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Tanzanian citizens need a visa issued before they travel to Dubai. The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists Tanzania as "visa required", so there is no stamp at the airport. For a holiday, a GDRFA tourist visa costs AED 210 for 30 days and AED 315 for 60 days. GDRFA states 48 hours to process a complete file.
Pick the visa by the kind of trip
| Trip | Visa | GDRFA or ICP fee |
|---|---|---|
| One holiday up to a month | Tourist, 30 days, single entry | AED 210 |
| Longer holiday | Tourist, 60 days, single entry | AED 315 |
| Buying goods, in and out within a month | Tourist, 30 days, multiple entry | AED 315 |
| Two months of trips back and forth | Tourist, 60 days, multiple entry | AED 525 |
| Business visits all year | 5-year multiple entry tourist visa | AED 3,720 total, includes a AED 3,000 guarantee |
| Stopover between flights | Transit, 48 or 96 hours | AED 50 plus the airline fee |
Sources: GDRFA tourist and transit service pages, ICP 5-year tourist visa page, checked .
Dubai visa agencies publish about AED 340 to AED 800 for a 30-day single entry visa (published prices of 8 Dubai agencies, checked ). That range is for single entry only; multiple entry costs more.
Traders and repeat visitors
If you fly to Dubai to buy stock such as phones, clothes or spare parts, think about entries. A new single entry visa each time wastes money. With a multiple entry visa, you can fly out to Dar es Salaam and come back on the same visa while it is valid.
If you come several times a year, the 5-year Dubai visa is worth a look. ICP's conditions:
- A bank balance of USD 4,000 over the last 6 months.
- UAE health insurance.
- Up to 90 days per stay, 180 days a year at most, counted from first entry.
- A AED 3,000 guarantee, which is part of the AED 3,720 total and comes back if you keep to the rules.
A tourist visa covers buying, meetings and trade fairs. It does not let you work for a UAE company.
Stopping over in Dubai
Tanzanians flying on to Asia or Europe often connect in Dubai. If you stay airside in the transit area, you do not pass immigration. To leave the airport, the airline issues a transit visa:
- 48 hours or 96 hours, single entry, no extension.
- Onward ticket and a passport valid for the next country.
- GDRFA fee AED 50 plus the airline fee. Emirates lists US$10 for 48 hours and US$49 for 96 hours on its own tickets.
If your flight is cancelled or you fall ill, ICP has a free emergency transit visa through the airline: up to 96 hours for a disruption, up to 7 days for a medical emergency. More on the Dubai transit visa page.
Documents checklist
- Tanzanian passport valid at least 6 months from arrival
- Clear scan of the passport bio page
- Passport photo on a white background
- Return or onward flight booking
- Health insurance accepted in the UAE (health insurance)
- 5-year visa only: 6 months of bank statements
Travelling with children
The UAE waives the visa fee for tourists' children under 18 between 15 July and 15 September each year, when a parent travels with them (UAE Cabinet decision, reported by Gulf News). Outside those dates, each child needs a paid visa. See Dubai visa for children.
What gets Tanzanian files refused
- Passport with less than 6 months left.
- No return ticket, or a one-way booking.
- Insurance that does not name the UAE.
- A past overstay on an earlier trader visa.
- A photo with a coloured background.
Processing time
GDRFA states 48 hours. Emirates, for visas it arranges, says about 2 to 4 working days and asks you to apply at least 4 working days before arrival. Leave before the last day: overstays cost AED 50 a day. For passport issues during the trip, Tanzania has an embassy in Abu Dhabi and a consulate general in Dubai.
How it works with us
Send us a copy of your passport and tell us the trip: one holiday, repeated buying trips or a stopover. Use WhatsApp or the form on this page. A visa adviser matches the visa to how you travel, so you do not pay for single entries you could have combined. You get one total price, confirmed on WhatsApp, before you pay. Our processing partners file it with GDRFA and follow it to the e-visa, which you get by message. We are a private visa service, not a government body, and GDRFA or ICP makes the decision.
After a refusal, the government fee is not returned by the authorities. Before you pay, the adviser confirms in writing what part of the total, if any, you get back if that happens.
Official sources
- MOFA visa exemptions: Tanzania as visa required.
- GDRFA single entry tourist visa and multiple entry: fees.
- ICP 5-year tourist visa: total, guarantee, bank balance.
- GDRFA transit visa and ICP port visas: transit fees and the emergency visa.
- u.ae transit visa: 48 and 96 hours, no extension.
