Tanzania’s New Mandatory Travel Insurance: What Visitors Need to Know

Important update: International visitors arriving in Tanzania from 1 October 2026 should be prepared to show proof of the country’s new mandatory inbound travel insurance. The policy is separate from ordinary travel or medical insurance purchased in your home country.

The Tanzania mandatory travel insurance requirement affects visitors arriving through mainland airports, seaports and land borders. Zanzibar continues to operate its own inbound insurance system, so travellers combining a safari with an island stay need to pay particular attention to where they are entering and which parts of Tanzania they will visit.

The mainland regulations were published in the Government Gazette on 4 September 2026. They establish the legal framework, while an implementation notice circulated to tourism partners gives 1 October 2026 as the effective date. As operational information can change during the early stages of a new entry system, check the official insurance portals again shortly before departure.

The essential facts at a glance

Requirement	Mainland Tanzania	Zanzibar
Official insurer	National Insurance Corporation, or a registered insurer working with NIC	Zanzibar Insurance Corporation
Standard adult premium	Equivalent of USD 44, paid through the designated system	USD 44 per adult
Maximum validity	92 days from arrival, including multiple mainland entries	Up to 92 days under the Zanzibar policy terms
Existing private insurance accepted instead?	No	No
Official purchase portal	NIC inbound insurance portal	ZIC inbound insurance portal

Who must purchase the mainland policy?

The mainland regulations apply to qualifying foreign visitors entering Mainland Tanzania through an airport, seaport or land border. This includes arrivals through locations such as:

• Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam
• Kilimanjaro International Airport
• Abeid Amani Karume International Airport only when entering Zanzibar under the separate Zanzibar system
• Mainland seaports
• Road borders with Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique

However, the definition used in the mainland regulations excludes residents of East African Community and Southern African Development Community partner states. If this exemption may apply to you, verify it through the official NIC system using your residence and travel documents. Do not assume that nationality and residence will be treated as the same thing.

Zanzibar applies its own eligibility and pricing rules. Its official information currently includes travellers from EAC and SADC countries, although a different rate may apply. This is one reason travellers should not treat the mainland and Zanzibar policies as a single national product.

Do you still need it if you already have travel insurance?

Yes. A private policy from your home country does not replace the compulsory local policy.

Think of the mandatory policy as an entry requirement with a limited local safety net. Your private insurance may provide broader protection for expensive medical care, trip cancellation, missed departures, personal liability, high-value baggage and other losses that the compulsory policy may not cover fully.

We therefore recommend keeping your existing international policy. Before travelling, check that it covers the particular activities included in your itinerary. A conventional holiday policy may treat a game drive differently from high-altitude trekking, scuba diving or other specialist activities.

Travellers combining a safari with Kilimanjaro should pay close attention to altitude limits, evacuation arrangements and activity exclusions. The new local policy does not remove the need to check the wording of your personal cover.

Which policy should you buy?

Your route matters, but the situation is more complicated than simply buying one policy according to your first arrival airport.

If you are visiting Mainland Tanzania only

Purchase the mainland policy through the official NIC inbound travel insurance portal. This applies to a typical northern-circuit safari arriving through Kilimanjaro International Airport, a southern safari arriving through Dar es Salaam, a Kilimanjaro climb or a mainland journey beginning at a land border.

If you are visiting Zanzibar only

Purchase the Zanzibar policy from the official Zanzibar inbound insurance portal. The Zanzibar Insurance Corporation is the official provider.

If you are visiting Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar

Do not assume automatically that one policy will satisfy both systems. The mainland regulations and Zanzibar programme are administered separately, and their published information does not clearly establish reciprocal recognition.

For example, a traveller may land at Kilimanjaro International Airport, complete a safari and then fly from Arusha to Zanzibar. Another may arrive in Zanzibar, spend several nights at the beach and then fly to the Serengeti. Both travellers enter two separately administered insurance areas during one holiday.

Check both official portals before departure and retain written confirmation of any guidance you receive. Until mutual recognition is explicitly confirmed, travellers should allow for the possibility that separate mainland and Zanzibar policies may be required.

If you are arranging a combined trip, our guide to Zanzibar and Tanzania entry requirements can help you organise the documents needed for each part of the journey.

How much does the insurance cost?

The prescribed mainland premium is the Tanzanian-shilling equivalent of USD 44. The payment is made through the system designated by NIC or an authorised partner. The exact shilling amount may reflect the applicable conversion rate.

Zanzibar’s published standard price is USD 44 per adult and USD 22 per child. Its official website should be used to confirm current prices and age categories before payment.

The mainland policy is generally non-refundable, apart from cancellation or another circumstance expressly covered by its terms. Avoid entering personal or payment information on unofficial websites that imitate the government portals.

How long is the policy valid?

