Tanzania Visa for Kilimanjaro Climbers

Do you need a visa to climb Kilimanjaro?

Most climbers do. Tanzania Immigration Services lists three broad groups: nationals who need no visa, nationals who can get a visa online or on arrival, and nationals in a Referral category who must get approval in advance.

According to the official visa guidelines, citizens of East African Community member states, most SADC countries (Comoros excepted) and most Commonwealth countries do not need a visa. The Commonwealth exemption does not cover the United Kingdom, Canada, Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Australia or New Zealand, so climbers from those countries do need one.

Lists change, and the guidelines themselves say visa rules may change without notice. Check your nationality on the official portal before you book flights.

How do you apply for a Tanzania eVisa?

Apply on the official Tanzania eVisa portal, visa.immigration.go.tz, which you can also reach from the e-services section of immigration.go.tz. The immigration guidelines specifically tell applicants to use the official website only and not other online links; third-party sites charge extra for the same form.

The process, per the official guidelines:

1. Start a new application on the portal using your email address; you receive an application ID for tracking.
2. Fill in the form and upload a colour passport-style photo (JPG, under 500 KB, plain background) and the required documents.
3. Required documents for an Ordinary visa: a scan of your passport's data page and your return ticket.
4. Pay the visa fee online by Visa card or Mastercard, then submit.
5. Wait for the Visa Grant Notice by email, or download it from the portal's status page.

Every passport holder needs their own application, including children listed on a parent's form. Once submitted, an application cannot be edited.

Which visa type do Kilimanjaro climbers need?

For a climb or safari, most nationalities need the Ordinary visa, which is the single-entry tourist visa. It is valid for up to 90 days and covers both mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar, so a beach week after the climb does not need a second visa.

US citizens are the exception. Under a bilateral arrangement, holders of US passports visiting for tourism must apply for the Multiple Entry visa, even for a single trip.

The guidelines also say Ordinary visa holders who pop over to another East African country after arriving in Tanzania can re-enter on the same visa while it is still valid. Useful if you are combining Kilimanjaro with a trip to Kenya, but confirm it with immigration before relying on it.

Do not apply for a Business visa because your climb is booked through a company. Climbing is tourism.

How much does a Tanzania visa cost and how long does it take?

As of September 2026, the official fee schedule on the Tanzania eVisa portal is:

• Ordinary visa: USD 50
• Multiple Entry visa: USD 100
• Transit visa: USD 30 (up to seven days, strictly for transit)
• Business visa: USD 250

Online applications are processed within ten days, except for the Referral category, whose applicants are told to apply at least two months before travel and not to buy flights until approved. Fees and rules can change, so check the portal the week you apply.

Leave a margin. Apply four to six weeks before you fly, which gives time to fix a rejected photo or a missing document without panic.

Can you get a visa on arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport?

Yes, if your nationality is on the official visa-on-arrival list, which includes the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, most EU countries and many others. Nationals in the Referral category, refugees and stateless travellers cannot get a visa on arrival without prior approval from the Commissioner General of Immigration.

Tanzania Immigration nonetheless recommends applying online. You arrive with the decision made, and you are not relying on paying correctly at a desk after an overnight flight.

Do you need a yellow fever certificate for Tanzania?

Only in certain cases. The CDC says a yellow fever certificate is not required for travellers arriving in Tanzania directly from the United States, and the UK's NaTHNaC gives the same rule for arrivals from non-risk countries.

It is required, for travellers aged 1 year or over, if you:

• arrive from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission, or
• have transited for more than 12 hours through an airport in such a country.

This catches more Kilimanjaro climbers than you might think. Kenya and Ethiopia both have yellow fever risk areas according to the CDC, so a long layover in Addis Ababa or Nairobi, or crossing overland from Kenya, can trigger the requirement.

The certificate is the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP, the "yellow card"). The CDC notes it becomes valid 10 days after vaccination and then lasts for life. The vaccine is not suitable for everyone; NaTHNaC advises that people aged 60 or over should not be vaccinated for travel to Tanzania alone because of a higher risk of serious side effects. See a travel-medicine doctor six to eight weeks before you travel to discuss this, malaria prevention and altitude.

What documents should you carry when you land?

Keep these together in your hand luggage, not in the duffel bag that goes to the mountain:

• Passport with at least six months' validity and a blank page
• Printed Visa Grant Notice (plus a copy on your phone)
• Return or onward ticket, which immigration asks to see
• Yellow fever certificate, if your route requires one
• Travel insurance details that cover trekking to 6,000 m and helicopter evacuation; see our travel insurance guide

The immigration guidelines also point out that a Visa Grant Notice is not a final guarantee of entry; the officer at the border can still refuse entry if other conditions are not met.

For help lining up visa timing with a climb date, ask Kili Aventura through the quote request form; our airports guide covers where to land.

As of September 2026, the Ordinary visa costs USD 50 and is valid for up to 90 days. US citizens pay USD 100 for the Multiple Entry visa, which they must use for tourism. Check the official portal for current fees before applying.

Tanzania Immigration says online applications are processed within ten days, except for Referral-category nationalities. Applying four to six weeks before travel leaves time to correct any problems.

Yes, for nationalities on the official visa-on-arrival list, including the UK, USA and most of Europe. Immigration recommends applying online instead, and Referral-category nationals must get approval in advance.

You need a yellow fever certificate only if you arrive from a country with yellow fever risk, or after more than 12 hours' transit at an airport in one, such as in Kenya or Ethiopia. Travelling directly from the US, UK or Europe does not trigger the requirement. Discuss vaccination with a travel-medicine doctor.

Yes. The official guidelines say one visa covers both mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar; select your first destination on the form.