Tanzania passenger charges

The airport service charge

The Airport Service Charge Act, Chapter 365, says every passenger pays the charge each time he embarks on an aircraft at an airport ¹. A passenger travelling within the United Republic pays ten thousand shillings ¹. A passenger travelling to a destination outside the country pays the equivalent of forty United States dollars in foreign convertible currency ¹.

Every airline and every travel agent is an agent for collecting the charge ¹. The charge is paid before embarkation to a collection agent or a revenue office ¹. Agents remit the money to the Commissioner General of the Tanzania Revenue Authority by the last working day of the month after collection ¹.

TanzLII shows this version of the Act as in force to 30 June 2025 and lists a Finance Act, 2025 amendment, effective 1 July 2025, as not yet applied ¹. This site did not confirm what that amendment changed ¹.

TCAA safety and security fees

A Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority circular sets a safety fee for passengers departing from any aerodrome in Tanzania, on domestic and international journeys ². International passengers pay US$10 from 3 January to 30 June 2026 and US$12 from 1 July 2026 ². Domestic passengers pay TZS 5,000 ². Airlines include the fee in the ticket price and itemize it as Safety Fee ². IATA member airlines use code HY, and IATA collects the fee for TCAA ². The Zanzibar Revenue Authority collects the fee for Zanzibar and Pemba ².

An earlier TCAA circular, numbered 8/18, set a security fee of USD 5 on international tickets and TZS 5,000 on domestic tickets from 1 November 2018 ³. It said the fee is included in the ticket price and itemized as Security fee ³. The 2026 safety fee circular does not mention the security fee ². This site did not confirm whether the security fee is still charged in 2026.

TCAA circular 3/21 let Kilimanjaro Airports Development Company Limited (KADCO) collect a security fee at Kilimanjaro International Airport from 1 August 2021 ⁴. It set USD 5 per international departing passenger and TZS 5,000 per domestic departing passenger ⁴. The circular said direct user charges at KIA, including the passenger service charge, were inadequate to fund security measures ⁴. This site did not confirm whether this fee is still charged in 2026.

The Passenger Facilitation Fee

Tourism Update reported on 19 August 2025 that Tanzania would charge a Passenger Facilitation Fee from 1 November under tax code VI ⁵. It gave the amount as US$45 per one-way international journey and US$90 for a return trip ⁵. The fee is collected at the point of sale and shown separately on the ticket, according to the same report ⁵. Infants under two are exempt, as reported ⁵.

The EastAfrican reported on 22 August 2025 that TCAA announced the levy for arriving and departing foreign passengers, to fund a new passenger information system ⁷.

On 27 July 2026 Tourism Update reported that the levy had been in place for a year and that carriers bill it at the point of sale ⁶. It said children under two, airline duty crew and passengers involuntarily rerouted are exempt ⁶. The report linked the levy to a 2023 ICAO security audit that found Tanzania lacked an integrated system to pre-screen international passengers ⁶. At launch TCAA said relying only on treasury allocations for this security technology is unsustainable, as reported ⁶. Neither Tourism Update report cites a legal instrument for the fee ^5,6. This site did not find the legal notice.

Charges at a glance

Visas and insurance

Tanzania's visa system lists an ordinary single-entry visa at 50 USD for up to 90 days ⁹. US nationals cannot get the ordinary visa and need the multiple entry visa at 100 USD ⁹. A business visa costs 250 USD and a transit visa 30 USD for up to seven days ⁹. Fees are paid online by Visa Card or Mastercard ⁹. UK advice says travellers arriving first in Zanzibar must buy insurance from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation ¹⁰.