Tanzania Visa Update

Tanzania has introduced a new visa-on-arrival handling process at Kilimanjaro Airport which has had an immediate impact on the https://gallopingsafari.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1875&action=edit#arrival and visa collection procedure. This change, disappointingly, has been implemented without any advance warning nor with consultation with tour operators. The procedure involves travelers standing in three different lineups which adds a significant amount of time to their arrivals and we have had reports this process exceeding two hours for some clients.

With this change in place, we strongly encourage all clients to obtain their visa online in advance of arrival if arriving at Kilimanjaro Airport. E-visas are currently typically taking 2 – 3 weeks to be issued.

We only currently recommend this process if arriving at Arusha at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Dar Es Salaam at Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR). For travelers flying between either Kenya or Rwanda and the Serengeti we continue to recommend that clients do their visa on arrival as the process of validating the online visa is at the moment cumbersome. 

For clients arriving at Zanzibar either the online visa or visa on arrival options are available as we have not yet heard of reports of the on-arrival option taking excessive lengths of time. This however could change without notice.

Tanzania Online Visa Application Process

The Tanzanian government has introduced an Electronic Visa Application system to apply for your Tanzania Online Visa. We have outlined how to apply for the Tanzania Online Visa in the simple steps below. The processing time can take up to seven days, so please plan accordingly.

Please note as part of this process you will need a digital photo of yourself (passport style and no more than 300kb), a picture or scan of your passport biometric page and some itinerary information from us.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

  • Visit the Tanzania Online Visa at https://eservices.immigration.go.tz/visa   
  • Click on New Application > Apply for a New Visa.
  • Enter your email address, security question and answer and then Start New Application.
  • Note your Application ID down as this will be used for tracking any visa applications or to pick up where you left off and proceed to next step.
  • Fill out the section on personal information and proceed to next step.
  • Fill out the section on contact and employment information and proceed to next step.
  • Fill out the section on passport and family information and proceed to next step.
  • Fill out the section on travel information including the embassy information in your home country.

Select Ordinary Visa.

Leisure and Holiday as purpose of visit.

Select your destination as Tanzania mainland (unless visiting Zanzibar only).

Select Airport if you are arriving at either to Kilimanjaro Airport or Dar Airport (or Zanzibar if Zanzibar selected above). If you are arriving via the flight link between the Mara and the Serengeti then select ‘Road’ but do not select a Port of entry or departure.

Enter your date of entry into the country and how many days you will be in Tanzania.

Select Host as Company Organization and fill out details given to you by our reservations team.

Select Hotel as Accommodation and fill out the details given to you by our reservations team.

Continue to next step.

  • If you are travelling on a Group tour, give the name of our company. Indicate whether you have any minors accompanying you and their details and continue to next step.
  • Complete the section on documents.

Upload a passport sized photo which does not need to be an official photo (a camera phone picture will do showing your face and partial torso). Note it can’t be larger than 300 kb and may require a PNG image.

Upload a picture of your passport biometric page. Note it can’t be larger than 300 kb and may require a PNG image.

Upload your flight reservation in a PDF format to confirm your return ticket.  Note: upload your international ticket or your regional flight ticket.

Continue to next step and review all your information and agreeing to the declaration before continuing.

  • Complete the payment via Visa or MC of the visa fee of $100 USD for US Citizen & $50 USD for the rest of the world.
  • Await a return email that will notify you of your approval (up to 7 days). It is possible that some clients are not receiving emails or the email ends up in junk mail. We suggest in this case you return to the visa website and click on Visa Status using your application ID you wrote down earlier.
  • Print a copy of your visa authorization to bring with you and present to the immigration officer at your point of entry into Tanzania.

Any further enquiries can be directed to us.

Please note we do offer a Visa Assistance service at an added cost should you be interested.