Tanzania Visa Information

Planning for a Tanzania safari requires an interdisciplinary approach. Consequently, getting a Tanzanian Visa should be among your top priorities in planning for a safari. Generally, if you wish to visit any foreign country, you would need two important documents. One is a Passport and the second is Visa. This is not different in Tanzania. Usually, Visas are issued by the Immigration Bureau of the visiting country, and different Visa categories are made for respective purposes. So then, here are some of the Visas in Tanzania

Types of Tanzania Visas

In Tanzania, we have about “7 Visa Categories”.  If you are looking to visit the country for tourism purposes, an ordinary Visa should be the type of Visa you’ll be required to possess, unless you are a US citizen then you will need a multiple – entry Visa.

1. Ordinary Visa

Ordinary Visa right away! Also known as a Single Entry Visa, this is granted for the purposes of visit, tourism, leisure, holiday, attending conferences, humanitarian and charity activities, family visit, health treatment or any other purposes that may be decided by the authority. Be it a Tanzania Wildlife Safari, Cultural Tourism or Beach Holidays in Zanzibar, all you need is an Ordinary or a Single Entry Visa. The validity of this Visa is 90 days of a single entry. This is actually the Visa that is widely used for tourism purposes. It costs 50 USD and this will give you enough time to enjoy the country. For other purposes rather than tourism, you can simply scroll up and read types of Visas to find out which one will cater for your travel needs.

2. Business Visa

Business Visa is issued for a period not exceeding 90 days to foreign nationals who intend to enter the country for the purposes like:

• Conducting special assignments like fixing machines, for a short training.
• For short term professional tasks like accounts, auditing, et cetera.
• To conduct any other short term lawful business-related task recognized by the laws of Tanzania.

3. Multiple-entry Visa

This is the best Visa for foreign nationals who visit the country regularly. A good example is the Directors of Companies registered in Tanzania, but they do not reside in the country. For US citizens who want to visit Tanzania for holidays, this is the type of Visa they need to select when applying for a Visa online. This Visa allows the applicant to stay in the country for up to twelve months. However, it is not permitted to stay in the country for twelve consecutive months; the holder of a Multiple – Entry Visa is required to leave Tanzania after every 3 months.

4. Transit Visa

As its name suggests, this is used for travellers whose purpose is to pass through Tanzania to another destination (In – Transit Travelers). Do not confuse this with an Ordinary Visa and think that you are good to use it for tourism purposes.

5. Gratis Visa

Gratis comes from the Latin words of gratia and gratis. Nevertheless, the word means a favor. Having said so, Gratis Visa may be issued for single or multiple entries and it is usually for the holders of diplomatic, services or official passport or travel document by the recognized international organization who is on official duty. Furthermore, this type of Visa can be issued to a holder of an ordinary passport.

6: Student Visa

While this type of Visa is granted to students, it should not exceed two years. The group of students that falls under this category is:

• Research Students
• Interns
• Volunteers
• East Africa Community Students (free of charge)
• Exchange Program Students (free of charge)
• Prospective students admitted to the recognized and legally registered institutions.

7: Referral Visas

There are about 25 countries which their nationals require special clearance from the Commissioner-General of the Immigration prior to issuance of Visa. Apply for this Visa at least two months prior to your visit to Tanzania.  Do not book flights or things like accommodation or any other reservations in Tanzania before you have your Visa approved. Countries that fall under the Referral Visa Category are:

• Afghanistan	• Somali land
• Kazakhstan Republic	• Chad
• Somalia	• Mali
• Azerbaijan	• Sierra Leone
• Kyigten Republic	• Djibouti
• Sri Lanka	• Mauritania
• Bangladesh	• Tajikistan
• Lebanon	• Ethiopia
• Niger	• Turkmenistan
• Eritrea	• Palestine
• Uzbekistan	• Equatorial Guinea
• Pakistan	• Persons with refugee status.
• Senegal	• Stateless persons

Again, this group of people is required to obtain a Referral Visa prior to their visit to Tanzania. As a rule, they should hold the Vienna Convention documents.

Visa-less Countries

There are countries whose nationals do not require a Visa. Here is the list of the 68 countries that fall under this category:

The Best Way to Apply for a Tanzanian Visa

So far you are already provided with most of the information you need to apply for a Tanzanian Visa. Nevertheless, you might be asking yourself, how do you apply for a visa? Where do you get it? Don’t panic, we have you covered. Kindly browse around this: Tanzania Immigration Department Official Website. Here you’ll immediately see how you can easily get started.

Applying for a Tanzanian Visa on Arrival

We would highly discourage this. Applying for Visa on arrival can lead to unbearable lengthy delays. Following the recent changes made by the United Republic of Tanzania, Ministry of Home Affairs – Immigration Department, you should really focus on applying for your Tanzanian Visa online. While applying for a Tanzanian Visa online might take up to three weeks for a Visa to be issued, applying for it as early as possible would be wiser.

Refund upon Visa Rejection

There is no refund that will be issued for any payment should your visa application be rejected.

Tanzania Visa Fees

Documents You Need For a Tanzania Visa

Payments methods

When applying for your Tanzanian Visa online, there are two options for payment. These are:

• Credit Card or
• Payment by SWIFT transfer.

We recommend you to use the Credit card option (paying through VISA or MASTERCARD) since, with SWIFT transfer, there might arise some challenges in tracking your payments.

Waiting for your Tanzania Visa

After you’ve completed your online Tanzania visa application and have received an application ID, you will be notified of your application status via email within 10 days. There may be a delay in notifications, so what we would advise here is that you keep checking your application status by going back to the Visa system and check in the VISA STATUS category.

Applying for a Tanzania Visa via Third Parties.

You may come across agents, websites, and other links promising to help you get a Tanzanian Visa swiftly. They might go far by claiming that they work on behalf of the Tanzania Immigration Department. Do not buy them; do not even apply for your Tanzania Visa via their services. The best and safest way to apply for your Tanzanian Visa is by visiting the Immigration Website and apply for your Visa right away. You have been warned, right?

Entry Points for Online & On Arrival Tanzania Visa

Visa versus Yellow Fever Certificate – Can Either be a Substitute for Another?

A Visa is not used as a substitute for the Yellow Fever Certificate and vice versa. If you are from a yellow fever endemic country or have stayed there for more than 6 hours you will need to get a yellow fever vaccination and certification. The yellow fever endemic countries are: Angola, Argentina, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Chad, Colombia, Costa Rica, Congo, Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire), Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia. More countries are: French Guyana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Honduras, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principle, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Suriname, Togo, Trinidad, Uganda, and Venezuela

Conclusion

Tanzania Safari is exceptionally beautiful, unique, extraordinarily amazing beyond one’s imagination You shouldn’t trade your Tanzania Experience for anything. That is why you need your Tanzanian Visa as soon as you confirm your Safari. It is of paramount importance that you ensure you get all the preparations right before you start your Tanzania safari. That way, you will avoid any unnecessary disturbance hence you will have your mind and soul relaxed and devoted to enjoying this beautiful country. From our side, we wish you nothing but the very best Tanzania Safari Experience. Oops! Almost forgot, Tanzania Immigration Department has put together a very useful FAQ online page here that you should visit in case you face any questions – you can as well drop us some lines for our assistance if deemed so.