Before you travel
Tanzania visa requirements.
Most visitors need a Tanzania visa, online at visa.immigration.go.tz or on arrival. It costs US$50; US citizens must buy a US$100 multiple-entry visa.
Photo Justin Lane / Unsplash
Correct at the time of publishing, . Fees and entry rules are subject to change without notice, and many rules depend on the passport you hold. Confirm with the official source listed under each answer, or with your airline, before you travel.
Check the rules for your passport. Requirements differ by nationality, purpose and length of stay.
Check Tanzania visa requirements →Checker provided by VisaHQ. Site designer Charnette Labs may earn a commission if you apply through them, at no extra cost to you. Famous Africa is not an immigration adviser and neither party decides these requirements.
Do I need a visa to visit Tanzania?
Tanzania issues visas online through visa.immigration.go.tz, which it recommends, and on arrival at official entry points. Citizens of East African Community and SADC countries (except Comoros) need no visa, as do citizens of most Commonwealth countries, but not the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan or Nigeria.
The ordinary tourist visa costs US$50 and is valid for up to 90 days. US passport holders must apply for the US$100 multiple-entry visa, valid for 12 months with up to 90 days per visit, even for a single trip. A visa bought on arrival is single entry only.
Fees were correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change without notice.
Sources: Tanzania Immigration Department: visa guidelines; UK government (FCDO): Tanzania entry requirements, for British citizens (updated 19 May 2026)
How long does a Tanzania visa take and what documents are needed?
Online applications are processed within ten days. Every traveller, including children, needs their own application, and visitors must show a return ticket on arrival. The passport must be valid for at least six months with at least one unused visa page.
Tanzania is not part of the East Africa Tourist Visa, which covers only Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. An ordinary Tanzanian visa can be used again to return to Tanzania from another East African country while it is still valid.
Sources: Tanzania Immigration Department: visa guidelines; Uganda Permanent Mission in Geneva: visa information
When do I need a yellow fever certificate for Tanzania?
Tanzania's Ministry of Health requires a yellow fever certificate from travellers arriving from countries it lists as endemic, or after a transit of 12 hours or more in one. Its list includes Kenya and Uganda, so a safari that crosses into Tanzania from either needs a certificate.
Travellers without one may be refused entry or vaccinated on arrival, at US$50 for foreigners. The ministry exempts travellers under one year and over 60.
Fees were correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change without notice.
Sources: Tanzania Ministry of Health: yellow fever entry requirements for Tanzania Mainland (16 November 2023); World Health Organization: country list of vaccination requirements (revised 3 January 2023)
What else should I know before arriving in Tanzania?
Visitors to Zanzibar must hold inbound travel insurance from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation. Plastic carrier bags are banned, though clear zip-lock bags for toiletries are allowed.
Drones need an import permit from the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority, applied for at least three weeks ahead, or they are confiscated at the point of entry. Goods and services must be priced and paid for in Tanzanian shillings: exchange money at banks or bureaux de change, or pay by card.
Sources: UK government (FCDO): Tanzania entry requirements, for British citizens (updated 19 May 2026); Embassy of Tanzania in the USA: notice on the plastic bag ban (16 May 2019); Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority: drone permits; Bank of Tanzania: public notice on the use of foreign currency (2 May 2025)
Where this sits in planning a trip
Entry requirements are the traveller’s responsibility, but they shape an itinerary — a routing through a third country can change what is needed, and documents for children can take weeks to obtain. Famous Africa raises them early when planning rather than leaving them to the week before departure.