Effective 1 October 2024, all tourists traveling to Zanzibar are required to obtain a mandatory insurance policy prior to their arrival.
This insurance must be purchased exclusively from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC), a company wholly owned by the Zanzibar Government. Personal insurance will therefore not be able to meet this requirement.
While it is possible to apply for the insurance upon arrival at the airport, this process may take additional time and could potentially delay your entry into Zanzibar. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that tourists secure their insurance before traveling to ensure a smooth and hassle-free experience.
This travel insurance covers unexpected illnesses or any other uncertainty while travelers are in Zanzibar. The basic coverages are: Emergency medical expenses and repatriation expenses (bodily and medical), personal accident, baggage delay, theft and loss, legal expenses, third party liability, etc.
The insurance policy covers individual trips up to 92 days per stay. Unlimited trips can be made during the insurance period up to the maximum number of days purchased per trip.
The insurance policy is not renewable and if you are still in Zanzibar after 92 days, you must take out a new policy.
The cost of the Zanzibar insurance policy is US$44.
How to Apply:
- In Advance: Tourists must complete the insurance application online before their trip. For more information, visit https://visitzanzibar.go.tz, email inbound@zic.co.tz, or call the toll-free number 0800008005. Your insurance documents will be sent to the email address you registered online. The confirmation of coverage will include policy information such as your unique policy number, policy effective date, benefits, terms and conditions, limitations, exclusions and other important information.
This is the preferred method to avoid any delays upon arrival.
- At the Airport: For those who have not secured insurance in advance, it can be applied for at the airport upon arrival. However, please be prepared for potential waiting times during this process.
Travelers will be asked to present proof of coverage upon arrival in Zanzibar. Ensuring you have the necessary documentation ready will facilitate a quicker entry process.
Remember to keep a copy of your policy with you when you travel to Zanzibar!
The thing most travellers get wrong
This policy does not replace your own travel insurance. It sits alongside it. Your existing policy — including a German Auslandskrankenversicherung or any annual multi-trip cover — is not accepted as a substitute at immigration, and the ZIC cover itself is limited, with a maximum in the region of USD 50,000. Treat it as an entry fee with a small insurance attached, and keep your real policy.
What it costs and how long it lasts
Those figures have held since the scheme began, but this is exactly the kind of rule that changes without much warning — check the official portal shortly before you fly rather than trusting any blog, including this one.
Where to buy it — and where not to
There is one official channel: inbound.visitzanzibar.go.tz. You will receive a QR-coded confirmation which is checked at immigration on arrival. Save it offline and print it — airport wifi is not something to rely on with a queue behind you.
Third-party sites do resell this, usually with a mark-up and sometimes with nothing at the end of it. There is no reason to use them. Buying directly takes a few minutes and costs the stated fee.
What happens if you skip it
You buy it at the airport instead, which works but adds a queue to the end of a long flight — and several foreign ministries note that entry can be refused. It is worth ten minutes at home. Our team checks that arriving guests have it as a matter of course; if you are unsure whether yours went through, send us the confirmation and we will look at it before you travel.