Travel Essentials - Tourist Visa Requirements - Tanzania Travel Visa Services

Tanzania Tourist Visa Requirements - How to Apply for Tanzania Travel Visa

A passport and Tanzania travel visa are required for travel in Tanzania. U.S. citizens with valid passports may obtain a tourist visa either before arriving in Tanzania or at any port of entry staffed by immigration officials, however, the U.S. Embassy highly recommends that U.S. citizens obtain their travel visas before arriving in Tanzania to avoid long delays at entry points. The current fee for a visa is $100 for a 12-month multiple-entry tourist visa to reciprocate the fee the United States charges visa applicants. This could rise again as the U.S. application fee rises. Some border posts and embassies may have technical difficulty in producing the 12-month visa. They may make hand-written annotations on the computer printed visa. U.S. passports should be valid for a minimum of six months beyond the date the visa is obtained, whether it is acquired beforehand or at the port of entry. Also, foreigners may be required to show their passports when entering or exiting Zanzibar.

The web site of the Embassy of Tanzania in Washington, DC states that yellow fever vaccination is required only for persons from, or those who have visited yellow fever endemic countries.

Tanzanian law is very strict on travel visa categories. A recurring problem encountered by U.S. citizens is that volunteer activity – even if the traveler is paying for the volunteer opportunity – is prohibited on a tourist visa. U.S. citizens who are traveling to Tanzania for short or long term volunteer projects should review their status with the sponsoring organization before entering the country.

Travelers are reminded to safeguard their U.S. passports while in Tanzania. Passport loss can lead to delays in departing the Tanzania and can cause disruption of travel. Tanzanian authorities require that travelers who are not in possession of the Tanzania travel visa and entry stamps obtained upon admission to Tanzania visit the immigration office prior to departure to regularize their status. Persons attempting to depart the country without proper documentation may be subject to fines or delays in departure.

You must obtain a visa to Tanzania and must have this visa before entering the country. Many people are not aware of this and they schedule their vacation and pay deposits for airfare and lodging, only to discover that they can't enter the country. These people will have wasted both their time and money. You need a visa to visit Tanzania - there is no way around the visa requirement.