Travelling to Tanzania by air will cost at least $90 more from November 1, after aviation authorities introduced a new tax on international visitors to fund a new passenger information management system.

 

The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) said the levy will be charged on all arriving and departing foreign passengers, with airlines expected to pass the additional cost directly to travellers through ticket prices.

The new Passenger Facilitation Fee (VI Tax), which will be levied at a rate of $45 for a one-way ticket and $90 for return tickets, is intended to support the costs of installing modernised systems for tightening airport immigration controls on international passengers entering the country.

Only infants under two years old, airline crew and involuntarily rerouted passengers will be spared the tax, and it will be collected at the point of sale and displayed separately on the ticket. Travellers will be given full refunds in the event of trip cancellations or unused tickets.

Specifically, authorities say the tax is meant to help with the creation and maintenance of an Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) and an electronic Border Control System (eBCS).

TCAA says the lack of these systems is the only shortcoming they faced during the 2023 universal security audit programme by the International Civil Aviation Organization.“Given the cost associated with implementation of this project including but not limited to the cost of data processing, system modernisation and regulatory compliance including data privacy standards and cyber security enhancements, reliance on government financing is costly and may not be sustainable,” said TCAA in a statement.“Introducing the fee for APIS/eBCS ensures the system remains efficient, secure, and financially sustainable while distributing costs fairly among stakeholders. The fee will ensure the long-term reliability of APIS/eBCS, providing continuous funding for maintenance, staff training, and operational improvements.”Experts have argued that the tax rate is too high if the purpose is just the creation and maintenance of the systems.“The actual cost of providing these services is nowhere near as high as is being levied,” argued Sean Mendis, an aviation expert and former COO of Accra-based Africa World Airlines. “So it is no doubt being used as a general revenue raising initiative under the cover of security.”The African Airlines Association had recently sounded the alarm on countries increasing aviation taxes, specifically passenger arrival and departure taxes, and using them as a general revenue raising measure.

The impact on tourism and visitor arrivals in Tanzania is expected to be significant, given that Dar had already introduced a mandatory $44 travel insurance in June that is expected to come into force in January 2026.

Tanzanian tourism stakeholders and experts criticised the travel insurance fee, saying it could negatively impact the country’s gains from a sector that is among its highest foreign exchange earners, and the addition of another fee will trigger fresh hikes on airfares for tourists and locals.“Tanzania seems to have discovered that there is a certain level of charges they can levy on visitors without hurting tourism numbers, so they are pushing their luck,” Mr Mendis told The EastAfrican.“Between their mandatory insurance and this new VI tax, it could be over $200 more expensive to travel on vacation to Tanzania in 2026 than 2024. I’m sure to some extent they can get away with it, but I suspect they will see an impact on their overall discretionary travel growth once all of them are implemented.”

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