Do Tanzanian passport holders need a visa for the United States?
By Saurabh Pathare · Travel Writer, Tripmojo · Updated · Reviewed by Simran Raheja
Yes, and the cost is not just the visa fee. Tanzanian citizens need a B1/B2 visitor visa, which costs 185 US dollars. Tanzania is also reported as covered by the US visa bond programme with effect from 21 January 2026, so a consular officer may require a refundable bond of 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000 US dollars as a condition of issuing the visa. Plan around the possibility before you book anything.
Quick facts
Visa required- Visa required
- Yes, a B1/B2 visitor visa
- Application fee
- USD 185, unchanged since May 2023
- Visa bond
- Possible. USD 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000, set by the consular officer
- Is the bond refundable
- Yes, if you comply with its terms and depart on time
- Bond reported in force since
- 21 January 2026
- Interview
- Required in person, at the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam
Entry requirements
- A Tanzanian passport valid for at least six months beyond your planned stay.
- An approved B1/B2 visa before travelling. There is no visa on arrival in the United States.
- A completed DS-160 and its confirmation page.
- The ability to post a bond of up to 20,000 US dollars if the consular officer requires one. It is decided case by case at the interview, not announced in advance.
- Evidence of ties to Tanzania you will return to, and proof of funds for the trip itself.
How to apply, and what the bond means
Complete the DS-160 online, pay the 185 dollar application fee, then attend an interview at the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam. That part is the same as any B1/B2 application anywhere.
What can follow approval is the difference. Because Tanzania is reported as a covered country under the US visa bond programme, the consular officer may make the visa conditional on posting a bond of 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000 dollars. The amount, and whether a bond is required at all, is the officer’s judgement on your circumstances and is not published in advance.
The bond is returned once you comply with its conditions and leave the United States on time. It is a deposit rather than a fee, so the question is whether you can free up the money for the length of the trip, not whether you can afford to lose it.
Good to know
- This is recent, which is why so much of what you will read is wrong. Tanzania is reported as covered only from 21 January 2026. Agency pages, blog posts and forum threads written before that date describe an application with no bond in it, and many of them still rank well. Check the date on anything you rely on.
- Zanzibar makes no difference to this question. Zanzibar is part of Tanzania and its residents travel on the same Tanzanian passport, so the bond possibility is identical whether you fly out of Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar and whichever address is on your application.
- Raise the bond at the interview rather than discovering it afterwards. Because the amount is set case by case and only at that stage, the sequencing that hurts people is booking flights on the assumption that approval is the final step. Treat approval as provisional until you know whether a bond is attached.
Frequently asked questions
Do Tanzanians need a visa for the USA?
Yes. Tanzania is not in the Visa Waiver Programme, so a B1/B2 visitor visa is required before travelling. The application fee is 185 US dollars.
Do Tanzanians have to pay a US visa bond?
Possibly. Tanzania is reported as covered by the visa bond programme from 21 January 2026, so a consular officer may require a bond of 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000 dollars. It is decided case by case at the interview.
Is the US visa bond refundable for Tanzanian applicants?
Yes. It is returned if you comply with the bond conditions and leave the United States on time. It is a deposit rather than a fee, though the money has to be available up front.
How much does a US visa really cost for a Tanzanian citizen?
185 US dollars for the application, which is not refunded on refusal. On top of that you may have to lock up 10,000 to 20,000 dollars as a refundable bond for the duration of the trip.
When did the US visa bond start applying to Tanzania?
Tanzania is reported as covered with effect from 21 January 2026. The programme itself began as a pilot on 20 August 2025 and was made permanent on 3 August 2026.
Related pages
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against the official sources below on .
- US Department of Homeland Security — Visa Waiver Program designated countries. Tanzania is absent from the designation list of 42 countries. Read 2026-08-16.
- Federal Register, 9 June 2026, Schedule of Fees for Consular Services (2026-11513) — USD 185 MRV fee
- Federal Register, 3 August 2026, Visas: Visa Bond Program (2026-15726) — bonds of USD 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000 set by the consular officer, refundable on compliance; finalises the pilot that began 20 August 2025; covered countries are published only on travel.state.gov, added on 15 days notice and modified on a rolling basis
- Countries Subject to Visa Bonds, 6 January 2026 revision: Tanzania listed, effective 21 January 2026. travel.state.gov refuses automated clients, so this is taken from two independent immigration-law trackers of that revision, cross-checked against each other on 2026-08-16. NOT a browser read of the Department list, which is why the page says "reported as covered" and tells the reader to confirm.
Entry rules change without notice and the official source is always the authority. Confirm with the embassy or immigration portal before you book.
