Tanzania medical treatment visa and permit

Tanzania has no separate medical visa. The visa guidelines and the online visa information list health treatment as one of the purposes of the ordinary single-entry visa, alongside holidays and family visits. A visitor who goes to Tanzania for a procedure or a course of treatment that will end within 90 days therefore applies for the ordinary visa (USD 50) online or, if eligible, obtains it on arrival, and carries a letter or appointment confirmation from the treating hospital in case the immigration officer asks about the purpose of the trip. A companion travelling with the patient needs a visa of their own.

Any foreigner who stays more than 90 days must hold a residence permit. For patients, the residence permit matrix provides category C-6, medical treatment, for persons attending treatment at recognised hospitals or medical institutions. Class C covers foreigners who do not qualify for Class A or B, and like other Class C categories, medical treatment does not need a work permit from the Labour Commissioner. The Residence Permit Guidelines place medical treatment among the categories that may apply under the Individual entity type, which means the patient can file the application personally rather than through a company.

Besides the general Class C requirements (online form, passport valid for six months, photo, passports of any dependants, current immigration status and a covering letter), the specific requirements are evidence of the illness from a government hospital, a referral hospital or another large recognised hospital, and evidence of the status of the host in Tanzania, whether a local or a foreigner. All uploaded documents must be certified copies. The department may request a physical verification visit report or other documents.

The ordinary visa costs USD 50. Residence Permit Class C-6 costs USD 200 (USD 100 for citizens of East African Community states and diaspora applicants), plus a re-entry pass of USD 50 for the applicant and each dependant. The fee becomes payable only after the application has been approved for payment, and must be paid within 60 days, or the application is deleted.

Class C permits are applied for on the immigration e-Services residence permit portal while the applicant is still outside Tanzania. You create an account, choose the processing centre and the Individual entity type, upload the certified documents and submit. After approval and payment you receive an enrolment notification and report to an immigration office for fingerprints and a photo; the permit is then issued within about a week. Applicants who disagree with the Commissioner General's decision may appeal to the Minister of Home Affairs while outside the country.