Visa Upon arrival Tanzania, How to, Tips & Tricks

If you don’t feel like going to the Tanzanian embassy and don’t have time to apply for your online visa to Tanzania, no problem! You can get your visa on arrival in Tanzania. To make sure everything goes smoothly and to limit your waiting time, we have made a comprehensive guide with tips & tricks.

I have done it many times. Because I travel a lot, it is not possible to leave my passport at the (Dutch) embassy for a few weeks and I often come to Tanzania ‘last minute’, so an online visa is not always convenient for me either. Therefore, I usually opt for the visa on arrival in Tanzania. Here are my findings and tips to arrange your visa on arrival as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Upon arrival there’s a register where you can get your visa upon arrival Tanzania. The only problem is that there’s only a few registers and you can expect there to be a long line, especially in high season. Because everything is really ‘hakuna matata’ in Tanzania it might take a while. I could be 10 minutes or 2 hours if you’re unlucky.

Important: Before you decide to travel, make sure that your passport is valid for 6 more months from the day you RETURN to your country. Not from the day you enter. You also need to have your vaccination booklet with you with the correct vaccinations and/or stamps. 

So here’s a couple of tips to shorten your waiting time to get your visa upon arrival Tanzania.

Visa Upon Arrival Tanzania tips:

1. Get 50 dollars cash, as you won’t be able to pay by card. So get some dollars before you board the flight. Make sure the dollars are made in the year 2009 or later, as they won’t accept older cash. (If you forget, which we once did, you have to wait till everyone got their visa. The security can escort you to the ATM just outside of Kilimanjaro International Airport. Here you can get your cash to pay your Visa. You won’t have to leave the country of course, but it’s not a great way to start your holiday).

2. If you haven’t bought planeseats up-front, make sure you reserve the best seats the moment online check-in becomes available. This is usually 24 hours before the flight. So get ready to reserve some seats the moment online check-in becomes available. Choose the seats that are more to the front of the plane, as you will be able to exit the plane sooner and be the first to get the visa upon arrival Tanzania.

3. Fill in the Immigration customs paper on the plane. If you didn’t get this paper in the airplane, you’ll have to get it at the airport. Usually there’s only a couple of pensils available, so bring your own.

4. Keep your passport, tickets, immigration customs paper etc. ready. If anyone wants to check them, you don’t have to look for them anymore.

5. Walk a little faster. This could save you 2 hours of waiting on slow days. They’re not that fast unfortunately. Skipping ahead in line is not nice, making sure you’re in front of the line by walking a bit faster to the register for your visa upon arrival Tanzania is perfectly fine!

• Since 2018 it’s also possible to get an online visa (or E-visa) for selected countries. We have tested this E-visa and shared our experiences, including a comprehensive guide on how to apply for it. View it here