Tanzania Travel Forum

In mid-July my wife and I are going on a two week overland trip starting and ending in Nairobi, Kenya. On day 5 we will enter Tanzania somewhere between the Masai Mara in Kenya and Serengeti in Tanzania.

What I am wondering is when and where is the best time/place to obtain a visa for Tanzania. There seems to be conflicting advice from travel guides, internet and the high commission web site_ some say get it at the border for $50 but others say get it in advance for £38 plus cost of special delivery. I started to fill in an application form but it asks for a reference in Tanzania but the travel company that we are going with does not have a representative in Tanzania.

I contacted the high commission by email but their English was indecipherable so thought better not call them for the same reason. Has anyone else been overland through the Kenya/Tanzania border and, if so, what was the procedure.

Also, if anyone can clear this up aswell – when we arrive in Nairobi, exactly what sort of visa do we need – tourist, transit or multiple entry? Should the visa for Tanzania be tourist or transit. I am assuming transit means passing through and out again but not sure.

Thanks to anyone who can assist.

You say you start and end in Nairobi and are visiting Tanzania in between therefore you are entering Kenya twice: once when you arrive from wherever you arrive from and again when you return from Tanzania, therefore you would normally need a multiple entry tourist visa. It is just possible that you could try for a transit visa for the first "visit", since these are valid for 7 days (in Kenya), but it has to be said that it would be a little improper since you will presumably be visiting things in Kenya and not just passing through. See http://www.globalvisas.com/worldwide_visas/kenya_visa.html
In any case, you would still need a tourist visa for the second "visit" on your return from Tanzania (since I understand progress has halted on the idea of the single "EAC" tourist visa for Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania).
As for Tanzania, while their transit visas cover a period of 2 weeks, they clearly state this is for passing through, not visiting, so you need an "ordinary visa". However, you should not need a local correspondent for this, you should just include a photocopy of the itinerary produced by the travel company and if necessary travel agency's letter confirming booking for whole trip. In addition, it appears that you DO need to apply for it in advance because you can only get it at the border if there is no Tanzanian Embassy/High Commission in your country of residence. Incidentally, it is not a good idea to ask other people about their experience without specifying NATIONALITY and in this case also country of residence (for determining whether or not there is an Embassy/High Commission in your country) since this makes all the difference.
http://www.tanzania.go.tz/visa.html
http://www.travisa.com/Instructions/TanzaniaInst.htm

If you were just going to Tanzania, its cheaper to just arrive than get it ahead of time as you know (you have the correct fees). Weird isn't it?

I think you already have all the info now, so have a great time!

Thanks DAO,
I have contacted the travel company and we do enter Tanzania at the Isabenia border and exit 5 days later back into Kenya at the Namanga border (we will already have our tourist visa for re-entry. They say you can purchase a single entry visa for $50 as you said. I supect that other travellers on our truck will not have visas until that point either so I would like to get it at the border for $50 as opposed to doing it in the UK for £52 inc special delivery both ways and post office fees.

The high commission in London suggest that travellers should not get a visa at the border but I think they might just be wanting the extra income for the embassy. Did you encounter any problems/waiting?

"It is possible to obtain a visa on arrival at one of the following four point of entries in Tanzania. These are:

Dar-es-Salaam International Airport, i.e. DIA,
Kilimanjaro International Airport, i.e. KIA,
Zanzibar International Airport, i.e. ZIA, &
Namanga boarder crossing point, between Tanzania and Kenya. "

Of course they want the extra money at the High Commission. I bought a visa for the Gambia once and found out I was the only person on the plane without one and they never checked for it. Their High Commission told me I rang. I believe they have closed this loophole and now collect cash on the spot.

I vaguely remember handing the guy $50 when it was my turn in the queue in arrivals and the guy stamping my passport within seconds. Then I got my bags. Tanzania is very open regarding tourists. They only nationals they are not going to allow to tourn up unexpectedly are the following:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Gambia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Somalia , Sudan, Syria, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey and Yemen.

That's actually a very short list of No's.

I hope you have an absolutely womderful time. Take lots of photos (and memeory cards!) and don't forget to hit that blue thumb!

All the best,

DAO