Tanzania Visa and Entry Requirements

The short version

Most visitors need a visa, and most apply online before travelling. The Immigration Services Department runs an electronic visa system that covers both Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar, so one application serves an itinerary that includes both.

If you hold a United States passport, the ordinary tourist visa is not the one you apply for. That single rule catches out more American groups than anything else on this page, and it is set out below.

Which visa, and what it costs

The Immigration Services Department issues six types of visa. Two matter to almost every leisure traveler:

• Ordinary (single entry) visa, USD 50, valid for up to 90 days. This is the tourism visa for most nationalities.
• Multiple entry visa, USD 100. Holders of United States passports coming for tourism are required to apply for this one, not the ordinary visa.

Fees are paid online by Visa or Mastercard as part of the application, and you receive a payment confirmation when it goes through.

What your passport has to look like

Before you apply, the department requires that your passport has at least six months of validity and at least one unused visa page. Check both for every member of your group early. A passport that expires four months after your return date is the single most common reason a traveler is stopped before they leave home, and renewal timelines are not something a tour operator can compress.

How long it takes

Visa applications are processed within ten days, other than referral cases. Applicants are notified by email whether the application was accepted or rejected, and can track the status online. Some applicants may be asked to attend an interview at the nearest Tanzanian embassy or consular office.

Travelers whose nationality falls under the referral visa category, and those with refugee or stateless status, are advised to apply at least two months before travel and are specifically advised not to pay for flights or accommodation until the visa is approved.

What this means for a group

Ten working days is the department's own figure for a clean application, not a promise about your particular one. For a group we treat visas as a milestone with a deadline well before departure, collect passport details once, and check the six month rule across everyone at the same time rather than person by person as deposits arrive.

Requirements change, and they change without notice. The figures above were read from the official eVisa system on the review date at the foot of this page. Confirm them against that system before you apply.

Planning with LABUSA Travel

We plan and manage Tanzania journeys for groups: itinerary design, park permits, lodges, internal flights and ground transport, and a single point of contact while you travel. Start with the Tanzania travel guide, or tell us what your group has in mind on the plan your trip form.