- Tanzania removed special visa clearance for Nigerian travellers effective September 25, 2026.
- Nigerian nationals can apply through the ordinary visa process using the online portal or designated entry points.
- The change does not waive visa requirements; travellers still need an applicable visa to enter Tanzania.
Tanzania has removed an extra approval step for Nigerian travellers, allowing them to apply through the country’s ordinary visa process. The change took effect immediately.
Tanzania’s Immigration Services Department announced the move in a public notice dated September 25, 2026. Chief Spokesperson Paul Mselle signed the notice.
Nigerian nationals had faced special visa clearance before applying through the usual route. That added step is gone.
The change concerns advance approval, not the requirement to obtain a visa. Nigerian travellers still need to follow the applicable visa process.
Nigerians can apply without the extra approval step
The notice removes Nigerians from the nationalities covered by the referral visa requirement under Government Gazette No. 246 of 2026. Applicants can use Tanzania’s immigration online portal or apply at designated entry points.
The announcement changes the route Nigerians must follow before travelling. It does not say that Nigerian passport holders have become visa-exempt, or that they qualify for a visa on arrival.
Tanzania’s system separates ordinary visa applications from categories that require advance approval. It also distinguishes visa exemptions and eligibility for visas on arrival. The new notice addresses Nigerians’ place in the advance-approval category.
Travellers should therefore treat the announcement as a change to the application process, not as permission to enter without a visa. The notice keeps the broader visa framework in place.
The change does not make Tanzanian visas optional
Published 2026 visa guidance lists an ordinary single-entry visa at US$50 and a multiple-entry visa at US$100. Those figures describe visa options; the removal of the extra clearance does not itself set a new fee or waive payment.
The visa categories remain distinct. Ordinary applications, on-arrival eligibility, exemptions and prior-approval cases do not represent interchangeable entry routes. A change to one category does not establish eligibility under another.
Guidance for Tanzania also says visa rules can change without prior notice, and that some passport categories continue to require advance approval. The new rule concerns Nigerian nationals and does not remove requirements that may apply to other nationalities.
The electronic visa system covers both Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar under the same entry system. That means the process described in the guidance applies across those destinations; the notice does not announce a separate Zanzibar rule.
The former process called for applications months ahead
Under the previous procedure, applicants were advised to submit requests at least two months before travel because the additional approval process took longer than ordinary visa applications. Nigerian travellers no longer need that separate pre-clearance step under the new notice.
They can now use the ordinary Tanzanian visa process instead. The department’s announcement was effective as soon as it was issued on September 25.
