Tanzania e-Visa: how the official online application works

The Tanzania Electronic Visa Application System is the department's online channel for all six visa types: ordinary, multiple entry, business, transit, student and gratis. It covers visits to both Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar. Nationals of most countries can use it without prior clearance. Nationals of the 23 referral countries, refugees and stateless persons must also apply online, but their applications go to the Commissioner General of Immigration for approval and should be lodged at least two months ahead.

The visa guidelines repeatedly warn that applications should be made only through the official immigration website and its visa portal, not through other online links. Fees on third-party sites are not the official fees listed below.

The fee matrix lists USD 50 for the ordinary visa, USD 100 for the multiple entry visa, USD 250 for the business visa and USD 30 for the transit visa. Student visas cost USD 50 for programmes up to three months, USD 250 for longer programmes of up to two years, USD 300 for research students and USD 550 for PhD students. Diplomatic and official travellers receive a gratis visa.

Payment is made online with a Visa card or Mastercard, and a confirmation is sent once the payment goes through. Fees are non-refundable and non-transferable in all cases, including refusal, cancellation by the applicant, double payment for a second application, and failure to receive the grant e-mail.

On the portal you start a new application, log in with your e-mail address and receive a User Identification Number by e-mail, which lets you continue or track the application later. You fill in the form, upload a photo and the documents for the chosen category, receive a payment notification, pay the fee and then submit. A confirmation message follows. Each passport holder files separately, and the form asks for the first destination if you plan to visit both the Mainland and Zanzibar.

The photo must be in colour with a plain background, show the full face from hair to chin with eyes open, measure no more than 45 x 35 mm and weigh no more than 500 KB in JPG or JPEG. Glasses may be worn if you wear them regularly; head coverings only for religious reasons. A non-compliant photo can lead to refusal.

The guidelines set a processing time of ten days, and the terms ask you to lodge the application at least ten days before travel. Decisions are sent to the e-mail address in the form as a Visa Grant Notice showing the visa start and end dates, which must be observed. If no e-mail arrives, the notice can be downloaded from the application status page. If processing takes longer than ten days, the department asks applicants to follow up by e-mail.

Do not travel before approval. The terms state that anyone who arrives while the online application is still pending may have to pay the visa fee again at the border, and that payment is not refunded.

Applications in the wrong category, with missing information or without the required attachments are rejected, and the department may withhold its reasons. A submitted form cannot be edited, and the dates on an issued grant cannot be postponed. Some applicants may be asked to attend an interview at the Tanzanian embassy nearest to where they applied from.

Holding a Visa Grant Notice is not a guarantee of entry. The immigration officer at the border may still refuse a traveller who cannot meet the entry requirements, such as a return ticket and sufficient funds.