What documents do I need to enter Tanzania (Zanzibar)?

Entering Tanzania - what you need

Tanzania has two layers of paperwork: the national visa, and a separate insurance requirement if any part of your trip is in Zanzibar. Line both up alongside your flights and your trip1 hotel booking.

• A passport valid for at least six months from arrival, with at least one blank page.
• A tourist visa, either an e-visa approved before you fly or one issued on arrival.
• Proof of Zanzibar inbound travel insurance if you are visiting the islands.
• A return or onward ticket.
• Proof of where you are staying - your trip1 booking confirmation covers this and the visa form asks for it.
• A yellow fever vaccination certificate if you are arriving from a country with a transmission risk, which includes much of East Africa.

Tanzania's e-visa and visa on arrival

Apply for the ordinary tourist visa on Tanzania's official immigration e-visa portal, ideally a few weeks before you travel. Applications are reviewed by an officer rather than approved automatically, so do not leave it to the last week.

Visa on arrival is available at the main airports and land borders for most nationalities. It works, but queues can be long after a big arrival bank, and payment is expected in US dollar notes.

US passport holders are a special case: they are normally issued a multiple-entry tourist visa rather than the ordinary single-entry one, so pick the right category on the portal. A handful of nationalities need referral approval from immigration before travelling, which takes longer.

Zanzibar's mandatory travel insurance

Since 1 October 2024 every visitor to Zanzibar must hold inbound travel insurance issued by the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation. Your own policy from home does not replace it, no matter how good the cover is.

You buy it on the official Zanzibar inbound insurance portal before you travel. The premium has been around USD 44 per adult for a stay of up to 92 days, with a reduced rate for children and nothing to pay for infants.

You get a confirmation with a QR code by email. Show that at immigration on arrival, along with your passport and visa.

Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, not a separate country

You do not need a second visa for Zanzibar. The Tanzanian visa covers the mainland and the islands alike.

Zanzibar does run its own immigration desk, though, and it checks documents even when you arrive on a domestic flight from Dar es Salaam. Have your passport, visa and insurance QR code out before you reach the counter.

Hotel check-in in Tanzania and Zanzibar

Hotels and beach resorts ask each adult guest for a passport at check-in and record the details in a guest register. Some Zanzibar properties also ask to see your insurance confirmation.

Your trip1 booking confirmation is what the front desk needs to find your reservation, and it works as your proof of accommodation on the visa form and at the border.

Island hotels often ask for a card at check-in to hold a deposit against extras like excursions or the bar. That is the hotel's own policy, separate from how you paid for the room on trip1.