Asked to buy mainland insurance
SADC residents are exempt from the mainland scheme. Show your South African passport and stay polite.
Do South Africans need a visa for Tanzania and Zanzibar?
Visa-freefor South African passports
South Africans can visit Tanzania and Zanzibar without a visa. If you go to Zanzibar, you must buy Zanzibar’s travel insurance online before you arrive (US$44).
What changed: From 1 October 2026 mainland Tanzania also makes visitors buy government travel insurance, but residents of SADC countries, including South Africa, are exempt. Zanzibar’s own insurance still applies.
What you need
Tick these off as you go. Your ticks are saved on this device.
How to do it
- If Zanzibar is on your trip, buy the insurance on inbound.visitzanzibar.go.tz before you fly.
- Visiting both the mainland and Zanzibar? You only need one policy, and the insurer depends on where you land first.
- Keep the certificate on your phone and on paper.
Official sites:
Airlines decide whether you can board using a database called Timatic. Before you fly, check your route on the IATA Travel Centre.
What it costs in rand
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Visa | Free |
| Zanzibar inbound insurance (if you visit Zanzibar) | US$44 per adult, about R730 |
| Mainland insurance | Not needed for South Africans (SADC exemption) |
Rand amounts use the exchange rate on 9 October 2026 (R16.53 to the US dollar, R18.50 to the euro, R21.87 to the pound) and are rounded. Work out your whole trip in the budget calculator.
Common problems and fixes
Bought insurance on a fake site
Use only the government portal. Third-party sites resell the same cover at a mark-up.
US dollars refused
Old or damaged notes are often refused. Bring flat notes printed after 2009.
Plan your trip
Best timeJune to October, and December to February
MoneyTanzanian shilling (TZS); US dollars for safaris
Return flight from Johannesburg (rough guide)R6,000–R10,000
Daily budget per person (rough guide)R1,000–R2,500
Three trip ideas
Stone Town
Old streets, a spice farm tour and sunset at Forodhani market.
North-coast beaches
Nungwi and Kendwa have swimmable water at most tides.
A short safari
Mikumi or Nyerere from Dar es Salaam, or the northern parks from Arusha.
Good to know
- Dress modestly in Stone Town, especially during Ramadan.
- Malaria is a risk: see a travel clinic before you go.
Book
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Sources and checks
Checked17 Oct 2026
Checked on 17 Oct 2026 against the official government or embassy page, plus at least one independent source.
- officialTanzania visa guidelines · Immigration Services Department, Tanzania · published 10 Sep 2026
- secondaryMandatory travel insurance in mainland Tanzania from 1 October 2026 · VisasNews · published 1 Oct 2026
- dataPassport Index Data (visa matrix for 199 passports, updated 17 Feb 2026) · imorte, continuing the dataset by Ilya Ilyankou (MIT licence) · published 17 Feb 2026
How we check: our method and every source we use.
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