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Getting a Tourist Visa for Tanzania
Tourist Visa for Tanzania
Most foreigners require a visa to enter Tanzania. For tourists to obtain a tourist visa, he has two options: get the visa on arrival or apply for it in advance through the Tanzanian consulate in his home country, which requires him to mail his passport and wait for it to be returned. there was. The latter is less than ideal, time consuming and somewhat risky if you have experience with losing your passport in the postal system.
Thankfully, the process has been simplified and tourists can now apply for an e-Visa to enter Tanzania as a tourist. Don’t be put off by the visa possibilities. This is a very simple step that almost every country in the world requires travelers to do
The cost of a Tanzanian tourist visa is $50 USD for most travelers, $100 USD for American citizens. Citizens of some countries (such as several neighboring African countries) are allowed to enter Tanzania for free, without a visa.
To see if you are from a country that is exempt from a tourist visa, please check out Tanzania’s official visa exemption list, here.
Getting visa online
For your convenience and safety, we recommend applying for a tourist visa in advance through the Tanzania Immigration Service website.
Visit the Tanzania Immigration Service official website to complete and pay your application online.
Official online visa guidelines may be found here.
NOTE FOR US CITIZENS: select “Multiple Entry Visa” when completing your application. This is the required option for US citizens wishing to enter Tanzania as tourists, then choose “Holiday and Leisure” as the purpose for travel
Other nationals may consider if a single-entry tourist visa or multiple-entry visa is right for their travel plans.
Timeframe
It may take up to 10 days to process your application. Therefore, please allow enough time to complete the application and receive your visa. If you’re short on time, or have booked a last-minute adventure in Tanzania, you’ll need to apply for a visa upon arrival at the airport.
Alternatively, you must obtain a tourist visa within three months of your intended travel date. Do not apply for your e-Visa too early!
Print all confirmation pages and keep them in a safe place. When you arrive in Tanzania (usually Kilimanjaro or Julius Nyerere International Airport), you will have an official sticker in your passport as proof of your tourist visa.
Select “New Application” to start your E-Visa
- Please make a note of your application number. Take a picture, save a screenshot, or write down the number for later reference.
- If you can’t answer all the questions at once after launching the application, simply enter your email address and application number on the first page to re-access the application.
To go back and complete your application, select ‘Continue application’.
- You can check your visa status on our Visa Status page. On this page, you can see if your visa has been received, is being processed, or has been approved.
Completing online application form
Complete your e-Visa only from the official website of the Tanzania Immigration Service. Do not share your passport number or other sensitive information with other websites that offer visas. The only genuine e-Visas are here:
Select “New Application” to start your E-Visa
The online application form is very simple and your answers should be clear.
- Please make a note of your application number. Take a picture, save a screenshot, or write down the number for later reference.
- If you can’t answer all the questions at once after starting the application, you can easily access the application using the email address and application number provided on the first page.
When you return to complete the application, you will select “Continue Application”.
- You can check the status of your visa at the “Visa Status” page, which will let you know if your visa has been received, if it is in process or if you have been approved.
- If you have different spellings of your name, or use a different last name (such as a maiden name), the information provided here must match your official passport.
- Spelling matters, so double-check before completing the page.
- Don’t worry if you don’t have a passport photo ready to scan for this last step, you can always save your application and complete it at a later date.
- You should select “Holiday and Leisure” as the purpose of your visit if you are coming as a tourist.
Tips for travel information section:
This is where customers generally ask the most questions, as they need to provide their physical address in Tanzania and the name of their host.
- Do not select “Tanzanian Citizen” unless you know a Tanzanian citizen personally and want to stay where they live. Most of the time you have to indicate that you are staying in a “hotel”. This is the most appropriate answer even if you spend most of your safari time camping while on safari or climbing Kilimanjaro or staying at another lodge.
- Please use the itinerary provided by GreyJoy Tours & Safari to enter the name and address of the first hotel in this itinerary. For example, if you want to stay at the Mount Meru Hotel before starting your Safari or Kilimanjaro climb, enter Mount Meru, Arusha, Tanzania.
- GreyJoy Tours Clients, please use GreyJoy Tours and our included contact information as your “Reference” in Tanzania.
- Under the section Local Host, make sure to select “Company/Organization” and list GreyJoy Tours & Safari. Your relationship to GreyJoy Tours & Safari in this instance will be “Tour Operator”.
Tips for “Travel Companions” section:
This is especially important when traveling with minors (such as children). Please fill out this section as best you can.
- If you are traveling in a group (e.g. Safari or climbing team), you can select ‘Group or Organization’. However, if you don’t know all the members of your team, or meet them in Tanzania, they are not starting from the same place, you will be traveling as a single adult for all “travel purposes”.
- Don’t worry about companions for group situations that include individual travel where you meet up in Tanzania after arrival.
What is the difference between a visa on arrival and an e-visa?
If the e-Visa process is too complicated or you have technical difficulties, don’t worry! If you’re from a country that doesn’t require a visa, you can get a visa upon arrival in Tanzania for the same cost (more info see below). Citizens of many countries are eligible to obtain a visa on arrival.
The difference when you complete the e-Visa is that it saves you time to arrive in Tanzania. If you have an e-visa, you can stand in the “visa holder” line at immigration. They pass quickly, get a sticker in their passport, and do not need to do any further formalities or payments.
Alternatively, there is a much longer process where you have to complete paperwork and answer questions to prove you are here for tourism. After completing this step, you will need to enter another queue to obtain your official payment control number. Then you have to enter a third queue to make the final cash payment for your visa. If you are part of a very busy flight arriving in Tanzania, this line can get long and wait times can be very long.
If you decide to get a visa upon arrival in Tanzania, you must have $50 USD prepared in cash (other forms of payment are not accepted). US citizens must have $100 USD in cash for a tourist visa. It is also a good idea to have your tour operator’s contact details available and the name of the hotel where you will be staying, to provide to immigration, also
Referral visa
citizens of some countries, even tourists, may require a referred visa(migrationlink) to come to Tanzania. In these cases, the application form is less straightforward and cannot be completed on arrival. Citizens of the following countries must apply for a referral visa in advance.
Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan Republic, Kyrgyzstan Republic, Lebanon, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Senegal, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Somali land, Sierra Leone, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Yemen and Stateless persons or persons with refugee status
If you are a citizen of one of these countries, you should apply for a referral visa. It may take him 60 days or more to process this application, so it’s important to apply early. The Tanzanian Immigration Service does not recommend booking flights until the referral visa has been approved.
GreyJoy Tours & safari can assist clients in completing referral visa applications and has experience in helping guests successfully travel to Tanzania as tourists on such visas. Please feel free to contact us if you have any problems obtaining a visa.
Passport validity
Your passport should be valid for six months after your departure from Tanzania.
For example, if your passport expires November 2022, your departure date should be no later than May 2022.
If the expiration date for your passport is close to six months, consider renewing your passport before completing your e-visa, as your passport number may change and make your Tanzania visa invalild.
If you have any further questions regarding a visitor visa to Tanzania, please contact us.
Want to know more about Tanzania adventures?
Contact our team! We have been to all of the top destinations in this land. Our Arusha-based adventure consultants will gladly share our travel tips and help you plan the trip.