The mainland policy is valid for a maximum of 92 days from the date of arrival. It allows multiple entries into Mainland Tanzania within that validity period.

This is useful for an itinerary that crosses between Tanzania and a neighbouring country before returning. However, a visitor staying beyond 92 days must obtain a new policy.

The 92-day period should not be confused with immigration permission. Insurance validity does not extend a visa, visitor pass or permitted stay. Your immigration status and insurance cover remain separate requirements.

What does the mandatory policy cover?

The mainland regulations require the policy to include four principal categories:

• Emergency medical treatment: Assistance following a sudden illness, accident or bodily injury during the insured period.
• Emergency medical evacuation: Transport to a suitable medical facility when appropriate treatment is not available at the traveller’s location.
• Emergency repatriation: Arrangements for medical repatriation or the return of mortal remains when covered by the policy.
• Loss of luggage: Financial protection for qualifying loss, theft or permanent misplacement of personal baggage.

The regulations establish these categories, but the financial limits, exclusions and precise benefits are contained in the policy issued to each traveller. Read that document rather than relying on a short website summary.

This matters on safari because an emergency may happen a considerable distance from a major hospital. Your guide and lodge can help coordinate the immediate response, but the insurer controls what it authorises and reimburses under the policy.

How to purchase the policy before travelling

1. Confirm whether you are entering Mainland Tanzania, Zanzibar or both.
2. Use the correct official portal for your itinerary.
3. Enter your passport and travel information exactly as it appears on your documents.
4. Review the premium, policy period, limits and exclusions before paying.
5. Download the insurance certificate and complete policy document.
6. Save an offline copy on your phone.
7. Carry a printed copy with your passport and other arrival documents.
8. Keep the emergency telephone number somewhere accessible to another member of your travelling party.

The mainland regulations allow the policy to be purchased before departure or upon arrival. Buying it in advance is nevertheless the more sensible option. It reduces the chance of queues, payment problems and delays to the start of your transfer.

This is particularly important when your Tanzania safari itinerary begins with an airport pickup followed by a long drive. Time spent completing insurance paperwork at the airport may affect the remainder of that day’s programme.

What to do if you need to make a claim

The most important first step is to contact the insurer using the emergency number printed on your policy. Do this as soon as reasonably possible, particularly before agreeing to major expenses or arranging an evacuation.

In a genuine emergency, seek necessary medical help first. As soon as circumstances allow, notify the insurer and follow its instructions.

For a medical claim, keep:

• The medical report or discharge summary
• Itemised hospital and pharmacy invoices
• Official proof of payment
• Prescriptions and diagnostic results where applicable
• Any written authorisation received from the insurer

For delayed, lost or stolen baggage, keep:

• The airline’s Property Irregularity Report
• Your baggage tags and boarding passes
• A police report when theft is involved
• Receipts for approved essential purchases
• Evidence of ownership where requested

The insurer may also request your passport copy, entry stamp, insurance certificate and completed claim form. Submit the claim through the process stated in your policy rather than assuming that every NIC or ZIC claim follows an identical route.

What should already-booked travellers do?

If your holiday was booked before the rule was announced, you do not need to abandon or redesign the trip. This is primarily an additional entry document to arrange before departure.

Add the following tasks to your pre-travel checklist:

• Check whether your first arrival is on the mainland or in Zanzibar.
• Identify every later crossing between the mainland and Zanzibar.
• Confirm whether your residence qualifies for a mainland exemption.
• Purchase the relevant compulsory policy or policies.
• Keep your private international insurance active.
• Send copies of the certificates to the person travelling with you.
• Recheck the official portals shortly before your flight.

If Roy Safaris is arranging your journey, send us your arrival route if you are uncertain which system applies. We can help you identify the relevant entry points, although the insurance application and declarations must remain accurate to your own passport and circumstances.

Do not cancel your private travel insurance

The compulsory cover should be regarded as the legal minimum, not a complete replacement for a carefully selected international policy.

Your private insurance may offer higher medical limits and protection for cancellation, interruption, missed connections, unused safari arrangements and the full value of your luggage. It may also provide cover before the trip begins, whereas the local inbound policy is focused primarily on events during your stay.

Travellers planning a Tanzania safari and Zanzibar holiday should check that their private policy covers the entire journey, including domestic flights, boat transfers and every planned activity.

A final check before departure

Travel requirements are easiest to manage when they are handled early. Purchase through the correct official portal, save the complete policy rather than only the payment receipt, and keep both digital and printed copies available.

Most importantly, do not assume that your existing private insurance removes the local requirement or that a policy issued for one jurisdiction is automatically accepted in the other. Check the official instructions for every part of your route.

If you are ready to organise a Safari Tanzania itinerary, we can combine the mainland parks, internal transfers and an optional Zanzibar stay while helping you identify the travel documents required for the route.