Tanzania begins enforcing a mandatory inbound travel insurance policy for foreign visitors on 1 October 2026. The requirement covers foreigners entering Mainland Tanzania through land, seaports or airports, and the premium is the Tanzanian shilling equivalent of 44 US dollars per adult. The policy stands apart from any travel or medical insurance the traveller already holds.
The rule sits in the Insurance (Inbound Travel Insurance) Regulations, 2026, published as Government Notice No. 256 on 4 September 2026 under section 134A of the Insurance Act, Cap. 394. The Minister of Finance, Khamis Mussa Omar, signed the instrument on 31 August 2026.
Who has to buy the policy
Regulation 3 defines a foreigner as a citizen other than of the United Republic of Tanzania, and excludes residents of East African Community Partner States and Southern African Development Community Partner States. The exclusion turns on residence. A resident of a Partner State falls outside the definition whatever their nationality, and a national of a Partner State who lives elsewhere still needs the policy.
The Regulations do not say which documents prove Partner State residence. Dentons advises travellers relying on the exclusion to carry valid documentary evidence of their residence status.
Dentons also records three classes the Regulations do not address: transit passengers, airline crew and official travellers. Zanzibar's separate scheme, in force since 1 October 2024, publishes its own FAQ listing further exemptions, among them residence and work permit holders, cabin crew staying under 72 hours, and transit passengers transferring between terminals. Those exemptions sit in the Zanzibar framework. Government Notice No. 256 does not carry them, and diplomats appear in neither regime.
What the policy costs
Regulation 6(1) sets the premium at the Tanzanian shilling equivalent of 44 US dollars, payable through the insurer's own payment system. Regulation 6(3) makes the premium non-refundable except on cancellation or in other circumstances the policy specifies.
Regulation 6 carries no age or group rates. The published packages do:
- Adults aged 18 and over: 44 US dollars.
- Children aged 3 to 17: 22 US dollars, a 50 per cent discount.
- Infants aged 0 to 2: no charge.
- Groups of 10 or more adults: 10 per cent off the adult premium.
A trade advisory circulated through the Adventure Travel Trade Association lists those four bands alongside the 1 October 2026 start date and the 92-day validity.
What the policy covers
Regulation 8(1) requires four benefit heads: emergency medical treatment, emergency medical evacuation, emergency repatriation and loss of luggage. Regulation 8(2) leaves the limit of cover and the specific benefits to the policy issued by the insurer, and the Regulations prescribe no monetary limits. Dentons advises travellers against treating the policy as a substitute for comprehensive cover, with pre-existing conditions, high-risk activities, cover above the prescribed limits and trip cancellation among the gaps.
Mainland Tanzania or Zanzibar
Two insurers operate the scheme. The National Insurance Corporation issues policies for travellers whose first point of entry is Mainland Tanzania. The Zanzibar Insurance Corporation covers travellers whose first point of entry is Zanzibar.
The first point of entry sets the purchase path. An itinerary that pairs a mainland safari with time in Zanzibar needs one policy, bought from the insurer tied to the first arrival point, and that policy covers travel across both subject to its terms.
The mainland portal is inbound.nicinsurance.co.tz, and mainland policies are also sold at designated entry points. Card payment is available online. The Zanzibar portal is inbound.visitzanzibar.go.tz.
Validity and the entry rule
Regulation 5(1) makes the policy valid for a maximum of 92 days from the date of arrival in Mainland Tanzania. Regulation 5(2) includes multiple entries inside those 92 days, and Regulation 5(3) requires a new policy for a stay beyond the period.
Regulation 4(4) states that a foreigner entering Mainland Tanzania without a valid policy shall be denied entry. Regulation 4(2) allows purchase before travel or at the entry point, and Regulation 4(3) requires the insurer to issue a certificate and policy on payment. Dentons notes the policy period runs separately from the validity of a visa, work permit or residence permit.
What group planners should do before departure
- Fix the first point of entry before quoting insurance. A Kilimanjaro or Dar es Salaam arrival routes to the NIC portal. A Zanzibar arrival routes to the Zanzibar portal.
- Collect each traveller's passport number, full name, date of birth, nationality, country of residence, travel dates, contact details, emergency contact, purpose of travel and first point of entry. The NIC portal lists those fields as the information required to apply.
- Budget the premium by age band. Adults pay 44 US dollars, children aged 3 to 17 pay 22, and infants aged 0 to 2 pay nothing. A group of 10 or more adults takes 10 per cent off the adult premium.
- Buy before departure. Mainland policies can also be bought at designated entry points.
- Keep the certificate with the travel documents. The policy is presented on arrival for verification and validation.
- Do not count an existing group or corporate travel policy as satisfying the requirement. Dentons and the ATTA advisory both state that private travel or medical insurance does not replace the mandatory inbound policy.