Planning your trip and wondering what you need before you land? Here is everything about Zanzibar entry requirements in 2026: the visa, the mandatory travel insurance (which changed on 1 October 2026), and how it all works if you add a safari on the mainland. The good news first: it is less complicated than it sounds.
Updated: October 2026
Zanzibar has required a mandatory travel insurance since October 2024. From 1 October 2026, mainland Tanzania requires one too. So today it doesn’t matter whether you are going only to Zanzibar, only to mainland Tanzania, or to both: every foreign visitor needs this insurance to enter.
No, and your own travel insurance can’t replace it. The mandatory insurance is a separate government entry requirement, a bit like the visa, and you can only buy it from one of two Tanzanian state insurers: the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC) or the National Insurance Corporation of Tanzania (NIC). Even with full cover from home, you still need this insurance from one of them to enter Zanzibar or mainland Tanzania. Keep your own insurance too, though: the mandatory insurance is a basic safety net for emergencies in Tanzania, while yours covers things like a cancelled flight back home. Most travellers simply have both.
Which insurance you buy depends on one thing only: where your international flight lands first. Land in Zanzibar, and you buy the Zanzibar insurance (ZIC). Land on the mainland, for example in Dar es Salaam or Kilimanjaro, and you buy the mainland insurance (NIC).
You never need both. If you land in Zanzibar and later travel to the mainland, or the other way round, the insurance you bought for your first arrival covers the whole trip.
Zanzibar insurance (ZIC): inbound.visitzanzibar.go.tz
Mainland insurance (NIC): inbound.nicinsurance.co.tz
Many of our guests don’t plan it at first, but a safari from Zanzibar is very common: a short flight to Mikumi, Nyerere (Selous) or Saadani, one or two days with the animals, and back to the beach. If you landed in Zanzibar, your Zanzibar insurance and your Tanzanian visa already cover it. Nothing extra to arrange.
Fly from Zanzibar to Mikumi National Park, spend the day on safari and fly back to the island the same day. Elephants, giraffes, zebras and hippos are common sights, and with some luck you’ll spot lions too. If you landed in Zanzibar, your Zanzibar insurance covers the whole day.
From $415 per person · Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
The mainland (NIC) insurance can also be bought on arrival, but authorities recommend sorting it out before you travel to avoid waiting at the airport. For Zanzibar, paying on arrival at the airport is also possible, but you still need to fill in the application online first. The easiest way is to buy it online before you fly.
The insurance is valid for up to 92 days and allows multiple entries within Tanzania during that time.
The mandatory insurance is a basic safety net for emergencies while you are in Tanzania. Depending on the insurer’s terms, it covers things like:
What it doesn’t do: replace your own travel insurance. It won’t cover a cancelled flight back home, and it has limits and exclusions (for example, some pre-existing conditions). That’s why we recommend keeping your usual travel insurance alongside it.
Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, so you need one Tanzanian visa, not two. It covers both Zanzibar and the mainland. When you apply, just choose the place you arrive first, and you can then travel between them freely.
Most visitors need a visa. You have two options:
Apply on the official portal: visa.immigration.go.tz
Apply only through the official portal, not through other websites.
Available at the main entry points, including Zanzibar Airport, for most European, UK and US travellers. It works, but expect to wait in line, and have the fee ready in clean, recent US dollar notes just in case. The immigration service itself recommends applying online.
Still choosing your dates? Our month-by-month guide to the best time to visit Zanzibar covers the weather, the rainy seasons and when the island gets busy.
Look at your ticket: where does your international flight land first? That decides which insurance you buy.
Landing in Zanzibar (ZNZ) = Zanzibar insurance (ZIC). Landing in Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro or Arusha = mainland insurance (NIC). A connecting flight inside Tanzania doesn’t change it, only your first entry into the country counts.
Visa and insurance both take a few minutes online. It saves you time in the arrivals hall, when all you want is the beach.
Screenshot your visa, insurance certificate and QR code. Airport wifi has its moods.
Buying for the family? Both portals offer family options, and children under 3 are free.
Tanzania updates its entry rules from time to time. Check the official portals a few days before you fly, or just message us.
All of these start and end in Zanzibar, so if you landed in Zanzibar, your Zanzibar insurance is all you need.
A few words from guests who joined our safaris from Zanzibar.
★★★★★
“It was a very good day on a Safari. The plain terrain of the park permitted to see almost all the animals.”
GetYourGuide traveler · Portugal
★★★★★
“Very well organised from pick up to drop off the following day, our guide was very good and we managed to see all but the leopard, which was amazing! Food was good and lodge was clean and comfortable.”
GetYourGuide traveler · United Kingdom
★★★★★
“We saw an incredible number of animals and had so many great experiences. It was particularly impressive how close we could get to the animals.”
Michelle · Germany
Both. Zanzibar has required it since October 2024 and mainland Tanzania since 1 October 2026.
No, you buy it only once. Buy it from the insurer that matches where you land first: ZIC for Zanzibar, NIC for the mainland.
The Zanzibar (ZIC) insurance. It also covers your safari day on the mainland.
No. The mandatory insurance is a separate government entry requirement, sold only by the Tanzanian state insurers ZIC and NIC. Your own travel insurance doesn’t replace it, even if it offers more cover. Most travellers have both.
USD 44 per adult, USD 22 for children aged 3–17, free for children under 3. Groups of 10+ adults get 10% off.
Up to 92 days, with multiple entries within Tanzania.
The mainland insurance can be bought on arrival, but it is better to buy it online beforehand. For Zanzibar, you can pay on arrival only if you filled in the application online beforehand, so buying it online before you fly is the easiest.
No. One Tanzanian visa covers both Zanzibar and the mainland.
USD 50 for most nationalities. US citizens need a USD 100 multiple-entry visa.
Only if you arrive from a yellow fever risk country or spend 12 hours or more in transit in one, such as Kenya or Ethiopia.
No. A fully paid ZIC insurance bought before 1 October 2026 stays valid, as long as it covers your travel dates.
Got your visa and insurance sorted? Then the fun part starts. Whether it’s swimming with dolphins at Mnemba or a day on safari in Mikumi, we’re happy to help you plan your days. Travelling between October and January? Have a look at our El Niño 2026 weather update for Zanzibar too. And if anything about the entry rules is still unclear, just send us a message.
Month by month: weather, rainy seasons, sea conditions and when the island gets busy.
What the heavier rains from October to January may mean for your trip, and which tours still work.
Where to swim with sea turtles in Zanzibar, plus the best snorkelling spots around the island.
