FOREIGNERS TRAVELLING TO TANZANIA INCLUDING KENYANS TO PAY EXTRA FEE

Foreigners travelling to Tanzania, including Kenyans, will now pay an additional air travel fee. President Samia Suluhu's administration announced plans to launch the passenger facilitation fee on both international arrival and departure. The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) introduced an additional fee of $45 (KSh 5,814) for a one-way ticket and $90 (KSh 11,628) for a return ticket.
According to the East African, TCAA said the new fees have been introduced under the VI Tax code and will take effect on November 1, 2025. The authority stated that the fees will be exempt for children under two years old and will be collected by airlines at the point of sale. Passengers who have not travelled or cancelled their tickets will get a full refund of the fee.
TCAA noted that the passenger facilitation fee is aimed at supporting the governments' installation of Advanced Passenger Information (API) and Electronic Border Control (eBMC) systems. The system will act as security, transmitting passenger information to the government before flight departure for vetting. The government will therefore determine whether the passenger should travel into the country or not. "Based on the cost of installing the system, relying only on government financing will not be sustainable. For this reason, we have proposed that the fees collected from passengers during international arrivals will fund the project," said TCAA.
Airline operators warned that the move would affect the industry, already facing high taxation from the African governments. The new travel fees came barely a month after the Tanzanian government introduced restrictions on foreigners doing business in the country.