Full Eligibility Guide 2026
Not every traveller heading to Tanzania needs to apply for an eVisa. Whether you need one depends entirely on your nationality - and getting this wrong is one of the most common (and costly) mistakes travellers make before a safari or Zanzibar trip. Here's a clear, nationality-based breakdown of who actually needs a Tanzania eVisa, based on the current guidance from the Tanzania Immigration Services Department.
The Tanzania Immigration Services Department places every nationality into one of three groups: visa-exempt, eVisa-required (or eligible), and referral category. Only two of these groups need to think about the eVisa system at all. If your passport falls under an exemption, you can skip the eVisa entirely and enter with just your passport and standard travel documents. If it doesn't, you'll need to apply through the official eVisa portal - and for a smaller group of nationalities, applying online in advance isn't just recommended, it's the only option.
World map highlighting countries needing a Tanzania eVisa
Traveller checking Tanzania eVisa eligibility on phone
Tanzania grants visa-free entry, for stays of up to three months, to citizens of:
If your passport falls into one of these groups, you don't need to touch the eVisa portal at all for a standard visit. That said, exemption lists are reviewed periodically, so it's worth a quick check on the official immigration portal close to your travel date, especially if you're travelling on a passport that's changed status recently (for example, following updates to regional agreements).
If you don't fall under one of the exemptions above, you generally need to secure a visa before entering Tanzania - and applying through the eVisa system is the route the Immigration Department itself recommends over waiting to pay on arrival. This covers the majority of travellers researching Tanzania trips, including citizens of:
For this large group, the eVisa isn't strictly the only legal way in - many of these nationalities are also eligible to pay for a visa on arrival at Tanzania's international airports and major border posts. But needing a visa in the first place is the key eligibility question this page is answering, and if you're in this bracket, the eVisa is the way to sort that out before you fly rather than leaving it to the airport queue.
American passport holders are a distinct case worth calling out specifically. U.S. citizens do need a Tanzania visa, but they are not eligible for the standard Ordinary (tourist) Visa that most other nationalities apply for. Due to a bilateral reciprocity arrangement between Tanzania and the United States, U.S. citizens travelling for tourism, holidays, or family visits must apply for the Multiple-Entry Visa instead - even if they only plan to enter Tanzania once. Selecting the wrong category on the eVisa application is a frequent and avoidable error among American travellers.
A smaller list of nationalities - including several countries across South Asia, the Middle East, and parts of West and Central Africa - fall under what Tanzania's Immigration Department calls the Referral Visa Category. If your passport is on this list, the eVisa is not optional and there is no visa-on-arrival alternative available to you. You must:
This category also applies to applicants with refugee or stateless status, regardless of their country of origin.
Nationality-based eligibility applies to every individual traveller, including children. If a child's nationality requires an eVisa, they need their own separate application - being listed on a parent's passport or itinerary does not exempt them, and a family group cannot be processed under a single application.
Because visa policy is nationality-specific and can be updated by the Immigration Department without advance individual notice, the safest approach before booking any trip is to:
Getting this one step right - confirming whether you actually need an eVisa before you do anything else - saves far more time than any other part of Tanzania trip planning.
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Start Application Online →Check whether your nationality falls under Tanzania's exemption list (EAC, most SADC, and most Commonwealth countries, with exceptions for the UK, Canada, Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Australia, and New Zealand). If you're not on the exemption list, you'll need a visa, and the eVisa is the recommended way to get one before you travel.
Yes. The UK is one of the specific exceptions to the Commonwealth exemption, so British passport holders do need a visa to enter Tanzania and can apply through the eVisa portal in advance.
Not exactly. U.S. citizens need a visa, but they must apply for the Multiple-Entry Visa category rather than the standard tourist Ordinary Visa, due to a bilateral agreement between the two countries.
It's a specific list of nationalities that cannot get a visa on arrival and must apply online well in advance, sometimes with extra approval steps. The current list is published on the official Immigration Services portal and should be checked directly, since it can be updated.
No eVisa application is needed if you're on the exemption list, but you should still carry a valid passport and other standard entry documents, and reconfirm your exemption status shortly before travel in case of policy updates.
Yes. Every traveller, including minors, needs an individual application if their nationality requires an eVisa. A child cannot be covered under a parent's application.
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