Quick summary
- Multiple official-adjacent sources report Tanzania abolished visa on arrival — including at land borders — as of January 30, 2025
- In May-June 2026, I got a visa on arrival at the Namanga land border anyway
- The gap between what’s officially reported and what happens on the ground is real, and worth understanding before you travel
If you’re planning an overland Kenya-Tanzania safari, you’ll eventually run into this question: does Tanzania actually still offer visa on arrival? The more you search, the more contradictory the answer seems to get.
Here’s what I found researching this, plus what actually happened when I crossed the Namanga land border from Kenya into Tanzania in May-June 2026.
Short version: official sources disagree with each other
Here’s what the record shows, as of my research in August 2026:
- Tanzania has been pushing travelers toward online e-Visa applications since 2019
- In November 2024, Tanzania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs circulated a notice to diplomatic missions announcing plans to suspend visa on arrival by November 30, 2024
- Within days, Tanzania’s immigration department publicly walked that back, confirming visa on arrival would remain available while still encouraging e-Visa applications
- At least one current visa-information source now states that Tanzania abolished visa on arrival entirely — including at land borders — as of January 30, 2025
⚠️ In other words: there’s a real, documented history of confusion and reversal around this policy, and current sources don’t fully agree on where things landed. That’s the actual source of the “should I get an e-Visa or just wing it” uncertainty — it’s not just you being confused.
What actually happened at Namanga
My safari started in Nairobi, Kenya, covering Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, and Amboseli, before crossing overland into Tanzania at the Namanga border.
My local operator (Super Eagles Travel & Tours) recommended getting a visa on arrival at Namanga rather than applying for an e-Visa in advance, citing frequent trouble reports from travelers using the online system. At the border, the process was straightforward: a baggage check, then paying the visa fee.
The return crossing (Tanzania back into Kenya) was a different story — I ran into tip requests, a requirement to print my visa, and a currency exchange counter that ended up being useful for both. Worth keeping in mind that a border crossing can feel very different depending on direction.
Here’s where Namanga sits — on the route between Amboseli, Kenya and Arusha, Tanzania.
📝 The limits of this account
This is one data point — one traveler, one specific border (Namanga), in May-June 2026. Policy can vary by crossing point and change over time, so this isn’t a guarantee that visa on arrival will be available at every land border, or that it will stay this way. Confirm current requirements close to your travel dates.
Watch out for e-Visa scam sites
If you do apply for an e-Visa, be careful — there have been reports of scam sites mimicking Tanzania’s official immigration portal. Apply only through the official government domain (linked in the sources below), and be wary of third-party “visa service” sites that turn up in search results or ads.
So which should you choose?
| Entry point | What’s officially reported | What travelers report on the ground |
|---|---|---|
| Airports (JNIA, KIA, etc.) | Some sources report e-Visa as mandatory since early 2025 | Applying for an e-Visa in advance is the safer bet |
| Land borders (e.g. Namanga) | Sources disagree — some say VOA remains for eligible travelers, others say it’s fully discontinued | I obtained a visa on arrival at Namanga in 2026, and local operators still route travelers this way |
If you’re doing an overland safari with a reputable local operator, visa on arrival at a land border like Namanga is a real, functioning option — that was my experience.
If you’re flying in solo, or your schedule doesn’t leave room for anything to go wrong, applying for an e-Visa in advance is the safer default.
If you’re figuring out the logistics for a specific Kenya-Tanzania route, I’ve written up the full booking process and itinerary separately.
Bottom line
- Official and near-official sources disagree on whether Tanzania’s visa on arrival still exists — some say it ended in late 2024, others say January 2025, and none of them fully agree on land borders specifically
- I got a visa on arrival at the Namanga land border in May-June 2026
- Policy can change — confirm current requirements close to your travel dates
- If applying for an e-Visa, use the official government domain only, and watch out for scam sites
Sources
- Tanzania announces plans to abolish visa on arrival (Nov 2024)
- Tanzania: confusion over visa on arrival — VisasNews
- Tanzania confirms visa-on-arrival remains available — Travelobiz
- Tanzania Visa Requirements 2026 (reports full VOA abolition as of Jan 2025)
- Tanzania Immigration Department — official e-Visa application site
