Tanzania e-Visa System Temporarily Down – Your Travel Options
Tanzania's e-Visa system is offline due to a major technical failure at its immigration services portal. Here’s what travelers need to know and their best alternatives.
Planning to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, go on safari in the Serengeti, or enjoy a beach getaway in Zanzibar? Obtaining a Tanzanian e-Visa is often the smoothest way to streamline your arrival. However, since 4 March 2026, the Tanzanian Department of Immigration has experienced a major system outage, putting electronic visa (e-Visa) issuing on hold.
Following this technical glitch—which adds to months of recurring instability on the portal—our agency is monitoring the situation closely and shares the latest updates and practical travel solutions.
Government portal currently unavailable
Tanzanian authorities have publicly confirmed that their central immigration system is temporarily down. The official immigration service website is either completely inaccessible or unable to complete pending application processing. This outage is not an isolated incident. In recent months, applicants have faced prolonged delays, with e-Visas arriving after scheduled arrival dates.
Official press notice: immigration.go.tz/
The on-arrival visa remains fully operational
Good news for travelers with imminent departures: the on-arrival visa scheme is running as normal. Immigration authorities have confirmed that this official alternative remains available at key international entry points, including:
Zanzibar Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ)
Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)
Dar es Salaam Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR)
Remember: follow the standard requirements—your passport must be valid for at least six months from your entry date, and bring evidence of return flight and accommodation. Visa fees are payable in cash on arrival when you clear immigration. Due to potential local network issues, card payments may not be accepted—bring sufficient cash. Before landing or on board, you’ll be asked to fill out an arrival form to expedite the process.
My e-Visa application was already paid for—now what?
This is the most challenging scenario. You’ve submitted your application, paid your fees online, but received no e-Visa approval before the outage struck. While the Tanzanian government has not yet published details of automatic refunds in its latest statement, here’s your best course of action when reaching border control:
Compile a paper dossier: Print your online payment confirmation, bank statement, and crucially, the Application ID—the unique tracking number generated on submission. Present these documents to the immigration officer as proof of completed payment and application lodgment.
In many cases, officials can verify your Application ID and grant entry. That said, be prepared to potentially pay the visa fee again at the airport if the in-house system fails to sync with the central database—though such instances are rare.
If you lodged your application through our agency, our team is available by email—simply share your file reference number with us for direct support.
En tant que chargée de relation client, mes missions sont la gestion et le suivi des demandes de visas. Je reste informée des actualités concernant les nouvelles formalités de voyage ainsi que les spécificités des nouveaux visas.
