Zanzibar Visa and Entry Requirements

The visa

Do I need a visa for Zanzibar?

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Yes, if you come from Europe, the UK or North America. There is no separate Zanzibar visa: the Tanzania visa covers the mainland and Zanzibar alike, and the official portal says so in its first line. When you apply you choose your first destination, and you may then travel to both without a new visa.

How much is the visa, and how long is it valid?

The ordinary tourist visa costs USD 50 and is valid for up to 90 days, for a single entry. US passport holders are the exception: they must take the multiple-entry visa at USD 100, valid for 1 year, even for a single trip. An ordinary visa also covers a side trip to another East African country and back, as long as it is still valid. Every passport holder needs their own application, children included.

Can I get a visa on arrival?

Yes. As of 3 October 2026, the immigration guidelines still offer the visa on arrival at official entry points to the nationalities on their list, which covers all of Europe, the UK and the US. Germany’s Foreign Office adds two cautions: issue on arrival is not guaranteed and there can be a wait, and the USD 50 is charged for children too, payable by card or in exact US dollar notes. The UK notes that only single-entry visas are issued on arrival, which matters to US citizens. The guidelines themselves recommend applying online.

How do I apply for the eVisa?

Only on the official portal, visa.immigration.go.tz: copycat sites charge a “service fee” for nothing. You register with your email, fill in the form, upload a colour passport photo (a JPG under 500 KB, no larger than 45 × 35 mm), a copy of your passport’s photo page and your return ticket, and pay online by Visa or Mastercard. Applications are processed within ten days; Germany’s Foreign Office says to allow at least ten working days. The visa grant notice arrives by email, and you can download it again from the portal’s status page. It is not a guarantee of entry: the officer at the border may still refuse someone who does not meet the conditions.

The insurance

Zanzibar insurance (ZIC): what does it cost and how do I buy it?

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Every visitor who lands on Zanzibar must hold the island’s mandatory inbound insurance, issued by the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC). On its official portal on 3 October 2026: USD 44 per adult, half price for children aged 3 to 17 (USD 22), free for infants up to 2, and 10% off adults in groups of 10 or more. One policy covers up to 92 consecutive days and cannot be renewed; if you stay longer, you buy a new one.

Who needs it?

Everyone except residents of Tanzania; international students studying on Zanzibar are exempt. Your own travel insurance does not count: the ZIC states plainly that only its own policy is accepted, and the UK government says you may be refused entry without it.

How do I buy it, and what do I show?

On inbound.visitzanzibar.go.tz, which calls itself the only official site: choose individual (up to two people), family (three to nine) or group, fill in the form, pay by debit or credit card, and download your certificate. Buy it before you fly; cover starts on arrival with no waiting period. Keep the QR code on your phone or printed, because it is checked at immigration.

What does ZIC cover, and what not?

Its own answers list emergency medical expenses, repatriation, personal accident, baggage delay, theft and loss, legal expenses and personal liability. The basic plan does not cover terrorism, and the policy wording has further exclusions, so read it.

Is ZIC enough, or do I need my own travel insurance?

Keep your own. Both the UK and Germany advise travel insurance on top of the mandatory policy, with medical evacuation: serious cases are flown to Dar es Salaam or Nairobi, and cancellation and your belongings are your own policy’s job. Our safety page explains the medical side.

What if I land on the mainland first?

Since 1 October 2026 mainland Tanzania has its own mandatory inbound insurance, from the National Insurance Corporation (NIC): USD 44 per person, up to 92 days, bought on inbound.nicinsurance.co.tz or on arrival. The UK says you only buy insurance for your first port of entry, and Germany says the NIC policy is recognised on Zanzibar and the ZIC on the mainland. So you buy one, for wherever you land first.

What does the ZIC notice of 28 September 2026 say?

The Zanzibar Insurance Corporation set out how the two insurances work together in a public notice (zic.co.tz):

• The first place you enter Tanzania decides which insurance you buy: land on Zanzibar first and you buy the ZIC (inbound.visitzanzibar.go.tz); land on the mainland first and you buy the NIC (inbound.nicinsurance.co.tz).
• One journey needs one policy: if your trip includes the mainland and Zanzibar, you do not insure twice.
• A valid policy also covers your later entries to either side, for up to 92 days.
• A ZIC policy bought before 1 October 2026 stays valid even if your trip starts on the mainland.
• Travellers from EAC and SADC countries are exempt from the mainland requirement, but not automatically from Zanzibar’s.
• Keep the certificate or its QR code with you: it is checked.

At the desk

What do I need at the border?

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Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your arrival, with at least one unused page. If you are cutting it close, renew before you book. Have four things ready before you reach the desk: your passport, your return or onward ticket, your insurance certificate with its QR code, and either your visa grant notice or the visa fee for arrival.

Two customs rules catch people out. Plastic carrier bags are banned and are taken off you on arrival; zip-lock bags for liquids are fine. And on the way out, shells, horns and other wildlife items cannot leave the country without a permit, however small. Arrival itself is straightforward and slower than you expect, in the way island arrivals are: the queue is the longest part, which is the practical argument for the online visa.

Our end of it

What do we do before you arrive?

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Visa guidance goes out with your booking confirmation, so the paperwork is settled weeks before you pack. If the insurance rules move again by the time you book, that is the message where you will hear about it.

The other half of arrival day is the road. Michamvi Pingwe is an honest 1h15 to 1h30 from the airport, and your butler helps you arrange the drive with the local agencies and drivers we work with; our airport transfer guide explains how it works. Your name is on a sign at arrivals, so there is no negotiating after a long-haul flight.

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