fever transmission risk, which includes much of sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South America.

Fly in directly from Europe, the UK, North America, the Gulf or most of Asia and you will not be asked for the card. The grey area is transit: route through Nairobi or Addis Ababa from a risk country and you may be asked at Tanzanian immigration. If your itinerary touches any risk country, carry the certificate. It is a one-off vaccination and it removes any argument at the desk.

Zanzibar’s separate insurance rule

If your trip includes Zanzibar, and most of mine end on this coast, there is one extra step that catches people out. Since October 2024 the Zanzibar government requires every inbound visitor to hold its own mandatory travel insurance via the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC). The rates: USD 44 per adult (18+) for up to 92 days, USD 22 per child aged 3–17, and free for children under 3. Buy it at visitzanzibar.go.tz before you arrive. You may be asked to show the confirmation at Zanzibar airport.

This is not the same as your Tanzania visa, and it is not a replacement for your own travel insurance, which you should still hold for medical cover and evacuation. Think of it as a separate ticket you tick off alongside the visa. I have watched guests get pulled aside at Zanzibar arrivals for not having it, so sort it the same week you do your visa.

By nationality: the key differences

UK nationals: USD 50 single-entry tourist visa, up to 90 days. No yellow-fever requirement on direct flights from the UK. eVisa is the recommended route.

German/Austrian/Swiss nationals: USD 50 single-entry. No yellow-fever requirement on direct Condor/Eurowings flights to ZNZ or connections via European hubs. eVisa recommended. DACH nationals visiting Zanzibar should note the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) maintains a current Tanzania travel advisory — check it before departure.

US nationals: USD 100 multiple-entry visa (required by reciprocal policy). Same 90-day validity. The higher price is a formal requirement, not a price hike — you cannot buy a single-entry at USD 50 if you hold a US passport. eVisa via the official Tanzania Immigration portal.

EU nationals (non-German): USD 50 single-entry. France, the Netherlands, Belgium and most other EU states are on the standard USD 50 tourist tariff. Yellow fever only if travelling via risk countries.

Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians: USD 50 single-entry tourist visa. eVisa recommended.

East African Community nationals (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, DRC): Reduced fees and in some cases visa-free entry for short visits — check the current Tanzania Immigration schedule as these change with diplomatic agreements.

Visa-exempt nationalities (as of 2024): a small number of African nations including Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zambia, and others are visa-exempt for short stays. The list is reviewed periodically.

What happens at the airport — step by step

Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) and Dar es Salaam Julius Nyerere (DAR) follow similar procedures:

1. Arrivals card. Fill in the form on the plane or at the desk — name, address of accommodation, length of stay.
2. Immigration queue. Present passport, eVisa confirmation, and return/onward flight evidence. If you are using visa-on-arrival, go to the correct counter (signposted) for payment first, then back to immigration.
3. Stamp. Standard entry stamp with the date. Keep this in your passport — some hotels and car hire agencies ask to see it.
4. Baggage. Standard carousel. JRO is a small airport; bags arrive quickly. DAR has longer waits — if you’re routing through 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.
5. Customs. Declare anything over the duty-free allowances (typically 200 cigarettes, 1 litre spirits, personal effects). Most tourists clear with no check.
6. Arrivals hall. Your driver, transfer sign, or taxi rank. If you booked a hotel transfer, someone will be holding a name sign past the barriers.

Zanzibar International Airport (ZNZ): See our Zanzibar entry requirements guide for the specific ZIC insurance check-in process, which is unique to the island.

Once you have your visa and you’ve landed, getting around Tanzania is its own planning exercise. The Tanzania overland guide covers the main routes: the Dar–Zanzibar fast ferry (approximately 1 hour 20 minutes to 2 hours, cheapest option on that crossing), the Dar–Arusha express bus (~12–13 hours — book a named coach company, not a walk-up terminal ticket), the TAZARA railway for the Zambia connection, and road quality on the main trunk routes.

Health documentation beyond yellow fever

Malaria: Not a documentation requirement at the border, but a very real travel health consideration. Tanzania, including Zanzibar, is a malaria zone. See a doctor or travel clinic before departure for prophylaxis options (most commonly doxycycline, Malarone, or Lariam). This is worth doing well in advance — some prophylaxis drugs are started before you travel.

COVID-19: As of the guide’s last-updated date, Tanzania has removed all COVID-related entry requirements. Confirm the current position with your airline and government travel advisory before booking, as these can change.

Vaccinations generally: No single list is definitive, but common recommendations for Tanzania from UK, German and US travel health authorities include hepatitis A, typhoid, and tetanus, alongside the malaria prophylaxis discussion. Meningitis vaccination is recommended for travellers spending extended time in rural areas or during the dry season (June–October). Rabies is relevant if you plan extended off-resort time or working with animals. Check your government travel health advisory for an up-to-date list.

The total cost of entry: what you will actually spend

Surprises at the border always come down to money you did not know about. Here is everything entry into Tanzania costs, in one place.

The yellow-fever fine figure comes from documented border incidents — it is real, not theoretical. If your routing passes through any sub-Saharan Africa or South American hub, carry the card.

One important note on currency: since the Bank of Tanzania Foreign Currency Regulations that took effect in March 2025, local transactions in Tanzania must be priced and paid in Tanzanian shillings (TZS). USD is still commonly accepted for visa-related payments and the Zanzibar insurance — pay those with clean post-2013 USD bills. For everything else on the ground, plan on TZS.

