First Day Abroad

Customs and duty-free allowances in Tanzania

Part of the Tanzania arrival guide.

This information may change. Always check the official source.Last verified: August 2026 by

Bringing things into Tanzania

Leave at home

  • Plastic bags
  • Ivory and wildlife trophies

Plastic carrier bags are banned and are collected at the airport on arrival. Zanzibar runs its own customs, so the flight between the island and the mainland is checked like an international one.

Tanzania bans plastic bags at the border, and flying between Zanzibar and the mainland is a customs crossing.

  • Plastic carrier bags are prohibited. They are collected at the airport on arrival, and there is a declaration desk for them at Kilimanjaro and Dar es Salaam - zip-lock toiletry bags are the one tolerated exception.
  • Zanzibar has its own customs administration. The flight or ferry between the island and the mainland is treated as an international crossing, with its own checks and its own paperwork.
  • Ivory, shells and wildlife trophies may not be exported. Penalties under the wildlife legislation are severe and the airport scanners are looking.
  • The allowance is 200 cigarettes and a litre of spirits per adult.
  • Cash above the declarable threshold must be reported.
  • Drones need advance permission and are seized without it.
Report a change

Suggest a correction

JPEG, PNG or WebP, up to 5 MB. Location metadata is removed.

Corrections and photos are private and visible only to the review team.

Comments

No comments yet. Share the first one.

Share a tip

Sign in to continue.

Sources (1)

What this guide was checked against. Rules and prices change — follow the official link before you rely on a detail.