Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, so you need a Tanzanian visa, and since our Zanzibar trips are volunteering programmes there is a second layer to get right. This guide was checked against the UK Foreign Office advice, Canada's official travel advice, Tanzania's e-visa portal and the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation in October 2026.
A visa is required: citizens of the United Kingdom, Ireland, every EU country, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand all need a visa. Tanzania waives visas for most Commonwealth countries, but the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are named exceptions.
One visa covers both: the same visa lets you visit Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania. When you apply, choose your first destination; you can then visit both without a new visa.
e-visa or visa on arrival: apply online on Tanzania's official e-visa portal, visa.immigration.go.tz, before you fly (the Foreign Office says you can no longer get a visa from the Tanzania High Commission in London), or buy a single-entry tourist visa on arrival at the main ports of entry. US citizens are the exception: they must take the multiple-entry visa.
Compulsory inbound insurance: every visitor must also buy Tanzania's official inbound travel insurance. Land in Zanzibar first and it must come from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC); no other policy is accepted, even if you already have travel insurance.
Volunteering is not tourism: the Foreign Office says anyone planning to work or volunteer in Tanzania will also need a work permit, and Canada's advice says you cannot do any work, including volunteer work, on a tourist visa. Read the volunteering section below before applying for anything.
Everyone from the UK, Ireland, the EU, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand needs a visa and the inbound insurance. If you are coming to volunteer with us, wait until we have confirmed what your programme needs before you apply.
The quickest way to see the exact rules for your passport is to check your requirements with Sherpa, which keeps track of the latest entry changes for you.
Here are the 2 trips we run in Zanzibar.
With your visa and insurance sorted, you can move freely around Zanzibar and across to mainland Tanzania on the same visa. Our programmes are Volunteer Teaching: Zanzibar, based in Stone Town, and Turtle Conservation: Zanzibar on the south coast; both run from one to twelve weeks, so the longest placements come close to the 90-day limit. Dress modestly away from the beach resorts: Zanzibar's authorities can fine you US$700 or more for clothing they consider inappropriate, especially in Stone Town. Plastic bags are banned, and the Foreign Office advises caution on ferries, including between Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar. For when to go, see our Zanzibar weather guide.
Check the latest visa requirements:
Yes. Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, and British, Irish, EU, US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passport holders all need a Tanzanian visa. Apply online at visa.immigration.go.tz, or buy a single-entry tourist visa on arrival at the main ports of entry.
US$50 for the single-entry Ordinary visa at the time of writing (October 2026). US citizens must buy the US$100 multiple-entry visa instead, even for a single trip. Pay only on the official portal; other sites add their own fees.
Yes. All visitors must buy the official inbound travel insurance, and if Zanzibar is your first port of entry it must come from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC): US$44 per adult, covering up to 92 days. Your own policy does not replace it, and you may be refused entry without it.
No. The Foreign Office says volunteers need a work permit as well as a visa, and Canada's advice says no work, including volunteering, is allowed on a tourist visa. If you are joining Volunteer Teaching: Zanzibar or our turtle programme, we will confirm what you need before you apply.
The Ordinary tourist visa is valid for up to 90 days on a single entry. US citizens' multiple-entry visa lasts a year but allows no more than 90 days in a row. Overstaying can mean arrest, detention, a fine and deportation.
At least 6 months from the date you arrive, with at least 1 blank page. You will also need to show a return or onward ticket at border control.
Sort the e-visa and the ZIC policy a few weeks out, let us confirm what your volunteer placement needs, and you will arrive in Stone Town with nothing left to worry about. Rules change, so check the official advice before you travel. See our Zanzibar volunteering programmes
We run 2 trips in Zanzibar, and 31 more countries besides. Your next adventure is waiting.
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