All foreign national entering Mainland Tanzania through land, seaport, or airport must now hold a valid inbound travel insurance policy. Arrive without one, and immigration officials are empowered to deny entry outright, except residents from the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community, who can continue crossing borders as before with insurance free. This mandatory requirement is enforced with the Insurance (Inbound Travel Insurance) Regulations, 2026, published under Government Notice No. 256 (the “Regulations”) on 4^th September 2026.

The Regulations prescribed an insurance premium equivalent to 44 United states Dollars, payable in Tanzanian Shillings. The policy is valid for a maximum period of 92 days from the date of arrival and covers multiple entries into Mainland Tanzania during that period. The inbound travel insurance provides protection against emergency medical treatment, emergency medical evacuation, emergency repatriation, and any loss of luggage. The policy may be purchased either before travel or upon arrival at the point of entry, offering flexibility and convenience for foreigners.

The National Insurance Corporation (NIC) has been granted the exclusive mandate to provide Inbound Travel Insurance. However, NIC may collaborate with other duly licensed insurance companies in the provision of inbound travel insurance to ensure adequate service capacity and nationwide coverage.

To safeguard integrity and effectiveness of the Inbound Travel Insurance, participating insurers are required to comply with enhanced operation and regulatory standards. These include establishing reliable systems for payment verification, integrating with relevant government authorities for validation and data-sharing purposes, clearly disclosing policy coverage, exclusions, and benefit limits, maintaining accessible communication channels for emergencies and customer support, and keeping comprehensive records of all policies issued and claims processed. Collectively, these measures are intended to promote transparency, accountability, and efficient service delivery for travellers seeking coverage under the scheme.

No insurance company is allowed to launch this product without first securing approval from the Tanzania Insurance Regulatory Authority, and personal data collected in the process is required to be handled in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act, so as to protect and safely store travellers’ information. Travel agents, tour operators, and anyone hosting foreign guests would do well to build this new requirement into their pre-arrival checklists because its no longer optional.