South African residents will be exempt from Tanzania’s new mandatory inbound travel insurance requirement, which takes effect on October 1.
Under the Insurance (Inbound Travel Insurance) Regulations, 2026, foreign visitors entering mainland Tanzania by air, land or sea must obtain inbound travel insurance, even if they already hold their own international travel insurance.
However, residents of Southern African Development Community (SADC) and East African Community (EAC) partner states are exempt from the requirement.
This means South African residents travelling to mainland Tanzania will not be required to purchase the new policy.
For travellers who are subject to the requirement, the policy costs US$44 (R720) and is valid for up to 92 days, allowing multiple entries during that period. It covers emergency medical treatment, medical evacuation, repatriation and loss of luggage.
Travellers entering mainland Tanzania obtain the policy through the National Insurance Corporation, while those entering through Zanzibar obtain the existing mandatory policy from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation.
Current guidance indicates that travellers combining mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar require only one policy, determined by their first point of entry.
The mainland requirement follows Zanzibar’s introduction of mandatory inbound travel insurance for foreign visitors in October 2024.
