Travel insurance for Tanzania and Zanzibar from the UAE

Do you need Tanzania’s visitor insurance?

Yes, if you are a foreign visitor. Foreign visitors must obtain inbound travel insurance from the state-designated insurer for their point of entry, under a Ministry of Finance notice posted on 27 September 2026. The notice gives 1 October 2026 as the start for Mainland Tanzania.¹ The notice names no nationality, so it reads the same for UAE nationals and UAE residents.

MOFA’s Tanzania page, modified on 29 September 2026, also lists mandatory travel insurance for visitors from 1 October 2026.²

What it costs and covers

The policy costs USD 44 per visitor, covers medical emergencies and is valid for up to 92 days.¹ The notice gives no medical limit. Zanzibar’s portal describes the cover as medical emergencies, air evacuation and more.³

In a medical emergency anywhere in Tanzania, the insurer that issued your policy serves you, subject to its terms.¹

Your point of entry decides the insurer

The notice leaves purchase, payment and verification to the two insurers’ websites.¹ Zanzibar’s portal calls the insurance mandatory and says it is the only official website to apply.³

If you land in Zanzibar and travel on to the Mainland, the notice does not say whether you need one policy or two. Envoy Global reports in an immigration news alert that you buy once, based on your first point of entry.⁴ Ask NIC or ZIC before you travel.

Does your UAE travel policy count?

The Ministry notice does not say a private policy can replace the designated one. Envoy Global reports, on 14 October 2026, that it cannot.¹⁴ Ask your UAE insurer whether your policy covers Tanzania and whether it pays for medical care there alongside the designated policy.

Buy it before you fly

The notice strongly advises buying the policy before you travel, to make entry easier and avoid delays on arrival.¹ Envoy Global reports that it can also be bought on arrival at designated ports of entry, and that entry may be denied without it.⁴ The notice states no consequence.¹

The small print

• The legal basis. The notice is posted on the site of the Embassy of Tanzania in Rome and signed by the Permanent Secretary and Paymaster General of the Ministry of Finance. It follows the Inbound Travel Insurance Regulations for Foreign Visitors Entering Mainland Tanzania, Government Notice 256 of 2026, dated 4 September 2026, made under section 134A of the Insurance Act, Cap. 394, as amended by the Finance Act 2025.¹
• What the notice leaves out. The notice does not address exemptions, children, transit passengers or penalties.¹
• Zanzibar on MOFA. MOFA gives a separate undated line and link for Zanzibar. MOFA writes for UAE nationals. The notice addresses foreign visitors.²
• Visas. MOFA lists an electronic visa for UAE normal passports. UAE residents of other nationalities should check by passport.²
• Reports beyond the notice. Envoy Global (14 October 2026) reports that the designated policy is required even with private cover, that it applies to all visitors except residents, and that authorities may deny entry. These points are reported, not confirmed by the notice.⁴
• Search interest. Google Ads data for “zanzibar travel insurance” in the UAE reads 50 a month (12 November 2026) and Ahrefs reads 60. For “tanzania travel insurance” Ahrefs reads 10 and Google Ads 20. The Google Ads monthly series for “zanzibar travel insurance” ran from 10 in March and April 2026 to 140 in July 2026 and 50 in October 2026, the first month of the rule. These are third-party estimates.⁵⁶