Tanzania Lets in Citizens of 20 African Countries and 31 Commonwealth Nations Without a Visa. Here's the Full List.

DAR ES SALAAM — Tanzania's Immigration Services Department maintains one of East Africa's broadest visa-exemption regimes, built on three overlapping categories: membership in the East African Community, membership in the Southern African Development Community, and membership in the Commonwealth. Combined and stripped of duplicates, roughly 50 countries and territories qualify for entirely visa-free entry into Tanzania. What has changed more significantly than the exemption list itself is what happens to everyone who does not qualify for it. As of 30 January 2025, Tanzania abolished visa on arrival across all ports of entry, airports, land borders and seaports alike. The option that once let many travellers simply pay a fee and receive a visa on landing no longer exists in any form. Every non-exempt visitor must now apply for an e-Visa online before departure. The Full List of Countries Exempt From a Tanzania Visa CountryBasis for ExemptionAngolaSADCAntigua and BarbudaCommonwealthThe BahamasCommonwealthBarbadosCommonwealthBelizeCommonwealthBotswanaSADCBruneiCommonwealthBurundiEACCameroonCommonwealthCyprusCommonwealthDemocratic Republic of the CongoEAC & SADCDominicaCommonwealthEswatiniSADCFijiCommonwealthThe GambiaCommonwealthGhanaCommonwealthGrenadaCommonwealthGuyanaCommonwealthJamaicaCommonwealthKenyaEACKiribatiCommonwealthLesothoSADCMadagascarSADCMalawiSADCMalaysiaCommonwealthMaltaCommonwealthMauritiusSADCMozambiqueSADCNamibiaSADCNauruCommonwealthPapua New GuineaCommonwealthRwandaEACSamoaCommonwealthSeychellesSADCSierra LeoneCommonwealthSingaporeCommonwealthSolomon IslandsCommonwealthSomaliaEACSouth AfricaSADCSouth SudanEACSri LankaCommonwealthSt. Kitts and NevisCommonwealthSt. LuciaCommonwealthSt. Vincent and the GrenadinesCommonwealthTongaCommonwealthTrinidad and TobagoCommonwealthTuvaluCommonwealthUgandaEACVanuatuCommonwealthZambiaSADCZimbabweSADC The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the only country exempt under two categories at once, since it holds membership in both the EAC and SADC. Somalia, admitted to the EAC in 2024, qualifies for full visa-free entry as a bloc member; travellers should note this supersedes any older, pre-membership guidance that treated Somali nationals as requiring prior clearance. Which Commonwealth Members Still Need a Visa Not every Commonwealth country makes the exempt list. Despite Commonwealth membership, nationals of Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan and the United Kingdom must obtain a visa before travelling to Tanzania, a specific carve-out written directly into the Immigration Department's official guidelines rather than an oversight. Visa on Arrival No Longer Exists For decades, travellers who did not qualify for visa-free entry could obtain a visa on landing at Tanzania's major airports and border posts. That option ended on 30 January 2025. Confusion around the change ran for several weeks beforehand, with Tanzanian authorities initially declining to confirm the suspension even as foreign ministries in France and Canada updated their travel advisories to reflect it, but the policy took effect as those governments had anticipated. Since then, every non-exempt traveller must apply through Tanzania's official e-Visa portal, visa.immigration.go.tz, before arrival. A single-entry tourist e-Visa typically costs $50, while United States citizens are required to apply for a multiple-entry visa at $100 regardless of trip length or purpose. Standard processing takes roughly 10 business days, and applicants are advised to apply at least two weeks ahead of travel. A smaller subset of nationalities faces an additional layer of scrutiny. Citizens of countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Chad, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen fall into a "referral" category, meaning their e-Visa applications cannot be approved locally and must instead be forwarded to and cleared by the Immigration Department in Dar es Salaam, a process that can take two to six weeks rather than the standard window. Zanzibar Follows the Same Rules, With One Addition Zanzibar, semi-autonomous but constitutionally part of the United Republic of Tanzania, follows the same visa-exemption and e-Visa framework as the mainland; no separate Zanzibar visa exists, and a Tanzania e-Visa covers entry to the islands as well. Zanzibar does, however, apply one requirement mainland Tanzania does not: since October 2024, all visitors to the archipelago must purchase mandatory travel insurance from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation, at a cost of roughly $44 per person, payable on arrival at the airport or port, separate from any private travel insurance a visitor already holds. Why the Framework Matters Economically Tanzania's exemption structure is built directly around its regional commitments rather than as a general open-border policy. Waiving visa requirements for East African Community and Southern African Development Community citizens supports the EAC Common Market Protocol's goal of free movement of people, labour, services and capital, while the broader Commonwealth exemption extends that access to a wider set of diplomatic and historical partners. For businesses, the combination of visa-free access for close regional and Commonwealth partners and a fully digital, pre-arrival process for everyone else lowers the administrative cost of investment missions, supplier relationships and cross-border trade, while tourism operators benefit from simplified access for visitors from the exempt list. As African economies integrate further under the African Continental Free Trade Area, visa policy of this kind functions as a direct, measurable input into how easily entrepreneurs, investors, professionals and tourists can move, not merely a border-control formality. FAQ Which countries can enter Tanzania without a visa? All East African Community member states, all Southern African Development Community members except Comoros, and all Commonwealth nations except Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan and the United Kingdom, a combined list of roughly 50 countries and territories. Can I still get a Tanzania visa on arrival at the airport? No. Tanzania abolished visa on arrival at all airports, land borders and seaports as of 30 January 2025. All non-exempt visitors must apply for an e-Visa online before travelling. How much does a Tanzania e-Visa cost, and how long does it take? A standard single-entry tourist e-Visa costs $50 and typically processes within about 10 business days. United States citizens are required to apply for a multiple-entry visa at $100, regardless of the length or purpose of their trip. Why do some Commonwealth countries still need a visa for Tanzania? Tanzania's exemption policy carves out seven Commonwealth members, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan and the United Kingdom, specifically excluding them from the broader Commonwealth visa waiver, per the Immigration Department's own published guidelines. Do I need a separate visa for Zanzibar? No. Zanzibar is part of the United Republic of Tanzania and follows the same visa and exemption policy as the mainland. Visitors do, however, need to purchase mandatory Zanzibar travel insurance, around $44 per person, on arrival, a requirement in place since October 2024. What are Tanzania's "referral countries," and how are they different? Citizens of a smaller group of countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Chad, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, cannot have their e-Visa applications approved locally. Their applications are forwarded to the Immigration Department in Dar es Salaam for approval, a process that can take two to six weeks rather than the standard 10 business days.