Tanzania entry requirements for British passport holders (2026): visa and passport validity
Passport validity (FCDO rule): At least 6 months after the day you arrive
Visa (FCDO): Read the official visa text below
Official source: GOV.UK – Tanzania travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 9 October 2026 · checked on 17 October 2026
Whether you need a visa and how long your British passport must be valid to enter Tanzania, as published by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), quoted word for word, with a checker for your dates.
Other passports: Canadian passport · Australian passport · Italian citizens: documenti per italiani
Do I need a visa for Tanzania with a British passport?
We quote the FCDO text word for word and do not summarise it: its first sentence has conditions or a wording we do not turn into a one-line answer.
You must have a tourist or business visa to enter Tanzania.
If you are planning to work or volunteer, you will also need a work permit. Information on how to apply is available from the Tanzanian Prime Minister’s Office.
Your employer or volunteer organisation should help you arrange this before you travel.
If you overstay your visa or permit you can be arrested, detained and fined before being deported.
The Tanzanian Immigration Department has more information on visas.
Applying for a visa
Apply for an ‘e-visa’ before you travel. It is no longer possible to get a visa from the Tanzanian High Commission in London.
You can also get a tourist or business visa for a single entry on arrival at the main ports of entry to Tanzania, subject to meeting all immigration requirements. You may be asked to provide proof of your return journey. You will not be able to get a multiple entry visa on arrival.
More from the FCDO visa section (extensions, border checks and other cases)
Checks at border control
You must be ready to show your return or onward ticket at border control.
Ebola screening
On 18 May, the Tanzania Ministry of Health issued a Travel Advisory note announcing heightened health screening measures for travellers arriving into Tanzania from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared this a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
On 27 August, WHO declared the Uganda Ebola outbreak over. Heightened health screening measures are no longer in place for travellers arriving into Tanzania from Uganda, but remain for those arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mpox screening
You will need to pass through mpox screening, in the form of body temperature checks, at all points of entry into Tanzania.
Official source: GOV.UK – Tanzania travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO), section “Visa requirements” · page last updated 9 October 2026 · checked on 17 October 2026
Passport validity: official text “Passport validity requirements”
To enter Tanzania, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive and at least one blank page.
Official source: GOV.UK – Tanzania travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 9 October 2026 · checked on 17 October 2026
Check your passport for Tanzania
Schengen rules count your whole trip in the Schengen area: if you visit several Schengen countries, enter the day you first enter the area and the day you leave the last Schengen country.
The check runs in your browser: your dates are not sent anywhere. It applies the FCDO sentence literally (for example “6 months” is counted as the same day of the month 6 months later).
For British passport holders only. These are the rules published by the UK government (FCDO) for British citizens. If you hold another passport, check your own government's advice. The airline and the border officials of the destination decide whether you can travel or enter: this site is information, not legal advice.
Blank pages: the official text says “…at least one blank page…”. The checker does not count pages.
Recent FCDO updates to the entry requirements
- 9 October 2026: “Updated information about mandatory travel insurance and wildfires ('Entry requirements' and 'Safety and security' pages).”
- 1 October 2026: “New information about mandatory inbound travel insurance for those arriving into mainland Tanzania (‘Entry requirements’ page).”
- 29 September 2026: “Updated information that heightened health screening measures are no longer in place for travellers arriving into Tanzania from Uganda, but remain for those arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo (‘Entry requirements’ page).”
- 19 May 2026: “Addition of information about heightened health screening measures for those entering Tanzania from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo ('Entry requirements' page).”
- 10 December 2025: “Updated information on the political situation following the October 29 elections (‘Safety and security’ page). New information about dual nationals returning to the UK (‘Entry requirements’ page).”
Read the full FCDO travel advice for Tanzania (safety, visas, health) before you travel.
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Same FCDO rule (6 months after arrival)
and 79 more destinations with the same rule: see all
Passport validity rules for all destinations · Liquids rules by airport · EES and ETIAS status