Step-by-step: the correct order to prepare

I sort these the same way every time I help guests prepare for a trip. Get this sequence right and you will not be caught out at the airport.

Step 1 — Check your passport. Six months’ validity from entry date, two blank pages minimum. Do this first, because renewing a passport takes weeks and holds everything else up.

Step 2 — Apply for your Tanzania eVisa. Go to visa.immigration.go.tz (the official immigration portal). Upload your passport bio page, a plain-background passport photo, and a return or onward ticket. Processing is typically 1–3 business days, but allow a full week before departure. Print or screenshot the approval.

Step 3 — Buy the Zanzibar ZIC insurance (if Zanzibar is on your itinerary). Go to inbound.visitzanzibar.go.tz and purchase before you fly. It takes under 10 minutes. Save the QR code offline — you will need it at Zanzibar arrivals. USD 44 per adult, USD 22 per child aged 3–17, free under 3.

Step 4 — Check your yellow-fever status. Did your routing touch any endemic country? If yes, find your International Certificate of Vaccination (the yellow card) or get the jab — one shot is valid for life.

Step 5 — Confirm you have proof of onward travel. A printed or offline-saved return flight confirmation is sufficient. Immigration can and does ask.

Step 6 — Pre-book your airport transfer. For Zanzibar, the transfer from ZNZ to Stone Town is about 15–20 minutes; to the east coast (Michamvi/Paje) allow 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. Do not negotiate at the kerb after a long overnight flight.

Common mistakes — and how to avoid them

After watching hundreds of guests pass through East African airports, the same errors come up again and again.

Passport photo for the eVisa. This trips up a disproportionate number of applicants. The system requires a plain light background with your full face visible. A cropped phone selfie in front of a wall gets rejected. Take two minutes to use a white-background photo app or visit a passport photo booth.

Using a third-party “visa service” site. The official portal is straightforward in English and costs exactly USD 50. Copycat sites charge service fees of USD 20–50 on top. If the site is not visa.immigration.go.tz, close it.

Not buying the Zanzibar ZIC insurance. This is the most common recent mistake, because the requirement only started in October 2024 and many travel agents have not updated their pre-departure checklists. It is a hard requirement. Entry can be denied.

Confusing the Zanzibar insurance with your personal travel insurance. The ZIC insurance covers up to approximately USD 50,000 in medical costs and is not a substitute for comprehensive cover with medical evacuation. Your German Auslandskrankenversicherung, UK comprehensive policy, or US travel insurance does not satisfy the ZIC requirement. You need both.

Arriving with a full passport. If your passport has no blank pages, immigration will not stamp you in — even if it is still technically valid. Combined trips through multiple countries eat through pages faster than you expect. Count pages before you fly.

Underestimating the visa-on-arrival queue. Visa-on-arrival is still available at Kilimanjaro, Dar, and Zanzibar airports. But it requires two queues — one to pay, one to get the stamp — and at busy arrival windows, especially in July–August peak season, this can take 45 minutes to over an hour. The eVisa is the same price and lets you go straight to the immigration desk.

What to skip

Skip paying any agent or third-party “visa service” that charges a markup to do the eVisa for you. The official portal is straightforward in English, and the only money that should leave your account is the government fee. The same goes for the Zanzibar insurance: buy it direct, not through an intermediary.

What to have on your phone — an offline checklist

Mobile data at East African airports is unreliable. Save all of these offline before you board:

• Tanzania eVisa approval — the PDF, not just an email link
• Zanzibar ZIC insurance QR code — screenshot or downloaded PDF
• Return or onward flight confirmation — offline in your email or photos
• Your accommodation’s address and phone number — the arrivals form asks for this
• Hotel or transfer company contact — the person meeting you in arrivals

I keep a dedicated travel folder in my phone’s photo library for exactly this: visa approval, insurance certificate, flight itinerary, accommodation confirmation. Takes five minutes to set up at home and saves ten minutes of sweating at immigration.

Once you’re through immigration, getting a working local connection is the next practical step — the SIM card and eSIM guide covers Vodacom, Airtel, and Zantel prices and which eSIM plans are actually worth buying before you land.

Extending your visa inside Tanzania

Tourist visas can be extended at the Immigration Department offices in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, or other regional offices. The process is slow — plan a half-day visit to the office, bring passport photos, the original visa, and evidence of continued legitimate presence (hotel bookings, onward plans). The extension fee and paperwork requirements change; confirm the current procedure with your embassy or a local legal service before you turn up.

The easier strategy for most travellers is to request the full 90 days on entry rather than planning to extend. If you are staying longer than 90 days, a multiple-entry visa and a short border hop into Kenya or Uganda and back resets the clock, though this is a grey area that depends on immigration officer discretion and is not formally endorsed.

Before you fly: the short list

Sort the eVisa early, check your passport has 6 months and two blank pages, decide whether yellow fever applies to your route, and if Zanzibar is on the plan, buy the island insurance. Do those four and arrivals is a stamp and a smile.

For the island-specific detail, including the airport process at Karume, see our Zanzibar entry requirements guide. To plan the rest of the trip, start with the Tanzania travel overview. For cash, cards, and the current USD/TZS situation, see our Tanzania currency and money guide. For vaccinations, malaria prophylaxis, and what to do if you need medical care in a remote park, see the Tanzania health guide.