Tanzania visa requirements for British citizens

Check your circumstances

Read these conditions alongside the entry rule. Where official guidance does not state a condition, that is not confirmation that no condition applies.

Passport type Conditions to check

The UK advice covers full British citizen passports. Diplomatic and official passports fall under the separate gratis visa; other British passport types are not covered here.

Official sources: UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Trip purpose Confirmed for this scope

Tourists need a tourist visa. Working or volunteering needs a work permit as well, arranged before travel.

Official sources: UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Age Conditions to check

Every passport holder needs a separate visa application, including minors traveling on a parent's trip. No separate child fee is stated.

Official sources: Immigration Services Department, United Republic of Tanzania (visa.immigration.go.tz).

Residence Conditions to check

Apply for the e-Visa online before travel or get a visa on arrival: the Tanzania High Commission in London no longer issues visas.

Official sources: UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Other visas or residence permits Not stated in the cited guidance

The guidelines do not mention any residence permit or visa from another country that replaces the Tanzanian visa.

Official sources: Immigration Services Department, United Republic of Tanzania (visa.immigration.go.tz).

Carrier and arrival route Conditions to check

You must be ready to show a return or onward ticket at border control. A transit visa of up to seven days exists for travelers passing through to another country.

Official sources: UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Stay and visa validity Confirmed for this scope

The ordinary visa for tourism is valid for up to 90 days. A visa on arrival is single entry only; a multiple-entry visa must be applied for in advance.

Official sources: Immigration Services Department, United Republic of Tanzania (visa.immigration.go.tz).

Which visa British tourists need

Tourists apply for the ordinary visa, which the guidelines price at USD 50 and which is valid for up to 90 days. If you visit another East African country during your trip, you can use the same ordinary visa to come back to Tanzania while it is still valid.

Your passport must have an expiry date at least six months after you arrive and at least one blank page. Overstaying can lead to arrest, detention and a fine before deportation.

Official sources: Immigration Services Department, United Republic of Tanzania (visa.immigration.go.tz); UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Online or on arrival

The UK government advises applying for the e-Visa before you travel, since visas are no longer issued by the High Commission in London. You can also get a single-entry tourist visa on arrival at the main ports of entry if you meet all the immigration requirements, but not a multiple-entry visa.

Official sources: UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; Immigration Services Department, United Republic of Tanzania (visa.immigration.go.tz).

Applying online

Apply only through the Immigration Services e-Visa portal, which covers both Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar with one visa; pick your first destination on the form. Upload a color photo, the photo page of your passport and your return ticket, then pay by Visa card or Mastercard. Every passport holder, children included, needs a separate application.

Applications are processed within ten days, so lodge them at least ten days before you travel. You cannot change an application once it is submitted, and you should not arrive before it is approved. Fees are prepaid and not refundable, even if the visa is refused. The Immigration Service may ask you to attend an interview at the Tanzanian embassy nearest to you.

Official sources: Immigration Services Department, United Republic of Tanzania (visa.immigration.go.tz); Immigration Services Department, United Republic of Tanzania (visa.immigration.go.tz).

At the border

An approved e-Visa arrives as a Visa Grant Notice by email, and you can download it again from the portal. It is not the final authority to enter: the immigration officer at the entry point decides. Carry your return or onward ticket, as you must show it on arrival.

All visitors except residents must also hold the government inbound travel insurance, bought online or on arrival from the National Insurance Corporation if you land on the mainland first, or from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation if you land in Zanzibar first. If you arrive from a country with a risk of yellow fever, bring proof of vaccination.

Official sources: Immigration Services Department, United Republic of Tanzania (visa.immigration.go.tz); Immigration Services Department, United Republic of Tanzania (visa.immigration.go.tz); UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; Government of Canada.