Tanzania Travel Requirements: What I Would Check Before Booking the Flight

Planning a trip to Tanzania is the exciting part of the whole adventure. When you look at lodges in Tanzania, the beaches in Zanzibar and the photos of Mount Kilimanjaro you can easily spend an entire evening just looking.The less exciting part is checking whether you actually have everything you need before travelling.This is where a lot of people complicate things more than they need to. They book flights first. Only then think about passport validity, visa rules, return tickets or health requirements. I’d advise doing it that way.Here are the main Tanzania travel requirements you should check before you leave.

Start with your passport

Passport should be one of the items you look at especially if the passport has been sitting in a drawer since last trip.Tanzania Immigration Services Department says visa applicants need a passport that's valid for at least six months and the passport must have at least one unused visa page. Exact requirements may depend on nationality and travel circumstances so passport check is worth doing before making bookings.It sounds obvious. Passport detail can become a problem at the last minute.

Check whether you need a visa

Not every traveler has the entry requirements. Tanzania offers a visa system and the official guidance says travelers can apply online or where eligible get a visa on arrival at an official entry point. Some nationalities and travel categories have rules, including referral procedures that require applying in advance. The immigration authorities advise submitting an application at least ten days before travel while travelers in referral visa categories should allow considerably longer.If you are still researching the process and trying to understand what information you may need before applying, Tanzania eVisa information can be another travel-planning resource. For the actual application and final requirements, always check the official Tanzania Immigration guidance.

Do not forget your return or onward travel plans

Tanzania Immigration states that visitors must show a return ticket on arrival. That means it is sensible to keep your booking details easily available rather than searching through old emails at the airport.You may also be asked for other supporting information depending on your visa type and circumstances, so it is worth reviewing everything before you submit an application.

Health requirements are worth checking too

Yellow fever rules are one example of why travellers should not simply copy advice from someone else's trip.If you are heading to Tanzania from a country that might spread fever the new rules say you might need a yellow fever vaccination certificate even if you only have a long layover, at an airport. You also have to think about malaria in some parts of Tanzania. The advice you get can change a lot depending on where you go and what kind of trip you plan. Talking with a qualified health professional before you leave is a choice.

My advice: do the boring things first

Before getting carried away with safari itineraries and beach hotels, make a simple checklist:

• Passport validity
• Visa requirements
• Return or onward ticket
• Required supporting documents
• Health and vaccination requirements
• Travel insurance

Once those details are sorted, planning the enjoyable part of Tanzania becomes much easier.

And that is when you can go back to deciding whether you have enough time for both the Serengeti and Zanzibar.