Visa on Arrival Process in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania-What Changed?

*Photo Credit- Me on the plane, about to touch down in Dar.

Upon my arrival at Julius Nyerere Airport, I had been expecting to fill out a short form to hand to the Immigration officers as part of the standard procedure. But something unexpectedly changed! As soon as I reached the bottom of the escalator, I was promptly greeted by one of the officers, who quickly and efficiently escorted me to one of the lines where I would stand for the Visa on Arrival process.

The lines were surprisingly long! I had not seen so many travelers in Tanzania all awaiting their visa on arrival at the same time. As usual, I was genuinely excited to hear a variety of different accents surrounding me, and also surprised to hear an older lady in front of me mention that she was a solo traveler from somewhere in South Carolina because I rarely see people from the States in Dar.

The atmosphere within the airport was bustling with excitement, laughter, and vibrant conversations between fellow travelers who were meeting for the first time while standing in line.

Remarkably, the line moved along very quickly!

Huge Surprise

The huge surprise for me was that there were no forms that needed to be filled out for the visa on arrival process at all! The immigration officers simply asked me two straightforward questions and then pointed toward the payment desk.

Again, no paperwork was necessary! I did notice that there were some travelers who, after standing in the third line, were being pulled aside by other immigration officers to deal with their specific situations.

Additionally, there were others who were being questioned for extended periods of time at the third window. Thankfully, other immigration officers consistently came to assist, ensuring that the line kept moving in an orderly manner.

A new Rule Regarding Getting Your Tanzanian Visa?

After I got back to the States, I came across an article on visanews.com that mentioned Tanzania was changing their approach for foreigners who are applying for their visas. This change is intended to streamline the immigration process so that travelers can move through the bustling Julius Nyerere Airport more quickly and efficiently. The article states that Tanzania’s visa on arrival policy is set to be suspended in 2025, and in its place, travelers will be required to utilize electronic visas (e-visas). This means that prospective visitors will need to apply for their e-visa prior to embarking on their journey to Tanzania.

This new rule was not in effect during my visit last month-but because things can change rather quickly, for all updates on getting your visa to enter Tanzania, always go to Tanzania’s website for visa guidelines. You can access Tanzania’s application system website right here.

Another change

Another change was that there were 2 payment lines-One for if you need to pay with credit or debit card (this line was shorter)-and the other line was if you need to pay with cash. After you pay, you have to take your payment receipt, and stand in line 1 more time to get your passport stamped. So you will go through a total of 3 lines.

Although the process was seamless, the lines were longer due to the influx of travellers. This time I did not mind at all. A seamless visa process beats the long lines.

Getting Your Multiple Entry Visa in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania


A multiple enrty Visa on arrival in Dar es Salaam Tanzania is $100 USD and is now valid for 12 months! All American citizens must apply for a multiple entry visa. Single entry visa not to exceed 3 months is $50 USD for most countries.

The 12-month validation is not consecutive, meaning that it does not imply that you can remain in Tanzania for a continuous duration of 12 months straight. Instead, it indicates that you have the flexibility to enter and exit the country multiple times over the course of a year without needing a visa, or you can choose to stay in the country for a period of up to 3 months. After your initial stay, you are allowed to leave and return, as long as each individual stay does not exceed 30 days at a time.

So does this mean that I can go to Kenya for a weekend and come back? Ndio! (Yes in Swahili.)

Me in the Julius Nyerere Airport bathroom after going through Tanzania immigration.

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