Zanzibar travel guide
One visa, one extra insurance policy and, on some routes, a yellow-fever card — the documents that get you onto the island without a hitch.
Zanzibar’s travel requirements catch out more visitors than the mainland’s, because the islands add a rule of their own. Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, so you enter on an ordinary Tanzanian visa; but since October 2024 every non-resident visitor to the archipelago must also hold a government-issued inbound insurance policy. And travelers arriving from Kenya usually need a yellow-fever certificate they would never need flying in from the US.
This guide reflects the rules at the time of writing, September 2026. Entry rules change with little notice, so check the official sources listed at the end of this page before you fly; your specialist confirms them again as your departure approaches.
Checklist
| Document | Who needs it | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Passport | Everyone: valid for at least six months on arrival, with at least one blank page | Your national passport office — renew early if the expiry date is close |
| Tanzanian visa | Most visitors, including US, UK and EU citizens | The official Tanzania eVisa portal before travel; a single-entry visa on arrival is still possible at the main ports |
| Zanzibar inbound travel insurance | Every non-resident visitor to Unguja or Pemba, of any age | Only the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation, through the official visitzanzibar.go.tz portal |
| Yellow-fever certificate | Travelers aged one or over arriving from a yellow-fever risk country such as Kenya, or after more than 12 hours in transit there | A travel-health clinic, with the vaccine given at least 10 days before arrival |
| Return or onward ticket | May be requested at immigration | Your flight confirmation, printed or saved offline |
| Your own travel insurance | Strongly recommended for everyone | A comprehensive policy with medical evacuation; it does not replace the Zanzibar policy |
At the time of writing (September 2026). Confirm each rule with the official sources below before you travel.
Visa
There is no separate Zanzibar visa. A Tanzanian visa covers the mainland and the islands alike, so US citizens planning a Zanzibar-only vacation apply exactly as a safari traveler would. The UK government advises applying for an e-visa before you travel, noting that a single-entry visa on arrival is still available at the main ports; arriving with an approved eVisa simply means a shorter wait after a long flight. Our Tanzania visa guide walks through the application step by step.
If you reach Zanzibar from the mainland — a short flight from Dar es Salaam, Arusha or the Serengeti, or the ferry across the channel — the journey is domestic, yet Zanzibar still checks passports when you arrive. Keep yours in your hand luggage, never in a checked bag.
Insurance
The rule that surprises most visitors, in seven points:
How to buy it
Go to visitzanzibar.go.tz and follow the link for inbound insurance. Lookalike websites exist for many government travel forms, so check the address before entering card details.
Every traveler needs their own policy, with names and passport numbers matching the passport exactly and dates that span the whole island stay, including any days on Pemba.
Download the certificate with its QR code, save it offline on your phone and carry a printed copy. Airport Wi-Fi is not something to rely on at the immigration desk.
Immigration may ask for it alongside your passport and visa. Within its 92 days, the same policy covers any onward hop to Pemba.
Health documents
Flying to Zanzibar directly from the US, or through Europe or the Gulf, you do not need a yellow-fever certificate, and the CDC does not generally recommend the vaccine for Tanzania itself. The rule changes when you arrive from a country with yellow-fever risk: travelers aged one or over then need a certificate, and so does anyone who spent more than 12 hours in transit at an airport in such a country. A short connection in Nairobi or Addis Ababa does not trigger it; an overnight layover can.
Kenya is on that list, which makes the certificate the most important document on our Masai Mara and Zanzibar journey. The same applies after a gorilla trek in Uganda. The vaccine must be given at least 10 days before you land, so see a travel clinic early; the vaccines and yellow fever guide covers malaria and routine vaccinations.
Arrival
International flights arrive at Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, about 5 km south of Stone Town. The process usually runs in this order:
Yellow-fever certificates are checked here when your route requires one, along with any temperature screening in force at the time.
Present your passport, your eVisa grant (or apply for a visa on arrival) and your Zanzibar insurance certificate.
Plastic carrier bags are banned in Zanzibar and are taken from you on arrival; clear zip-top toiletry bags are fine.
Your driver meets you outside the arrivals hall for the transfer to Stone Town or the coast. Our guide to getting to Zanzibar lists transfer times for every area.
Good to know
Safaris
Nairobi · Masai Mara · Zanzibar Airport (ZNZ) · Stone Town · Kendwa
First-time safari-goers and honeymooners who want Kenya’s Mara and a proper beach in one trip
Stone Town · Pemba Island · Misali Island · Mafia Island · Dar es Salaam
Divers, snorkelers and repeat visitors who want the archipelago beyond Unguja’s beaches
Where to go
Zanzibar’s hillier, greener second island: deep-channel diving, Misali’s reefs, flying foxes, clove country and a handful of lodges.
ExploreWhale sharks off Kilindoni, Tanzania’s first marine park and a sheltered bay of coral and ruins — quiet, unpolished and reached via Dar es Salaam.
ExploreGood to know
Yes. US citizens need a Tanzanian visa, which covers Zanzibar; there is no separate Zanzibar visa. Applying online before travel is the smoothest option, and at the time of writing a single-entry visa on arrival remains available at the main ports.
Yes. At the time of writing, the government policy from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation is compulsory for non-resident visitors whatever other cover you hold, and no other insurer’s policy is accepted in its place. Keep your own comprehensive policy too, because the Zanzibar policy is basic.
Not for a Mafia-only stay. Mafia is administered as part of mainland Tanzania, where the Zanzibar policy is neither required nor valid. If your trip also lands on Unguja or Pemba, as our island-hopping journey does, you need it for that part.
Only if you arrive from, or spend more than 12 hours in transit in, a country with yellow-fever risk, such as Kenya or Uganda. Travelers flying in from the US, Europe or the Gulf do not need a certificate. A travel clinic can check your exact routing, since a long layover can change the answer.
Share your dates, who is traveling and what you want from Zanzibar — beaches, reefs, Stone Town or a safari first. We’ll suggest the right coast and design a private trip around you, with nothing booked until you approve it.
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