Tanzania operates a visa system that requires most foreign nationals to obtain authorization before or upon arrival. The Immigration Services Department under the Ministry of Home Affairs administers entry policy for the United Republic of Tanzania, which includes both mainland Tanzania and the Zanzibar Archipelago. Citizens of member states of the East African Community—Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo—enter without visas under the East African Community Common Market Protocol signed in 2010. All other nationalities require a visa unless holding diplomatic credentials recognized under bilateral agreements Tanzania has ratified.
The e-Visa system, accessible through eservices.immigration.go.tz, became the mandatory application channel in November 2018 for travelers from countries not eligible for visa exemption. Applicants submit passport biographical pages, a recent photograph, and travel itinerary details. The system issues an approval notice typically within five to ten business days, which the traveler presents at the port of entry alongside the passport. The approval notice is not the visa itself. Immigration officers at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro International Airport near Arusha, and other designated entry points affix the physical visa sticker or stamp after reviewing the approval notice and conducting standard entry interviews. The e-Visa fee for a single-entry ordinary visa is fifty United States dollars, paid by credit card during online application. Tourist visas permit stays of up to ninety days. Business visas require an invitation letter from a Tanzanian registered entity and also cost fifty dollars for single entry. Multiple-entry visas cost one hundred dollars and allow stays totaling ninety days within twelve months from issuance.
Visa on arrival remains available at Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, and Zanzibar airports for nationals of countries where the e-Visa system is not mandatory, though Tanzania's Immigration Services Department advises pre-application to reduce airport processing time. The fee structure at arrival matches online rates—fifty dollars for single entry, one hundred dollars for multiple entry—payable in United States dollars cash. Some entry points accept euros or Tanzania shillings at current exchange rates, but the Immigration Services Department recommends dollars to avoid unfavorable conversions. Processing at arrival can require thirty minutes to two hours depending on flight arrival clustering and officer staffing. The approval process at the airport mirrors e-Visa scrutiny, including verification of onward tickets and accommodation details, but without the advance notice period.
Citizens of Commonwealth member states that were part of the British Empire before independence generally receive favorable consideration under legacy reciprocal arrangements, though this does not constitute automatic visa waiver. Citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Cyprus, Eswatini, Fiji, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Namibia, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Vanuatu, and Zambia do not require visas for stays up to ninety days, as codified in the Immigration Act amendments of 2019. Zimbabwe nationals also enter visa-free under a bilateral agreement signed in 2018. Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport holders and citizens of several Caribbean nations benefit from similar waivers negotiated individually.
United States citizens have been eligible for visa on arrival since 2000 and can also apply through the e-Visa portal. The same holds for citizens of European Union member states, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea. Chinese nationals were granted visa-on-arrival eligibility in November 2024 under a policy announced by President Samia Suluhu Hassan aimed at increasing tourism from Asia. Indian nationals remain eligible for visa on arrival, a policy Tanzania maintained despite periodic regional restrictions on South Asian travel documented by immigration authorities in quarterly reports.
Travelers entering Zanzibar from mainland Tanzania via domestic flights or ferries do not undergo immigration checks because Zanzibar is part of the United Republic of Tanzania. The single visa covers both jurisdictions. However, Zanzibar retains semi-autonomous authority over some entry matters under the Zanzibar Immigration Act of 2018, which allows the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar to impose additional documentation requirements. In practice, this manifests as occasional requests for proof of accommodation when arriving on ferries from Dar es Salaam to Stone Town, though this is not a consistent requirement and does not constitute a separate visa. International travelers arriving at Abeid Amani Karume International Airport in Zanzibar undergo the same visa procedures as those landing in Dar es Salaam.
Yellow fever vaccination certification is mandatory for travelers arriving from countries where yellow fever transmission is endemic, as designated by the World Health Organization. Tanzania enforced this strictly following the yellow fever outbreak in Angola in 2016, which resulted in imported cases across East Africa. Immigration officers at all ports of entry examine yellow fever cards for travelers who have transited through Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, and Uganda within the preceding six days. The vaccination must have been administered at least ten days before arrival. Travelers without valid certificates face denial of entry or mandatory vaccination at the port of entry, with vaccine availability subject to current stock at airport health facilities.
Visa extensions are processed by Immigration Services Department offices in Dar es Salaam on Ohio Street near the Kivukoni Ferry terminal, in Arusha on Simon Mawalla Road, and in Zanzibar on Malawi Road in Stone Town. Extensions of ordinary tourist visas up to ninety additional days cost fifty dollars. Applications require a completed extension form, the original passport, one passport photograph, and a letter stating reasons for extended stay. Processing takes three to five business days if submitted before the current visa expires. Overstaying a visa incurs fines of fifty United States dollars per day of overstay, payable before departure at immigration offices or airport departure points. Persistent overstays can result in deportation orders and entry bans ranging from one to five years, a policy formalized in Immigration Regulations of 2015 amendments.
Work permits and residence permits fall under separate legislation administered by the same Immigration Services Department. The Employment and Labour Relations Act of 2004 requires any foreigner employed in Tanzania to hold a Class A work permit for professional or technical roles, a Class B permit for specific contracted work, or a Class C permit for investors. Employers sponsor work permits, submitting applications with employment contracts, proof of company registration, and documentation showing no qualified Tanzanian citizen was available for the position. Class A permits cost two thousand dollars annually. Class B permits cost one thousand dollars. Class C permits for investors require proof of investment value exceeding three hundred thousand United States dollars and cost two hundred thousand Tanzania shillings, approximately eighty-five dollars at 2024 exchange rates. Permits are valid for up to two years and renewable. Family members of permit holders apply for dependent passes, which cost five hundred dollars for spouses and two hundred fifty dollars per child.
Student visas require acceptance letters from Tanzanian educational institutions registered with the Tanzania Commission for Universities or the National Council for Technical Education. The University of Dar es Salaam, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, and other accredited institutions provide documentation that students submit with visa applications. Student visa fees match tourist visa rates—fifty dollars for single entry—but permits can be extended for the duration of the academic program. Students submit current enrollment verification and fee payment receipts when applying for extensions.