Tanzania has implemented new mandatory travel insurance requirements effective from October 1.
According to the Insurance (Inbound Travel Insurance) Regulations, 2026, travellers entering mainland Tanzania, by air, land or sea, must obtain mandatory travel insurance applicable to their first point of entry into Tanzania even if they already have their own travel insurance.
Travellers entering Tanzania through Zanzibar obtain the existing mandatory policy from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation. For itineraries combining mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar, current guidance indicates that only one policy is required and this is determined by the traveller’s first point of entry.
Each policy is valid for 92 days and permits multiple entries within that period at a cost of US$44. It can be bought online through the National Insurance Corporation portal or on arrival. The fee for children aged three to 17 is US$22. It is free for infants up to two years old.
The policy covers emergency medical treatment and evacuation, repatriation and loss of luggage. Residents of the East African Community or Southern African Development Community partner states are exempt.
Zanzibar introduced mandatory inbound travel insurance for foreign visitors from October 1, 2024. Tanzania’s Ministry of Finance issued a public notice on July 4, 2025 that this would become mandatory for all of Tanzania but only effective once regulations governing the insurance were published in the Government Gazette. However, the public notice did not specify that travellers would have to purchase the cover from a designated Tanzanian insurer or that existing international travel insurance would not be accepted. These requirements have only been made explicit in the government’s September 2026 implementation notice.
Concerns about value and cover
Richard Trillo, East Africa Destination Manager: Rwanda, believes the insurance requirement could discourage tourists. “Once this becomes common knowledge among potential visitors to East Africa, it will undoubtedly harm Tanzania’s standing,” he said.
“An adult family of four from the US will be paying US$400 in visa fees and an additional US$176 in insurance fees to enter Tanzania.”
Trillo is also concerned that the insurance product may not be comprehensive enough for inbound travellers.
“If this policy is the same as the Zanzibar version, it specifically excludes claims for any loss or accident covered by a separate policy, making it effectively worthless.”
Trillo said he has not yet fully examined the policy document but, based on available information, believes the cover is too limited to serve as an adequate alternative to travellers’ existing insurance.
“This insurance would fail at its first exposure to competition on the open market: it’s worth a fraction of the US$44 charge. Like the Zanzibar insurance product introduced earlier, which seems to be identical, this is effectively a tourist tax masquerading as an insurance product.”
