Plan Your Trip
Zanzibar Entry Requirements
The short answer
Two documents and a passport. One of them catches people out.
The requirements are two documents and a passport. Most visitors enter Zanzibar on a Tanzania tourist visa — USD 50, valid 90 days — bought online before you fly or on arrival at the airport. Since 1 October 2024 there is also a mandatory Zanzibar insurance (ZIC): USD 44 per adult, USD 22 per child aged 3–17, free under 3. Buy the ZIC online before departure — some airlines check it at check-in and can refuse boarding without proof. Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond arrival.
| Tourist visa | USD 50 · valid 90 days (US passports: USD 100 multiple-entry) |
| ZIC insurance | USD 44 adult · USD 22 child (3–17) · free under 3 |
| Buy ZIC | Before you fly, at visitzanzibar.go.tz — QR checked at the jetway |
| Passport | Valid 6+ months beyond arrival, ≥1 blank page |
| From a mainland safari | Tanzania visa covers Zanzibar; ZIC still required |
| Figures last checked | June 2026 — confirm current rules before booking |
| Last verified | August 2026 |
The short version
What you actually need, and in what order
Getting into Zanzibar is genuinely straightforward, with one catch that trips people up. The visa is the easy part — most nationalities pay USD 50 and are waved through. The part most guides get wrong is the mandatory Zanzibar insurance, introduced in late 2024, which you want to buy before you fly rather than at the airport. Below is exactly what you need, what each piece costs, and what happens from the plane door to the taxi rank — the version we give our own guests at Boutique Hotel Matlai.
Most visitors enter on a standard Tanzania tourist visa, which also covers Zanzibar: USD 50 for a single entry, valid for stays up to 90 days. You can buy it two ways — online in advance through the official government portal at visa.immigration.go.tz, or on arrival at Zanzibar's Karume airport.
Apply online before you fly if you can. It is the same price, and it lets you skip the slower on-arrival queue with the approval already in hand. US passport holders are the exception: they must buy a multiple-entry visa at USD 100 rather than the USD 50 single-entry. One warning — use only the official government portal; copycat sites add a "service fee" for nothing.
The catch
The ZIC insurance — the part most people miss
Since 1 October 2024, every visitor to Zanzibar must also hold the island's own mandatory inbound insurance, issued by the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC). It costs USD 44 per adult, USD 22 per child aged 3 to 17, and is free for children under 3, and it covers stays of up to 92 days.
Buy it before you fly, at the official portal visitzanzibar.go.tz. This matters more than it sounds: some airlines have the ZIC system built into their departure check-in and will refuse to board you without proof, and the QR code is checked in the jetway at Zanzibar before you even reach immigration. There are desks at the airport if you arrive without it — but that is a risk we would not take.
One caveat on every figure on this page. These amounts were last checked in June 2026, and the detail has changed more than once since the requirement appeared, which is why our flights page deliberately prints no insurance figure at all. Treat the numbers here as the June 2026 position, confirm them on the official portal before you book, and ask us when you book: we will tell you what is current on the day, in writing.
A common mix-up
ZIC is not your travel insurance
One thing to be clear about: the ZIC payment is a government entry requirement, not a substitute for proper travel insurance. It covers some medical emergencies and disruptions inside Zanzibar, but it is not comprehensive cover for medical evacuation, cancellation, or your belongings.
You still want your own travel policy alongside it. Think of ZIC as an entry fee that happens to come with a policy number — useful and mandatory, but not the cover you would rely on if something serious happened. The same point comes up again on our safety page, where medical evacuation cover is the one insurance line we tell every guest to check.
At the desk
Passport, and what to have ready at the airport
Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your arrival date, with at least one blank page for the stamp. Airlines check this at departure, so if you are cutting it close, renew before you book rather than risk being turned away at check-in.
When you land, have three things ready before you reach the terminal: your passport, your ZIC insurance QR code (on your phone or printed), and either your e-visa approval or USD 50 to pay on arrival. The ZIC code is the first thing checked, often in the jetway, so keep it to hand rather than buried in your email.
Arrival itself is straightforward and slower than you expect, in the way island arrivals are. Visas are issued on arrival for most nationalities or in advance online, and the queue is the longest part of the day — which is the practical argument for the e-visa, not the fee.
Bush first
Arriving from a mainland safari
If you are flying to Zanzibar after a Tanzania safari, you do not need a new visa — the Tanzania visa from your mainland arrival already covers the island. But the ZIC insurance is still required, every time, regardless of where you have come from.
So buy the ZIC before you leave Arusha, the Serengeti, or wherever your safari ends — not in the rush of a domestic transfer. Once you land, getting from the airport to the coast is the easy part; our guide to getting around Zanzibar has the transfer times, and the Tanzania money guide covers the cash side of the mainland half.
Our end of it
What we do before you arrive
Visa guidance goes out with your booking confirmation — US$50 single-entry, US$100 for US citizens, apply online — so the paperwork is settled weeks before you pack. If the insurance rule has moved by the time you book, that is the message where you will hear about it.
The other half of arrival day is the road. Michamvi Pingwe is an honest 1h15 to 1h30 from the airport, and your butler helps you arrange the drive with the local agencies and drivers we work with: the butler holds your flight number, and the driver waits when the flight does not cooperate. Your name is on a sign at arrivals, so there is no negotiating after a long-haul flight.
Before you fly
The short checklist
Four things, sorted the same week: apply for the visa (or budget USD 50 for arrival), check your passport has six months and a blank page, buy the ZIC insurance at visitzanzibar.go.tz, and save the QR code where you can find it. Do those and Zanzibar arrivals is a stamp and a smile.
These figures were last verified in June 2026; entry rules do change, so confirm the current visa fee and ZIC details on the official portals before you book. Then read the three pages that follow this one — getting around, safety and culture and etiquette — and the planning is done.
Good to know
Questions travellers ask
The six questions guests put to us in the weeks before they fly.
Do I need a visa to visit Zanzibar?
Most visitors need a Tanzania tourist visa, which covers Zanzibar — USD 50 for a single entry, valid 90 days. Buy it online in advance at visa.immigration.go.tz or on arrival at the airport; online is faster. US passport holders need a USD 100 multiple-entry visa.
What is the ZIC insurance, and is it mandatory?
Yes, it is mandatory. Since 1 October 2024 every visitor must hold Zanzibar's inbound insurance (ZIC): USD 44 per adult, USD 22 per child aged 3–17, free under 3, for stays up to 92 days. Buy it before you fly at visitzanzibar.go.tz. These are the figures as of June 2026 — the detail has changed more than once since the rule appeared, so ask us when you book and we will tell you what is current on the day, in writing.
Does the ZIC insurance replace my own travel insurance?
No. ZIC is a government entry requirement that covers some emergencies inside Zanzibar, not comprehensive cover. You still need your own travel policy for medical evacuation, cancellation, and belongings.
Can I buy the ZIC at the airport instead of in advance?
You can — there are desks in arrivals — but buy it in advance. Some airlines check it at departure check-in and can refuse boarding without proof, and the QR is checked in the jetway on arrival. It is not a risk worth taking.
I am coming from a mainland safari — do I need a new visa?
No. Your existing Tanzania visa already covers Zanzibar. But the ZIC insurance is still required regardless, so buy it before you leave the mainland.
How long must my passport be valid?
At least six months beyond your arrival date, with at least one blank page. Airlines check this at departure, so renew before booking if you are close.
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