Tanzania retirement visa (Residence Permit Class C-2)

The residence permit matrix defines category C-2 as persons who retired in Tanzania or outside Tanzania and have an assured income to sustain themselves and their dependants, and who are aged 55 or above. It is part of Class C, the class for foreigners who do not qualify for Class A or Class B. A foreign pensioner who wants to spend most of the year in Zanzibar or on the Mainland, beyond the 90 days an ordinary visa allows, is therefore a typical C-2 applicant. The permit does not allow employment.

The specific documents for retired persons are evidence of retirement benefits, a letter of retirement, evidence of the place of occupancy (for example a lease or title deed for the home in Tanzania) and, for people who retired from a job in Tanzania, the surrender of the previous residence permit. The general Class C items are also required: the online application, a covering letter, a passport valid for six months, a photo, passports of dependants and the current immigration status. Documents must be certified copies.

The official requirements ask for evidence of retirement benefits and a letter of retirement, but the immigration pages do not set a minimum monthly amount. The income must be assured and sufficient for the applicant and any dependants. A pension statement or award letter from the state pension authority or a private pension fund, with an official English translation, serves as evidence of retirement benefits and of the retirement itself.

Category C-2 costs USD 500 (USD 250 for East African Community citizens and diaspora applicants), plus a USD 50 re-entry pass for the applicant and each dependant, which allows trips abroad during the permit. The permit is valid for at most two years and is renewed as a Replacement, with the previous original permit. Refusals can be appealed to the Minister of Home Affairs.

Retired persons are among the subcategories filed under the Individual entity type on the immigration residence permit portal, and they do not need a work permit. The Residence Permit Guidelines state that Class C applications must be made before entering Tanzania except by retired persons and those winding up their affairs, so a retiree may arrive on an ordinary visa and apply from inside the country. After approval, the fee must be paid within 60 days; you then enrol fingerprints and a photo at an immigration office and receive the permit in about a week.