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Last checked: October 2026.
Zanzibar mandatory insurance is simple in rule and confusing in practice. Travellers arrive with a comprehensive annual policy and are told it does not count; others buy a "Zanzibar insurance" from a third-party site that immigration has never heard of; and a mainland scheme now applies to travellers who buy after 1 October 2026, which has left many safari-then-island travellers wondering whether they need two policies. They do not need two for the same trip; one policy depends on where you first enter. What follows is the rule as it stands in early October 2026, what the policy actually pays for, and how to handle it once, correctly.
The detail
This is general information on an entry rule, not legal advice; the official portal and the authorities have the final word.
When it began, and who must buy it
The Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar made inbound travel insurance compulsory for visitors from 1 October 2024, underwritten by the state-owned Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC). The UK Foreign Office is plain: visitors to Zanzibar, except residents, must hold mandatory inbound travel insurance, valid for the duration of the stay up to 92 days, and other travel insurance policies are not accepted in its place. Everyone else — on holiday, on business, on a two-night stopover — is in scope if Zanzibar is where they first enter Tanzania.
What it costs
US$44 per adult and US$22 per child aged 3 to 17; children under 3 are free. Citizens of East African Community and SADC states pay a reduced US$22, according to Nation Africa's reporting on the scheme. One trade source reports a 10% reduction on the adult rate for groups of ten or more. Buy only through the official portal, reached from visitzanzibar.go.tz (the insurance route is inbound.visitzanzibar.go.tz/insurance); ZIC's own site sends you to the same place. Only ZIC issues it; other websites that offer it are resellers, so buy through the official route. The portal shows the current child, EAC/SADC and group rates.
How to buy it
Complete the form with each traveller's passport details and travel dates, pay by card, and you receive a certificate by email with a scannable code — usually promptly, though some operators advise allowing 24 to 48 hours. Save it to your phone and print one copy. It is checked at immigration at Abeid Amani Karume International Airport and at the Stone Town seaport. The Foreign Office says policies can also be bought on arrival at ports of entry, but ZIC wants visitors to secure it before they travel, and a queue at a payment desk is a poor first hour.
What it covers — and what it does not
The policy is an emergency-and-entry product, not trip protection. It includes emergency medical treatment, emergency medical evacuation, repatriation of remains, and loss or delay of baggage, with some accident and legal-expense cover. Trade reports put the medical limit at around US$50,000, accident cover around US$10,000 and baggage around US$400; the portal holds the current schedule. Exclusions are the usual ones for a low-cost state scheme: pre-existing conditions, sports accidents, pregnancy-related costs, alcohol-related incidents, natural disasters, civil unrest and terrorism. One press guide says the policy covers Zanzibar, Pemba and the nearby islands but not Mafia Island, so check the portal if Mafia is on your route. Most important: there is no cancellation or curtailment cover at all.
How it works with your own travel insurance
Your own policy does not exempt you — the US Embassy is explicit that the purchase is compulsory even for travellers who already hold travel insurance. And the ZIC policy does not replace yours: for cancellation, missed connections, a medical limit that would cover a serious evacuation to Nairobi or Johannesburg, and any adventure activity, you need a proper policy from home. The honest trade-off: for a guest who already carries strong cover, the ZIC policy adds little, and it is still unavoidable. Treat the US$44 as an entry fee that happens to carry some cover, and insure yourself as if it did not exist. Our travel with confidence page explains how we plan around insurance.
Arriving on the mainland first
Mainland Tanzania runs its own scheme through the National Insurance Corporation (NIC). The Foreign Office says you need only one policy, for your first point of entry: land in Arusha or Dar es Salaam first and the NIC policy alone applies, including for the onward ferry or flight to the island; land in Zanzibar first and the ZIC policy alone applies. The Foreign Office now sets out the mainland rule for travellers who buy insurance after 1 October 2026: NIC for a mainland-first arrival, ZIC for a Zanzibar-first arrival. There is one exception. It says that "Travellers who purchased travel insurance from ZIC before 1 October may use it where the mainland is their first port of entry", and they do not need to buy NIC cover. So if you bought ZIC cover before 1 October 2026 and land on the mainland first, your ZIC certificate is enough. The Foreign Office gives no price for the NIC policy. For the routing itself, see getting from the Serengeti to Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar by ferry or flight.
Key facts
Introduced: 1 October 2024 (Zanzibar). Insurer: Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (state-owned). Price: US$44 adult · US$22 child 3–17 · under-3s free · US$22 for EAC/SADC citizens (the portal lists the child and reduced rates). Validity: up to 92 days. Buy: official portal via visitzanzibar.go.tz, ideally before travel (it can also be bought on arrival). Checked: at immigration, airport and Stone Town port. Exempt: residents of Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania. Covers: emergency medical, evacuation, repatriation, baggage. Does not cover: cancellation, pre-existing conditions, sports accidents. One policy only: chosen by first point of entry — Zanzibar first = ZIC; mainland first = NIC. Mainland NIC scheme: US$44 adult, up to 92 days, residents exempt, portal inbound.nicinsurance.co.tz; applies to travellers who buy after 1 October 2026 (Foreign Office); ZIC cover bought before 1 October may be used on a mainland-first arrival.
Planning it with Nobu
Entry rules for Tanzania now depend on where you land, and that is a routing question before it is a paperwork question. When we plan your journey we will tell you which of the two policies your first point of entry calls for and send you the official portal link, so you buy one policy, once, from the right place.
Is it right for you?
Flying straight into Zanzibar from Doha, Istanbul, Addis or Nairobi → buy the ZIC policy online a week or two before you fly, and keep your own travel insurance. Arriving on the mainland first for safari → buy the NIC policy for your mainland entry; you do not need the ZIC policy for the island leg. Resident in Zanzibar or mainland Tanzania → you are exempt. An EAC or SADC citizen → the portal shows the reduced rate.
Journeys to consider
- Shores of Zanzibar — direct-to-island; one ZIC policy, bought before you fly. → See the Shores of Zanzibar journey
- Southern Safari & Spice — mainland first, then the island; one NIC policy covers it. → See the Southern Safari & Spice journey