Living in Tanzania as a French National: Visa, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Safety and School

Tanzania offers its residents a wide variety of living environments: the metropolis of Dar es Salaam, the tourist region of Arusha and Kilimanjaro, and the Zanzibar archipelago. English and Swahili are the languages of everyday life and administration. The École française Arthur-Rimbaud, a French lycée of the AEFE network, and an active embassy structure the life of the French community in Dar es Salaam.

The points of caution concern everyday safety and the roads: France Diplomatie notes a sharp rise in crime (thefts, assaults, burglaries, violent phone thefts after nightfall), road mortality among the highest in the world and a terrorism risk considered possible, above all in Dar es Salaam. Preparation before departure consists in choosing the permit, the neighbourhood and the health cover. See also the guide to the Tanzanian healthcare system.

Dar es Salaam is home to the French embassy (2 Kilimani Road) and the École française Arthur-Rimbaud (Masaki). The north of the country (Arusha and Kilimanjaro) lives on tourism: France Diplomatie asks people there to follow the instructions of travel operators and describes road insecurity on the Arusha-Nairobi route as particularly high. In Zanzibar, assaults are concentrated in Stone Town, Nungwi, Paje and Jambiani; night-time burglaries of tourist rooms and villas have been reported there.

The Mozambique border zone and the Mtwara region are formally advised against; the western regions bordering Burundi (Kagera, Kigoma) as well as Lindi and Ruvuma are advised against except for compelling reasons. The rest of the country is under heightened vigilance.

According to France Diplomatie, the visa is requested online on the government portal or obtained on arrival at the airports of Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro and the ports of Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar and Kigoma. The tourist visa costs €50 or USD 50, the business visa €250 or USD 250; only US dollars issued after 2006 are accepted on arrival, and the length granted may be shorter than that requested online: it is checked at the border. The passport must be valid for more than six months after arrival.

• Tourist visa and activity: it cannot be used for professional or voluntary purposes; offences expose you to fines, expulsion and bans on staying. Volunteers apply for a type C residence permit, even for a short stay.
• Residence permit: Tanzanian immigration issues permits by class; the detail of the classes, fees and conditions is requested from the immigration department and the employer, the official pages consulted not having been readable. See the page on working in Tanzania.
• Consular registration: France Diplomatie recommends registering with the Ariane system to receive alerts.

The “Economic reference points” block above presents the latest inflation and exchange-rate indicators. Rents and charges vary greatly with the city and neighbourhood; the official pages consulted publish no rent scale. Amounts are requested from local agents, the employer and the school, and checked in writing before signing a lease.

France Diplomatie recommends that women travelling alone in Zanzibar lock their room at night and prefer secure accommodation to isolated villas: the same safety criterion guides the choice of long-term housing (guarding, fencing, lighting, access). For families, insurance is chosen at the same time as housing: expat family insurance.

The École française Arthur-Rimbaud, located on Mawenzi Road (Masaki) in Dar es Salaam, has 463 pupils across 16 levels, from the very first nursery year to the final year, 15 of them approved; no level there is followed through the CNED (AEFE record). The school’s logo indicates a status as a school under agreement. Tuition fees, available places and grants are requested from the school and the consular section of the embassy.

For children, insurance is chosen with a paediatrics and vaccination component: France Diplomatie reports dengue on the rise, notably in the Dar es Salaam region, and Rift Valley fever in the north. The page on healthcare reimbursement in Tanzania compares the cover solutions.

France Diplomatie describes sharply rising crime, including assaults and car-jackings, and fake taxis whose victims are held and forced to withdraw money; it advises not to resist and suggests using a ride-hailing app. The practical advice:

• do not drive at night outside urban areas (formally advised against), avoid minibuses and two-wheelers, prefer flying for long distances;
• lock the doors and close the windows in a car; official taxis carry white plates;
• carry photocopies of papers, keep phones out of sight after nightfall in towns and tourist areas;
• for Meru and Kilimanjaro: use guides from recognised agencies and take out specific rescue insurance;
• filing a complaint remains difficult (no French-speaking police officer, no copy of the complaint): inform the consulate quickly.

France Diplomatie considers imperative an assistance contract or insurance covering all medical costs, including surgery, hospitalisation and medical repatriation, as the embassy cannot cover them. It recommends an up-to-date French vaccination schedule and, depending on the situation, hepatitis A, typhoid, hepatitis B, meningitis ACWY and rabies; proof of yellow fever vaccination is often requested at the airport without being, according to the page, a legal or medical requirement. Malaria is prevented by protection against mosquitoes and preventive treatment on medical advice.

For emergencies, the embassy gives a switchboard (+255 22 219 88 00), an out-of-hours emergency line (+255 784 210 396) and a medical contact (+255 754 25 46 42). See also repatriation and assistance.